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Obesity in the news
A study released by the National Center for Health
Statistics found that 31% of Americans are medically
obese - a percentage that has more than doubled
since 1980. Untreated, obesity poses significant,
even life-threatening health risks.
Meal-replacement plans work
Individuals who followed a meal-replacement
plan for 10 years weighed approximately 33
pounds less than people who didn't use a mealreplacement
plan, a recent study revealed.
Conducted by the Center for the Study of Nutrition
& Medicine, the 130 participants who used a meal
replacement to lose weight maintained an average
weight loss of six pounds after 10 years. The
154-person control group that didn't use a meal
replacement gained an average of 27 pounds
within the same time period.
High risks, high costs
A RAND Corporation research project reported
that extreme obesity–defined as being at least
100 pounds overweight–has quadrupled in the
last generation and now affects approximately
four million people. The RAND project also
discovered that extremely obese individuals have
an unusually large share of health problems,
including heart disease, diabetes and high
blood pressure, and extensive health-care costs.
At one time, extreme obesity was viewed as
a rare condition possibly related to hormonal
imbalance. Contemporary thinking now suggests
that the condition results from a combination of
addressable lifestyle and genetic factors, including
diet and exercise.
Mid-life diet change shown to extend life
A study conducted at University College London
found that implementing a sensible caloriecontrolled
eating plan in middle age can not
only improve health, but actually extend life.
Researchers compared the effects of calorierestricted
versus calorie-rich diets and discovered
that subjects on restricted programs had a longer
lifespan. The study further reported that the
subjects that followed a high-calorie diet in their
youth, but switched to a leaner diet in mid-life,
also enjoyed increased longevity. Researchers
concluded that it’s never too late to improve health
by switching to sensible eating habits.
Heart health threatened by minor weight gain
According to a study published in the New England Journal
of Medicine, a weight gain of as little as four pounds can pose
significant health dangers. Cardiologists have known for
years that obesity can increase the potential of heart failure,
but now it has been shown that carrying even a little extra
weight is a substantial risk to cardiovascular health. The
study showed that being overweight is in itself a risk factor for
heart failure and gaining weight puts you in a higher risk
group. The risk of heart failure is one-third higher in those
who are overweight and double for those who are obese. Of
the nearly 6,000 people who participated in the 15-year
study, 11% of men and 14% of women suffered from heart
failure due to excess weight. Researchers concluded that
addressing even subtle weight gain can dramatically reduce
the risk for cardiovascular health issues and result in greater
longevity and overall wellness.
Obesity rates highest among U.S. teens
A study conducted by the National Institute of Public Health
in Denmark confirms teenagers in the United States have
significantly higher obesity rates than those of youths in 14
other industrialized nations, including France and Germany.
The study, which appeared in the January 2004 issue of the
Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, profiled nearly
30,000 youths ages 13 and 15. It reports that among 15-
year-old American youths, 15% of the girls and nearly 14% of
boys were obese; findings further indicated that 31% of girls
and 28% of boys were modestly overweight. Other nations
also confronting obesity problems among its young people
include Greece, Israel and Ireland. Researchers feel that US
teens are more likely to eat larger quantities of fast foods,
snacks and sugary sodas and, overall, lead less active
lifestyles than teens in other nations.
Fatty diets detrimental to ocular health
Researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
report that a diet high in fatty processed baked foods may
hasten the progression of macular degeneration, an
irreversible loss of vision that affects up to 25% of individuals
age 75 or older and is considered the leading cause of agerelated
blindness. The five-year study, which was published in
The Archives of Ophthalmology, did not focus on whether
diet was a cause of degeneration, but rather whether fatty
diets made the existing condition worse. Of the 261
participants, it was determined that disease progression
more than doubled among those with the diets highest in
fatty processed baked foods. Participants whose diets
contained greater quantities of fish and nuts greatly reduced
their risk of the disease progressing.
| * These statements
have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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