Friday, August 8, 2008

Fat Future?


According to a new study, if current trends persist, 100% of American adults will be overweight in 40 years :

The figure might sound alarming, or impossible, but researchers say that even if the actual rate never reaches the 100-percent mark, any upward movement is worrying; two-thirds of the population is already overweight.

"Genetically and physiologically, it should be impossible" for all U.S. adults to become overweight, said Dr. Lan Liang of the federal government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one of the researchers on the study.
I tend to think that extrapolating data out for many years like this is not very accurate, and I would hope there will be a few holdouts from the ranks of the heavy. The overwhelming size of the problem cannot be ignored, however. Our healthcare system and other entitlement benefits are already extremely strained. If everyone is fat...what hope do we have?

More on American Obesity...

2 comments:

Banba said...

I wish restaurants would cool it with all the butter, oils and salt they use. It's easy to eat well at home but so many people just grab something somewhere and don't really know what they're eating. People need to start asking what's in their food!

Chief said...

the minimalist - thanks for the comments!

Portion sizes in restaurants are also part of the problem. However, I think much of the blame can go to the consumer. I enjoy large quantities of food as much as the next guy, and everyone wants to get a "good deal". The restaurants are only meeting the demand.

Another thought, since food is SO cheap in our country, the profit margins are much better on larger portions.

I agree that it is difficult to get ingredient information when dining out. The best course of action is to avoid it whenever possible, but it is very convenient.