Why Are We So Fat? The Real Reason For The Obesity Epidemic
by: Tom Venuto
Why Are We So Fat? That’s the question asked in the cover story of a recent issue of National Geographic magazine.
“Americans enjoy one of the most luxurious lifestyles on Earth: Our food is plentiful. Our work is automated. Our leisure is effortless. And it’s killing us,” says Geographic senior writer Cathy Newman.
Some of the latest facts and statistics about obesity revealed in the article are chilling:
* One out of three Americans is obese, twice as many as three decades ago
* The Center for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) has declared obesity an “epidemic”
* 15% of children and teens are overweight, a nearly three fold jump since 1980
* Other countries are catching up to the United States, especially newly industrialized nations. KFC opened a drive through restaurant in Beijing in 2002 with more on the way. UK snack food consumption rose 25% in the last five years. Sales of processed food rose 20% in Latin America between 1980 and 2000.
* Being overweight is now associated with over 400,000 deaths per year
* Obesity is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, and colon, breast and endometrial cancers
* Next year, Obesity is expected to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States
* The Puget Sound Ferries increased their seat width from 18 to 20 inches to allow room for bigger bottoms
* An ambulance company in Colorado retrofitted its vehicles with a winch and a plus size compartment to accommodate patients up to a half a ton in weight
* A casket maker in Indiana now offers double-sized models
* One in four Americans gets ZERO exercise, one-third of Americans don’t get the minimum amount the government suggests we need just to avoid chronic disease
* The average child will watch 10,000 commercials per year touting food or beverages, nearly all of them for junk and fast food
So what’s the answer to the question, “why are we so fat?” What does this article reveal? Are overweight people deficient in fat burning hormones? Was the obesity gene discovered and isolated, confirming that your genetics determine whether fat is fate? Does blood sugar and insulin go haywire in certain people regardless of how they eat or how they exercise? Has it finally been proven that carbohydrates make us fat? Is the appetite mechanism in the brains of obese people out of kilter?
Although there may be a sliver of truth and scientific fact in each of the statements above, none of them are the real reason we are so fat. The conclusions made in the National Geographic article on the other hand, are refreshing, because they are the right ones, and the most obvious ones: The reason we are so fat is because we eat too much and exercise too little. Surprise, surprise!
“For all the Americans who’ve blamed bulging bellies on a slow metabolism, the jig is up,” says Newman. “A report earlier this year by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) finally confirms what many of us didn’t want to admit: We’re fat because we eat a lot – a whole lot more than we used to, and most of the increase comes from refined carbohydrates (sugar).”
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University is quoted in the article as saying, "How about some common sense? It’s a simple matter of eating fewer calories. But nobody wants to talk about calories because doing so does not sell books."
(continued...)
Why Are We So Fat? The Real Reason For The Obesity Epidemic
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About The Author
Tom Venuto is a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle. You can get information about Tom's e-book at: http://www.burnthefat.com. To get Tom's free monthly e-zine, visit http://www.tomvenuto.com.
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