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By Rome Jorge, Lifestyle Editor
In America there are more people who are obese than those that are
fat. And those that are physically fit are but a minority. And it is
killing them.
According to a survey by the US National Center
for Health Statistics of citizens above the age of 20 taken from
2005 to 2006, 34 percent of Americans are obese—more than the
proportions of Americans who are just simply overweight, which is at
32.7 percent.
Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes
of death. This finding has been supported by studies such as
“Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000” by Ali
Mokdad, Ph.D, James Marks, MD, MPH, Donna Stroup, Ph.D, MSc, Julie
Gerberding, MD, MPH; and “Annual Deaths Attributable to Obesity in
the United States” by David Allison, Ph.D; Kevin Fontaine, Ph.D;
JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH; June Stevens, Ph.D; Theodore VanItallie, MD.
As more and more Filipinos adopt an American
lifestyle and are pressured by the global recession precipitated by
the American credit, mortgage and lending crisis into foregoing
healthy foods and exercise, the number of obese Filipinos can only
rise.
Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI,
the ratio of one’s weight to one’s height) of 30 kg/m2 or
higher—an excess body fat amount that has definite negative health
effects and morbid danger. A BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight; 18.5
to 24.9 is normal; and under 18.5 is underweight. For example, the
ideal weight of a man of US President-elect Barack Obama’s height
would be around 184 pounds.
Another measure of obesity is body fat
percentage. Men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with
more than 33 percent body fat are considered obese.
However, measuring body fat percentage is
difficult. Hydrostatic weighing compares a person’s weight in and
out of water. This works because fat is buoyant and is less dense
than muscle. Another is the skin fold test that measures the
subcutaneous fat layer by pinching the skin.
Obesity doubles the risk of death and reduces
life expectancy by six to seven years. This is according to a study
entitled “Obesity in Adulthood and Its Consequences for Life
Expectancy: A Life-Table Analysis” by Anna Peeters, Ph.D; Jan
Barendregt, Ph.D; Frans Willekens, Ph.D; Johan Mackenbach, MD, Ph.D;
Abdullah Al Mamun, BSc(Hons), MSc; and Luc Bonneux, MD, PhD.
Living with obesity is debilitating. Dangers
include cardiovascular disease, stroke, high-blood pressure,
high-blood cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, fatty liver disease, gout,
sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, back pain, migraines, dementia and
depression to name just a few.
In a study entitled, “Why Is The Developed
World Obese?” researchers Sara Bleich, David Cutler, Christopher
Murray and Alyce Adams concluded that excessive calorie consumption
and a sedentary lifestyle are the primary causes of obesity. Those
with genetic or psychiatric causes are a minority. Adopting a
healthy lifestyle consisting a balanced diet and regular exercise is
a must.
To calculate your body mass index, visit
www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi.
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