Look, here is the single reason why obesity IS a lifestyle issue.

[Smith_3]

I'm not saying it is a choice, because I believe that many people don't choose their lifestyle, but in the majority of cases it is NOT related to anything else but the way they live.

Here is why: Because it doesn't happen nearly as much in other countries !!

You can't tell me obesity is genetic, when the country that is the wealthiest also happens to have the highest obesity rates. Are you saying that Americans are genetically so unique, that their genes alone would cause them to get fatter than any European or Asian country? That is ridiculous, considering America is the "melting pot" where all sorts of genetic backgrounds are present. Look, individually there might be other reasons, and I'm also not saying that a genetic component doesn't play a role in who is affected the most by the lifestyle that is common in America. I'm also not saying that someone might not, due to the living conditions at the given time, have acquired a chronic condition at a young age that is difficult or impossible to reverse later. But that said, it is a crystal clear case that the living conditions are what causes it to break out on such a large scale here in the first place. I'm not making any judgment here on whether it is good or bad to be overweight, but the fact must be accepted that it is lifestyle and not genes that separates the United States from other countries here.

[hobbit709]

1. It's climbing even in third world countries

as more and more processed food and HFCS is consumed there.

[Philosoraptor]

2. The Whopper virgins are the next target for fattening up.

[azul]

31. Science: gene expression

There are multiple factors but a main culprit emerging is chemical poisons on gene expression. We like need to hit the laboratory running scattering bad business interests.

================


Obesity, Epigenetics, and Gene Regulation


Our genome contains all the information to make us who we are, but many of the details of our behavior and appearance are actually determined by gene regulation.

------------------

Environmental Triggers

A number of environmental triggers have been shown to affect the behavior of an organism's epigenome, tipping the balance between methylation or lack thereof, and thus between genes that are "off" and those that are "on." One suspected trigger is a chemical found in many plastic drink bottles, including baby bottles, called bisphenol A. In one particularly notable study, scientist Randy Jirtle and his group of researchers exposed pregnant mice to bisphenol A and watched as more of their genetically identical progeny developed into yellow, obese mice than would normally be expected (Dolinoy et al., 2007). In Jirtle's experiment, DNA methylation at the agouti gene sites was decreased by 31%. (DNA methylation was reduced on other genes as well.) These results supported the hypothesis that bisphenol A alters the action of organisms' epigenomes by removing methyl groups from DNA.

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/Obesity-Epigenetics-and-Gene-Regulation-927

[Zywiec]

3. Agreed. I've spent a lot of time in Eastern Europe

and you notice right away how much more fit they are there.

Of course, they do a lot more walking and don't have the $$$ to eat as much as we do. It certainly makes a difference.

[Lefta Dissenter]

4. How do you know

that those with the "fat genes" aren't the ones who were dissatisfied in their original homelands, and thus were the ones who struck out to the new land, to make a new start in life? Filled the New World with tons (no pun intended) of fat genes? ...just kidding...

(By the way, I took off over 50 pounds about four years ago, and will never be that heavy again)

[Dogmudgeon]

5. "You can't tell me ..."

I guess not.

Of course, there is a large body of scientific work on obesity and bariatry that DOES support genetic arguments -- and lifestyle arguments -- and environmental arguments. I urge you to acquaint yourself with it. There are several books written about the scientific work for the lay reader, starting with Dieter's Dilemma about 20 years ago. And both Robert Atkins and Dean Ornish's books contain extensive bibliographies. In spite of their different approaches to treating obesity, they each cite several of the same studies.

Obesity is not a simple problem with a simple solution. But for some reason, it "gets under the skin" of non-obese people.

--d!

[Spider Jerusalem]

19. It's a lifestyle issue, full stop.

Genetically? Humans didn't evolve for adaptation to a situation where they have ready access to plentiful high-fat, high-calorie foods. In advanced Western countries, particularly in the US, much of the average diet consists of foods of a high caloric value, and relative to most other countries Americans are gluttons (this is the land of 'all you can eat' and cheese-stuffed crust at Pizza Hut, after all). It is a simple problem with a simple solution; consume as many calories as you need and not more. Burn more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight; reverse that and you'll put on weight. Combine unhealthy eating habits and largely sedentary lifestyles, and you get a nation of fat people. QED.

