Health: Obesity Crisis to be Overcome by McDonalds?

Once again the UK sunday papers are headlining with the current obesity crisis.  The report compiled by Professor Philip James of The International Obesity Task Force makes sober reading.

Not only are we in the UK the fattest in Europe.  It's an epidemic.  Nearly 60% of the adult population are overweight and 25% of adults (and children!) are obese.  It isn't just about how you look, it increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, cancer to name a few associated conditions.

But it gets worse.

The Government Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has asked Mars, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Pepsi and other companies of this ilk to help tackle this problem.  I suppose as most of the foods supplied by these companies have become a part of the problem perhaps the research departments at these organisations will come up with something useful?  But at what cost?  

These companies are going to give the Department of Health FREE advice on healthy eating - in return for the government relaxing restrictions on levels of salt and sugar in food.  

(Read that last sentence again). These fast food companies are going to give the Department of Health FREE advice on healthy eating in return for the government relaxing restrictions on the levels of salt and sugar in food.  

Shocking?  Let me know your thoughts.

Obesity: Ambulances Are Too Small in The UK!

Obesity: Ambulances Are Too Small For Many in The UK!

Some people believe reporting on obesity is scaremongering.  Unfortunately it is just a fact of life in modern Britain.  

It is directly related to an unhealthy lifestyle, ours is modelled much more on the USA than the rest of mainland Europe which is one explanation for obesity levels averaging 14% in mainland Europe rather than the 25% obesity levels we have here.   

"The fact is patients are getting larger and larger and ambulances need to be able to respond immediately to what could be life-threatening situations," Jo Webber, director of Britain's Ambulance Service Network, told the BBC."

Nigel Wells, an ambulance operations manager said to the BBC: "It is all about safety for our patients and safety for our crews. We have got a greater number of patients who are larger in size. A few years ago - probably only 10 years ago - your average patient was 12 to 13 stone, now that's probably 17 to 18 stone. And we quite regularly see patients around 30 stone in weight and even bigger than that."

12-13 Stone (76-82kg / 168-182lbs)

17-18 Stone (102-114kg / 238-252lbs)

30 Stone (190kg / 420lbs)

Read more in these news links below: --> 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12355146 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12287880

http://www.thefitnessexplorer.com/home/2010/9/26/news-an-obesity-epidemic-globesity.html

News: An obesity epidemic (Globesity)

30 years ago obesity rates were well below 10%. Since then the rates have doubled or tripled in many countries! Why? This is a concern raised by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). It has authored a 265 page report entitled "Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat" written in collaboration with the WHO (World Health Organisation) and covering the world's 33 richest countries. I've read the document and what is surprising is that the solution to obesity is far from simple (although that is a matter of debate), there is no doubt the reasons behind it are very clear and can be summarised quite easily:

• A significant increase in calorie intake;
• the changes in the composition of our diets;
• changes in the types, choices and availability of food;
• our relationship to food and lack of involvement with its preparation;
• and the lack of intensity in activity levels at home, work and recreationally.

Because of the on-going health issues that are triggered by obesity,it is now viewed as a disease and is a primary concern for public health organisations worldwide. But unlike some conditions it is preventable and reversible. But let's be frank not many people even know what obesity really is. Why should I be concerned about a BMI (Body Mass Index) rating over 30? Definition:

"Obesity is a medical condition where excess body fat has accumulated to the point where it will have an adverse effect on health, life expectancy and increases the risk of contracting other life threatening diseases including Cancer, Heart Disease and type 2 Diabetes."

In terms of trending the report predicts that 75% of American adults will be overweight by 2020, the number is currently 70%. The UK is tied with Australia at 61% of adults being overweight (joint 4th place) and we are unlikely to hit a plateau any time soon - a worrying thought.

Click on the image above for LARGE VERSION

Obesity Chart

Click image above for full size version (http://www.wellingtongrey.net)

No real surprises here in terms of the obesity chart, the US claiming top spot - with almost a third of US citizens in the obese category.  Japan and Korea recording the lowest levels of obesity, again to be expected.

What is interesting though is what is known as the 'French Paradox'.  They defy convention of what most in the West consider a healthy diet (i.e. low fat).  

The French consume a high level of saturated fats (found in cheese, milk, etc) in comparison to most other Western countries.  But they have much lower levels of obesity and of the associated ills such as diabetes and coronary heart disease.

What makes sense to me is that a healthy attitude to fat, less processed foods and smaller portion sizes are all contributory factors in avoiding obesity (even before you consider activity levels).

The study uses BMI (Body Mass Index) as the calculation for determining the amount of body fat in the body. The formula is a person's weight divided by their height squared. For example if your height is 1.92 metres, and your weight is 90kg. The calculation would be 90/(1.92*1.92) = 23.44.

A BMI of 25 or above is generally classified as overweight, a BMI of 30 or above indicates obesity. There are many reasons why this could be inaccurate as the BMI stats do not differentiate between muscle mass, fat mass or body shape. So for example a healthy athlete with a muscular build, could be classified as overweight or even obese based on the formula above.

It is worthwhile stating though that even though this is not the best method it is a very quick and non-intrusive guide especially when investigating larger populations.  For more accuracy other tests should be considered, using calipers or bioelectrical impedence machines but there is no doubt obesity is on the increase in recent times.