Obesity Rates and Health Risks
Severely Obese Male
Reports from various scientists and governments point to problems with obesity.
In the USA, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) put out a report titled Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults — United States, 2009 that had some disturbing findings:
Background: Obesity is a costly condition that can reduce quality of life and increases the risk for many serious chronic diseases and premature death. The U.S. Surgeon General issued the Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity in 2001, and in 2007, no state had met the Healthy People 2010 objective to reduce obesity prevalence among adults to 15%.
Methods: CDC used 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data to update estimates of national and state-specific obesity prevalence. Obesity was calculated based on self-reported weight and height and defined as body mass index (weight [kg] / height [m]2) ≥30.
Results: Overall self-reported obesity prevalence in the United States was 26.7%. Non-Hispanic blacks (36.8%), Hispanics (30.7%), those who did not graduate from high school (32.9%), and persons aged 50–59 years (31.1%) and 60–69 years (30.9%) were disproportionally affected. By state, obesity prevalence ranged from 18.6% in Colorado to 34.4% in Mississippi; only Colorado and the District of Columbia (19.7%) had prevalences of <20%; nine states had prevalences of ≥30%.
Conclusions: In 2009, no state met the Healthy People 2010 obesity target of 15%, and the self-reported overall prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults had increased 1.1 percentage points from 2007…
Alternate text: … A total of 33 states had obesity prevalences >25% in 2009, and nine of those states had prevalences ≥30%. In contrast, 28 states had prevalences <20% in 2000, and no state had a prevalence of ≥30%. (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm59e0803a1.htm?s_cid=mm59e0803a1_w)
The obesity rate was highest in states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, etc. States like California were in the 20-25% range.
Some believe that the obesity situation in the USA will likely get worse:
The number of obese adults, along with related disease rates and health care costs, are on course to increase dramatically in every state in the country over the next 20 years, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America‘s Future 2012, areport released today by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)…If obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030, 13 states could have adult obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states could have rates above 50 percent, and all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent….If states’ obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, hypertension and arthritis could increase 10 times between 2010 and 2020—and double again by 2030. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/18/4830720/adult-obesity-rates-could-exceed.html#storylink=cpy
U.S. obesity rate to hit 42 percent by 2030: study
English.news.cn 2012-05-08…
(Xinhua) — Almost 42 percent of the U.S. population could be obese by 2030, according to a study released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .
The findings suggest the U.S. healthcare system could be burdened with 32 million more obese people within two decades. Action is needed to keep rates from increasing further, said researchers from Duke University, RTI International and the CDC.
By the most current obesity statistics, 35.7 percent of American adults — 78 million people — and 16.9 percent of U.S. children and adolescents — 12.5 million kids — are obese, meaning their body-mass index is 30 or over.
60% obesity in 13 states and at least 44% in all 50? That is horrible. Some think the USA already has a 60% obesity rate:
April 3, 2012Obesity- Americans may be more overweight than we think according to a new study that says doctor’s use of body mass index (BMI) underestimates just how bad it is. Researchers say about 4 in 10 adults whose BMI places them in just the overweight category would actually be considered obese if their body fat percentage were taken into account. Currently the BMI threshold for obesity is 30 but should be lowered to 24 for women and 28 for men, the study reports.CBS News – 3 April 2012America may have a worse weight problem than anyone thought…”Roughly 30 percent of Americans are obese,” based on their body mass index (BMI), study author Dr. Eric Braverman, president of the nonprofit research group, the Path Foundation in New York City, told HealthDay. “But when you use other methods, closer to 60 percent are obese. We call BMI the ‘baloney mass index.’”
So, if the weights are characterized differently, the USA (and others) have a higher obesity rate than most believe.
Of course, it is not just those in the USA that are overweight. Here are a couple of other reports:
July 27, 2013
Nearly 30% of adults are overweight in New Zealand Authorities…New Zealand has one of the highest obesity rates in the developed world, with nearly 30% of people overweight…(South African chef ‘too fat’ to live in New Zealand. BBC, July 27, 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23475583 viewed 08/19/13).
Canada faces child obesity epidemic: Aglukkaq
Montreal Gazette – 27 February 2012
Canada is facing an epidemic of childhood obesity, with more children being diagnosed today with high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and other healthconditions once seen only in adults, Canada’s health minister warned Monday.”Today, more than one in four young Canadians is overweight or obese, with rates even higher among aboriginal people,” Leona Aglukkaq said at the opening of a federal-provincial summit on healthy weights in Ottawa.
U.S. News & World Report – 26 August 2011
Obesity-related diseases and health care costs will soar as a result, according to the report published Aug. 26 in The Lancet.Already, the U.S. and U.K. obesity rates are the highest among the 34 member nations of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), the study said.August 19, 2013
One of the most comprehensive studies tracking the health of Australians has released findings that paint a disturbing picture of the nation’s battle with diabetes and obesity.
The AusDiab study was funded through a National Health and Medical Research Council grant and followed 11,000 Australians for 12 years.
Researchers found the incidence of diabetes remained very high, with almost 270 adult Australians diagnosed each day, and people aged 25-34 were gaining more weight than other age groups…In line with previous trends, obesity levels continued to rise.