[Grinchie]

6. Start labeling GMO Food and you'll see obesity drop immediately

Of course, that would be everything that included HFCS, Corn, Soybeans, Cottonseed Oil and Canola.

If people think that a multiple spoonfuls of Bacillus Thuringensis toxins eaten or drunk every day is good for them, well then they deserve to reamina fat dumb and happy watching Fox news, Oprah, or whatever mind numbing entertainment they are addicted to.


Unfortunately, the GMO and Agribusiness lobbies have partnered with the FDA and USDA to quash any attempt at labeling of GMO food ingrediants in America such as the Europeans have.

Add to the fact that people are being slowly poisoned to death, exposed to new allergic proteins never seen in food before, and breeding the next generation of hardy gut bacteria, we now have the honor to live through the toxic mess that Bush and Co left us to clean up.

It's not a healthy situation. Demand labeling of GMO food!

[soothsayer]

10. and get rid of high fructose corn syrup

[Spider Jerusalem]

23. Not sure about that.

The UK has obesity rates comparable to the US. HFCS is almost unknown here (all the soft drinks, candy, etc is sweetened with sugar, generally beet and not cane).

[jxnmsdemguy65]

32. We have a 'British Food' section in our Kroger...

I don't see how ppl in the UK can avoid becoming obese what with all the meat dishes, cream sauces, and chocolate candies they eat...

[MercutioATC]

11. Just curious...is there any proof of a causal link between GMO foods and obesity?

I've never heard of one, but I don't pay much attention to the issue.

[hedgehog]

14. Maybe we're in the midst of a natural experiment.......

Americans eat GMO foods, high fructose corn syrup and margerine and become obese,

Europeans eat no GMO, no corn syrup and butter/olive oil and don't?

It's not proof of anything, but certainly worth investigating.

[MercutioATC]

16. Agreed, but there are a lot of other variables...

I just didn't know if an actual study had been done.

Europeans also eat less pre-processed food and exercise more.

[sandnsea]

7. The US has more stress and works harder

and sleeps less. The crap in the food has already been mentioned.

Pollutants have destroyed thyroid function.

There are differences in the US that lead to obesity, besides food.

[Bluerthanblue]

20. word up-

not to mention the obsession with dieting that has become a multi-million dollar industry, with a poor return in terms of real success.


It's much more complicated than people want to admit. But then, what isn't?

:shrug:

[Aviation Pro]

8. Just returned from India....

..and you see very few obese people. Their diet, which is mainly vegetarian, prevents thickening.

[cobalt1999]

9. I agree that the majority of obesity in this country is related to lifestyle only

The minority of cases are due to other causes.

My uncle had an obese friend in the Navy who claimed it was impossible for him to lose weight, that was until they both ended up in a Japanese POW camp. Uncle Mike used to say occasionally to his pal during the 3 years they were nothing but skeletons, "All those times you said you couldn't lose weight, I guess you forgot to add the caveat except in a Japanese POW camp'.

We are a country that eats like crap and instead of exercising, we watch a lot of T.V., no surprise so many are fat.

[Zywiec]

13. Yep, I've never seen one fat person

in all of the concentration camp pictures I've viewed. And, I've been to the camps all over Europe.

I guess there is not one person with "the gene" that miraculously makes people gain weight even when they don't eat.

[distantearlywarning]

18. On the other hand

I read a story once about a siege in a Balkan city during the 90s, where the city was without adequate food stores for its people for over a year.

The story was about an acting troupe who decided to continue putting on performances during the siege to try to improve the morale of the populace. Most of the actors were normal weight people prior to the siege, but one of them was a rather stout woman (maybe ~200 lbs, so probably about the same weight as some of the men in the group, but shorter). As the siege progressed, all of the actors lost weight, including the stout woman. But the stout woman lost at a considerably slower pace than the rest of them, even taking into consideration her higher starting weight. By the end of 9 months, the rest of the actors were fairly skeletal, and were having trouble mustering energy to rehearse - they had to lay down on the floor between scenes and so forth. The stout woman was still significantly overweight, and had little trouble rehearsing and performing due to lack of energy. The actor writing about this story after the fact indicated that he thought the siege could have gone on at least another year or maybe two before the stout woman would have gotten to the point the rest of them arrived at within 6-9 months (including the men in the troupe who weighed what she did).

