Is it a fad or is there really such an "epidemic" of obesity that it's become the topic of the year? I really can't answer that right now because I need to study it in more depth. I do know, however, that the mainstream media can grab onto a topic and worry it like a dog with a bone. Sometimes I just want to say "bury that dead horse already". Sometimes. A lot of the time.
But I'm not opposed to talking more about obesity as long as those talking about it are willing to help come up with viable, workable reasons with solutions and stay away from the attacks. I'm not persuaded the media sees the topic as anything other than another way to make money. It's a "hot" topic. That and gas prices.
Why not put both together in one topic? Oh wait, someone did that already: Increasing Gas Prices Could Be A Good Thing.
"According to a University of North Carolina study, the end result could be a 10 percent reduction in American obesity over the next seven years."We could even combine it with politics! Wow...now that's a topic. No, I'm not talking about the very ill Ted Kennedy. Shame on you for thinking that!
Mr. Sali also announced a draft bill to "propose that the force of gravity, by the force of Congress, be reduced by 10%" to combat obesity. Mr. Sali said it was meant to parody a bill to raise the minimum wage, which he felt ran counter to the laws of economics.Poor Australia....they are getting hit from all sides about it. Even their pets are obese. 33% of their cats and 41% of their dogs are overweight. (Who goes around and weighs all these animals?)
No, I don't take much of the media hype about anything seriously. I do take obesity seriously though. I've been fighting it for ages. Thus, this is a problem for me. I don't trust the hype, but I do observe the problem.
On the flip side, the BBC reports: Can genes explain rising obesity?
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the obesity epidemic is not restricted to people in Western countries who eat bad diets and are not very active.
In developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems.
Experts believe that in many of these people these problems are not due to lifestyle but a condition called metabolic syndrome...There are many uncertainties about metabolic syndrome but one thing is certain - it cannot be explained entirely by genetics or lifestyle factors.
Betcha didn't read that one anywhere recently, did you? It's not newsworthy. A student newspaper caught wind of it, though. Yes, you can tell it's a student, but the sources are excellent. Well worth reading.
"This tells us that nutrition in utero is largely responsible for our epigenetic
programming and that under nutrition in one generation could explain the rise in
obesity, heart disease and diabetes in the next! It’s a far cry from the popular
cultural view that lifestyle changes are the be all and end all determinants of
good, or poor health - that everything boils down to personal decision
making..."
As with everything, take what you are reading with a grain of salt. I even challenge you make sure the statistics that are being quoted are real statistics. Anyone can make up numbers. And anyone can write anything on the internet. Including me.
I've done allot of reading about MSG in our foods as it's an ingredient I must avoid due to fibromyalgia.
ReplyDeleteI read from more than one scientist that if we eliminated MSG from food, it would have the most impact that any single action could cause.
MSG causes you to crave the food you're eating. You know the "You can't eat just one....." slogan...well the best way to describe MSG's impact on our taste buds.
For some reason I don't understand, the FDA allowed food manufacturers to use about 10 other terms that indicate MSG is in packaged foods. So it's like a license to high it now. :( Gina