If Bush's Homeland Security department wants to save American lives, their best field of operation would be a war on obesity. And other NATO countries could be pressured into taking their part. The earth would breathe a sigh of relief. Sanity might take up residence again among us. The 'mysterious' reappear on our horizons. Goethe is reported to have said: "Amerika, Du hast es besser". Now, Amerca is the world's greatest menace.
rob j wrote: > > Top Stories - USA TODAY > > Obesity in America is worse than ever > > Nanci Hellmich USA TODAY > > New statistics reveal that a startling 64.5% of American adults, > or more than 120 million people, are overweight or obese. The > numbers probably will mean an explosion of diabetes and heart > disease cases if things don't improve, top U.S. obesity experts say. > > The number of Americans who are overweight is at the highest > level ever recorded. The data from the 1999-2000 National Health > and Nutrition Examination Survey are considered the most > definitive assessment of Americans' weight because of the > length and size of the study and because people's height and > weight are actually measured. The statistics reveal that: > > * 31%, or about 59 million adults older than 20, are obese. > Obese is defined as 30 or more pounds over a healthy body > weight; overweight is roughly 10 to 30 pounds over a healthy weight. > > * 33% of adult women are obese, compared with 28% of men. > * 50% of black women are obese compared with 40% of > Mexican-American women and 30% of white women. > (The survey doesn't have a category labeled Hispanics.) > There is virtually no difference in obesity among men based on race. > > * 5% of people overall are extremely obese. That's up from > about 3% in the early 1990s. But 15% of black women are > extremely obese. > > * About 15% of children ages 6 to 19, or about 9 million children, > are overweight. > > ''We want to emphasize that the problem of obesity and > (being) overweight for adults and kids is getting worse,'' > says Cynthia Ogden, an epidemiologist with the National > Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease > Control and Prevention. She is one of the authors of two > studies published in today's Journal of the American Medical > Association. > > ''We're seeing it in all age groups, both sexes and in all races. > We did see a bigger increase in certain ethnic groups, but > we've seen it across the board,'' she says. > > Being overweight has been linked to an increased risk of > diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, some types of cancer, > arthritis and other health problems. Doctors have reported > an increase in diabetes cases in the USA, largely attributed > to weight gain. > ' > 'The medical costs of treating obesity-related disease will > cause a considerable strain on the health care system and > the economy,'' says Samuel Klein, president of the North > American Association for the Study of Obesity. > > Klein says what is most disturbing about the latest obesity > numbers is the speed of the increase. > > ''When you look around at our current environment, it's > surprising that anyone is lean because there is an abundance > of food and marked decrease in regular physical activity,'' > he says. > > ''Obesity is the dark side of a technically advanced society.'' > > Action needs to be taken quickly, says James Hill, director of > the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado > Health Sciences Center in Denver. ''We have to start programs > to fight this obesity epidemic. If something doesn't happen, > the next time the statistics will be even worse.'' > > For the latest health and nutrition survey, researchers measured > the heights and weights of 4,115 adult men and women and > 4,722 children from birth to age 19. Overweight and obesity in > adults are determined by body mass index, which is a measure > of a person's weight in relation to his or her height. > > A rating of 25 or higher is considered overweight, 30 or higher > is obese, and 40 or higher is extremely obese. For example, a > 5-foot-8-inch person who weighs 190 pounds would be overweight; > a person at the same height who weighs 230 pounds is obese. > > ------------------------------------------- > Introducing NetZero Long Distance > Unlimited Long Distance only $29.95/ month! > Sign Up Today! www.netzerolongdistance.com > > - > >>> email 'unsubscribe listening-l' or 'subscribe listening-l' or 'info listening-l' > >>> to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> in the body of the message - >>> email 'unsubscribe listening-l' or 'subscribe listening-l' or 'info listening-l' >>> to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> in the body of the message