Did she lose weight? Sure, but on a starvation diet, she lost weight at the pace a normal person might if they gave up chips and soda for a few months. It seems unlikely to me that a person like that could actually be a normal weight in a culture like ours. She would have to have a will of iron to starve herself willingly for 2 years as though her city was under siege (or she was in a concentration camp). And I think it would be beyond unreasonable, perhaps even immoral for anyone else to expect her to do so.

As for myself, I have fairly severe and degeneratative hypothyroidism. I have almost no natural thyroid function of my own. If I had my pills at the concentration camp, I would probably lose just a little slower than everyone else. But if they didn't give me my meds, my metabolism would probably slow down to the point where I could maintain an overweight state on less than 500 calories a day. That is not a typo - I am completely serious. If things went on long enough, I would quite literally be the only person left alive in the camp, and I bet I wouldn't be a skeleton when it happened. That's assuming the hypothyroidism itself didn't kill me first by killing my internal organs, which it probably would long before anyone in the camp died of starvation.

I often joke to my husband that I'll be the only person I know who would survive a world famine event, but only if I stop taking my pills. But it's actually not that funny...

[soothsayer]

12. don't worry, we'll soon be starving like they do in other countries

[hedgehog]

15. I don't have time to look up a reference right now, but generally speaking

poor people with limited food budgets have more problems with obesity than the wealthy.

[Baikonour]

17. The obesity meme is STILL alive?

Come on, DU. Move on.

[TechBear_Seattle]

21. Yes, but it goes far deeper than that

1) More than the people of any other nation, Americans are subjected to intense food advertising, averaging about every 4 minutes during waking hours. Advertising that is designed to convince us that we are hungry now and must eat the advertised product now. Advertising that has become more and more effective over the last five decades.

2) In large part because of advertising, America eat out more often than most other nations. Restaurant portions are typically much larger than what we should be eating, due to customer pressure to "get our money's worth." To cut costs (most operate on razor thin margins), restaurants will serve foods made inexpensive and flavorful through the addition of large amounts of fat, salt and other unhealthy additives.

3) Likewise with other kinds of prepared foods such as crackers, cookies, breakfast cereals, freezer meals, etc. To keep prices low and to improve shelf life, these foods often have higher amounts of relatively less healthy fats. Because of highly successful advertising,

4) More than the people of any other developed nation, Americans are stressed. Among First World countries, the US is towards the top of the list of average hours worked, and towards or at the bottom of the list of amount of paid vacation time, job benefits, medical coverage and availability of medical care for those who do have coverage. These things, in turn, add to stress related to life changes such as marriage and death, unemployment, sickness and the possibility of illness, and financial concerns. Under this kind of chronic stress, the human body is more likely to store fat and less likely to use the fat that is stored. This in turn makes us hungry, so we will eat more and be better able to cope with stress; it is all part of the "fight or flight" survival mechanisms that have evolved over millions of years.

It is incredibly short-sighted -- not to say unfair -- to blame overweight people for making unwise lifestyle choices. Until and unless these and other points are addressed on a societal basis, you will have an obesity epidemic.

[Smith_3]

25. I didn't say I blame anyone. I actually said that I don't think it is a choice.

[TechBear_Seattle]

26. My apologies, I misread your post

:blush:

Unfortunately, though, most posts here about obesity are along the lines of "blame the fatty."

[Smith_3]

28. Well, along with my origial reasoning "blaming the fatty" also doesn't make any sense.

Because it would again reduce to the statement that Americans inherently are somehow more prone to becoming fat than other people.

[peace13]

22. Two questions...

Why do you care?
When will you post your picture so we can see who is talking?

I will tell you that after listening to KO yesterday and hearing the talking heads admit that we were living under a dictatorship during the * regime I think I can identify some of the cause of obesity. Living under an unelected dictator while watching this country be denuded of its' Constitution. Speaking for myself, I am now accomplishing things that I never would have done one year ago. Moving around, eating less, walking more, painting the interior of my house. Brain chemistry is a wonderful thing if it is in your corner.

I wonder why you are so insistent that obesity is not in the genes? The problem is real and we need to face it not assign blame.

[Smith_3]

24. Not assigning blame. As I have stated, I don't think its a choice.

[peace13]

27. Why bother stating anything?

Not enough dead horses?

[Smith_3]

29. Just responding to the threads here stating otherwise.

[Jennicut]

30. Everything in our food is made of high fructose corn syrup and other crap

Get rid of it and we will all be healthier. I say that as a diabetic.