In a report released this month in the Lancet, researchers from Columbia University state that half of U.S. adults will be "obese" by 2030 - that means 164 million Americans, a staggering statistic. Medically, being obese (BMI 30-35) is a different term than being overweight (BMI 25-29.9)
I've also noticed a couple of trends as we've gotten bigger. Some clothes sizes have become misleading. Retailers and manufacturers know that the public are more averse to buying bigger sizes so they have actually shrunk the sizes on the labels while increasing the waist and hip sizes. Don't believe me? If you have a really old pair of jeans, try them on for size and try one with the same size today to compare.
Another trend is the hyper portion food sizes that have become the norm. It seems like we all love a good deal so the more the merrier. Take a look at this article showing a pictorial representation of the changes in portion sizes from 20 years ago. I would like to add to that list a can of pop from my youth (with something like 250mL) vs today's can with (330 mL).
By the way, the researchers also note that a mere 1% reduction in BMI would prevent 2.4 million cases of diabetes and 1.7 million cases of heart disease and stroke. I would like to add that a mere 15 minutes of exercise (done regularly) has been shown to significantly improve one's health. What are you waiting for? If you've fallen off a good lifestyle regiment, then it's time to begin again. And I'm talking to my patients specifically. I know, I'm a nag.......but it's because I care!
Yours in Health,
Ian Koo, ND
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1 comment:
Wow! Amazing to see how food portions really have changed. Thanks for making this so clear.
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