The report found that the average gain in waist circumference over the 12 years of the study was 5.3 centimetres and it was greater in women than men. (Long-term study finds Australian adults increasingly at risk of diabetes and obesity. ABC. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-19/australian-adults-health-status/4894924)
So, many are obese, and the trend in the Anglo-nations does not look good.
But how serious a problem can that be to the health of the obese
Notice some news items related to a 2013 report in the American Journal of Public Health:
Obesity appears to be deadlier than experts thought, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health. While previous estimates put the mortality rate of obesity at around 5 percent, researchers from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City found that the death rate is actually closer to 18 percent – meaning that nearly 1 in 5 obese people will die of obesity and associated conditions such as heart disease and diabetes…
{There are} nearly 78 million obese adults in the United States – and this study shows that the problem is worse than experts thought.”Obesity has dramatically worse health consequences than some recent reports have led us to believe,” study author Ryan Masters, PhD, a research at the Mailman, said in a statement. “We expect that obesity will be responsible for an increasing share of deaths in the United States and perhaps even lead to declines in U.S. life expectancy.”
The obesity rate in the United States has been steadily rising since 1990, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1990, no state had an obesity rate over 19 percent, but by 2010, no state had an obesity rate below 20 percent. It’s a worrying trend, said Stacy Brethauer, MD, a specialist at the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute for the Cleveland Clinic. http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/obesity-kills-1-in-5-four-times-what-experts-thought-4555.aspx?xid=aol_eh-news_18_20130812_&aolcat=HLT&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D359301
A third of Americans (36%) are obese, which is roughly 35 pounds over a healthy weight. Obesity puts people at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Pinpointing obesity-related deaths is an evolving science as researchers use different statistical models to come up with estimates…Roland Sturm, a senior economist with the RAND Corp., a non-profit research group, says that although obesity has an impact on mortality, he doesn’t believe it’s three times previous government estimates. He says that obesity’s biggest toll may be on long-term health and raising health care costs. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/15/extra-pounds-obesity-death/2660165/
So, premature death and diseases are associated with obesity.
But there are other problems:
Cancers tied to HPV and obesity on the rise in U.S., says report
7 January 2013…
Among men and women, there were reported increases for cancers tied to obesity, such as those of the kidney, pancreas and uterus (the latter, of course, for women only)…
This year’s report contained a special feature section that focused on cancers related to HPV. Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, according to the CDC. There are more than 40 types of the virus that can infect the genitals of males and females, and most people who become infected don’t know they have the virus. The virus can be spread via oral, vaginal and anal sex.
The new report found increases in rates for HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (throat cancer) among white men and women, in addition to rises in anal cancer rates among white and black men and women. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57562527/cancers-tied-to-hpv-and-obesity-on-the-rise-in-u.s-says-report/
Although there are multiple factors in the increase of obesity, the HPV-increase is almost entirely because of participating in sex out side of marriage (by at least one) and anal intercourse (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13)–both of these are biblically prohibited.
But both of these seem to be on the rise. Various cancers are affected by obesity.
Intellectual development seems to be affected by obesity:
September 3, 2012
There’s a scary new study showing that obesity can hurt kids’ brains…obesity is bad for kids. It increases their risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, orthopedic problems and a whole bunch of other health problems. But what this study in the journal Pediatrics is talking about is different: it’s talking about effects on the brain. Researchers looked at 49 adolescents with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome, a consequence of obesity when you use other methods, closer to 60 percent are obese….The kids with metabolic syndrome had more trouble with arithmetic, spelling, attention and mental “flexibility” than the ones who didn’t have metabolic syndrome. Even more frightening, the researchers saw actual changes in their brains, in the hippocampus (which plays a crucial role in memory) and the white matter (which passes messages through the brain). http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/mdmama/2012/09/obesity_is_bad_for_kids_brains.html
Obesity can cause many problems. I should add that obese parents tend to have a higher percentag of obese children as well. Parents need to set the right example for their children.
Obese people also face day-to-day problems in their lives. Many activities are more difficult for them. They also tend to be a greater risk of employment discrimination, pay discrimination, and face a variety of social challenges greater than those of the non-obese population.
The end of the USA and its Anglo-descended allies is coming. There is no prophecy in scripture that I believe even hints that a country like the current USA will exist after the King of the North succeeds (cf. Daniel 11:39, which seems to be the only reference to the USA in that chapter, and shows its conquering and division). National repentance, which does not seem likely at this stage, is the only hope. But individuals themselves can turn to God. And although obesity is a multi-factorial problem, all who are overweight, even the irreligious, can eat less, try to avoid chemical additives, and make better food and food quantity choices.
Some prophetic articles of possibly related interest may include:
Obesity, processed foods, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? What does science teach? Is gluttony condemned? This new article has that and much more.
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy This is a YouTube video. Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat?
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Do Christians Sin? This is an article by Herbert W. Armstrong.
Overcoming Sin What is sin? How are Christians suppose to overcome it? Here is a link to a version in Mandarin Chinese: 克服是重要的. Here is also a link to a video in English titled How to Overcome Sin.
How to Prevent Sin This is an article by Herbert W. Armstrong. Here is a version in Mandarin: 如何不犯罪
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? A video of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
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