Americans keep getting fatter

[scottie]

Americans keep getting fatter, especially in the South

In 1995, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. Now, all but one does.

Wow to that figure, 16 years isn't a very long time. Utah is #6 least obese at 23.4%.

[Babs]

There's no doubt that obesity is pandemic in this country, but I would wager that the increase discussed in this article could be entirely accounted for by demographic changes.

In the time period discussed, the median age of Caucasians has increased from 34 years to 41 years. The risk of obesity increases markedly from the thirties to the forties. It's not very surprising that Utah, the youngest state in the nation, is among the least obese.

And as far as the much-maligned Dixie states go, in the south the population of Hispanics - the ethnicity considered most at risk for obesity - has increased between 100 and 200 percent in the past 15 years. So it's not surprising that those states have shown an increase in obesity rates.

This is all to say that I don't think much has changed. The same types of people who tended to be fat sixteen years ago are still fat now.

[FN Phat]

[Babs]

Irresponsible journalism really really pisses me off.

[Uncle Ted]

I blame the USDA's subsidies of high-fuctose corn sweeteners for causing this.

"Body weights rose slowly for most of the 20th century until the late 1980s," Bray said. "At that time, many countries showed a sudden increase in the rate at which obesity has been galloping forward."

The usual suspects for burgeoning fatness in this country have been the increase in U.S. food intake and a drop in physical activity, he said. To examine the potential role of excess eating, Bray, Popkin and Nielsen analyzed USDA consumption records from 1967 to 2000.

"In examining this data, the importance of the rising intake of high fructose corn syrup was obvious," Bray said. "It did not exist before 1970. From that point, there was a rapid rise in this country in its use during the late 1970s and 1980s coincidental with the epidemic of obesity."

Those children of the corn are getting us fat.

[cougjunkie]

There's no doubt that obesity is pandemic in this country, but I would wager that the increase discussed in this article could be entirely accounted for by demographic changes.

In the time period discussed, the median age of Caucasians has increased from 34 years to 41 years. The risk of obesity increases markedly from the thirties to the forties. It's not very surprising that Utah, the youngest state in the nation, is among the least obese.

And as far as the much-maligned Dixie states go, in the south the population of Hispanics - the ethnicity considered most at risk for obesity - has increased between 100 and 200 percent in the past 15 years. So it's not surprising that those states have shown an increase in obesity rates.

This is all to say that I don't think much has changed. The same types of people who tended to be fat sixteen years ago are still fat now.

Babs is doing work. Damn go get'em girl.

[MarkGrace]

I keep getting fatter. I don't have much trouble getting out to run or workout, but damn my diet sucks. I'm at my heaviest ever right now (just north of 200) and not feeling good about it.

[Jacob]

I agree with Babs. Plus we keep getting richer which may be a cause of obesity.

[Babs]

I agree with Babs. Plus we keep getting richer which may be a cause of obesity.

Another excellent point! Inflation-adjusted median income has been dropping for awhile now, and obesity tends to be inversely proportional to wealth.

[wuapinmon]

Plus we keep getting richer which may be a cause of obesity.

To a point. My students at Tulane were mostly upper middle class to upper class kids, and they were not fat, typically. The only rich fat kids I remember at Tulane were the foreigners.

[ERCougar]

To a point. My students at Tulane were mostly upper middle class to upper class kids, and they were not fat, typically. The only rich fat kids I remember at Tulane were the foreigners.

This is why babs said 'inversely proportional'. This is pretty well documented in the US, where few people really starve. It's much cheaper to eat a high calorie, low nutrition diet than a high nutrition, low calorie one.

[byu71]

I feel I am doing my part to help reverse the trend. Since getting great advice on this board about eating right, I am down 18 pounds. I still have 19 to go and am afraid it is going to be really hard.

No need to express your congrats. I am not attempting to hi-jack the thread.

[FN Phat]

I feel I am doing my part to help reverse the trend. Since getting great advice on this board about eating right, I am down 18 pounds. I still have 19 to go and am afraid it is going to be really hard.

No need to express your congrats. I am not attempting to hi-jack the thread.

Congrats!

[byu71]

Congrats!

Why thanks. I was afraid no one would give a crap.