The Obesity Paradox: Overfed But Undernourished

[marmar]

from Civil Eats:



The Obesity Paradox: Overfed But Undernourished

June 27th, 2012
By Kristin Wartman


There was a time when corpulence was a sign of wealth and luxury. But in modern day Western countries, quite the opposite is true. In fact, a recent study found that fully one third of homeless people living in Boston are obese. “This study suggests that obesity may be the new malnutrition of the homeless in the United States,” wrote the researchers, led by Harvard Medical School student Katherine Koh, whose study is forthcoming in the Journal of Urban Health.

And it’s not just the U.S. that is reporting these kinds of findings, a New Zealand study of preschoolers found that 82 percent did not get enough dietary fiber and 68 percent did not have enough long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fish and nuts. Despite these nutritional deficiencies, the researchers also found that fully one-third of preschoolers are overweight or obese.

These findings highlight an interesting contradiction—obesity correlates with malnourishment. Research indicates that lack of proper nutrition—even when people over consume calories—is at the root of obesity. Part of the reason this seems contradictory is because nutrition science has long held that all calories are created equal and that with the right amount of caloric intake, it would be difficult to also be malnourished. Coincidentally, this is also what the food industry would have us believe. In a recent interview in USAToday, Katie Bayne, president and general manager at Coca-Cola said in response to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on large size sugary drinks, “A calorie is a calorie. What our drinks offer is hydration. That’s essential to the human body. We offer great taste and benefits whether it’s an uplift or carbohydrates or energy. We don’t believe in empty calories. We believe in hydration.”

I asked senior research scientist at MIT and author of several papers on the subject, Stephanie Seneff, for a response to Bayne’s comments. “I hate this calorie is a calorie message,” Seneff said in a telephone interview. “It’s completely wrong. When you eat a high carbohydrate diet, especially a processed foods diet, you’re getting way too much fuel compared to all those other things you need. And this imbalance is what leads to the obesity profile.” ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://civileats.com/2012/06/27/the-obesity-paradox-overfed-but-undernourished/

[serqet]

1. well, this article will piss off the

calorie is a calorie folks who think being overweight is strictly about the amt of calories and nothing abt nutrition

[Ikonoklast]

2. Cheap carbs vs. expensive protein.

Poor person's diet is mostly cheap carbs.

[Javaman]

3. You can be overweight and die of starvation.

this is nothing new.

people who eat food that is low in nutrients and high in HFCS will get fat. It's been shown that sucrose suppresses lipid production. Lipids help control hunger. In other words, you feel constantly hungry and when the only affordable thing to eat is crap that has HFCS, then it becomes a vicious spiral down.

[xchrom]

4. Du rec. Nt