Antoaneta Sawyer, PhD
Obesity in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate. We are all informed that obesity has been rising in the last 10-20 years. In fact people in the well developed and developing countries are increasing their waistline, with obesity reaching global epidemic proportions. Generally one is considered obese if is more than 20 percent overweight over his ideal body weight. Medical experts say a person who's about 30 pounds overweight must be considered obese.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is already labeling obesity with two terms- a "chronic disease" and "escalating global epidemic" and estimates that by 2025, the number of people with diabetes will reach 300 million- a staggering 122 percent increase in less than 30 years.
Obesity results when the person consumes more calories than the ones used by his daily activity. In the last decade, the conventional medicine changed its main concept that white adipose tissue works as a protective buffer or it is a "passive" energy warehouse. Now it is well known that white adipose tissue is highly dynamic hormonally involved tissue, engaged in multitude of hormonal, biochemical and metabolic reactions and with its proper memory.
In authors' proper words, "Our view of white adipose tissue (WAT) has changed over the last decade, from an inert triglyceride storage tissue to a highly active metabolic organ. Indeed, WAT secretes pro-inflammatory cytokines such TNF-a, interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and chemokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10), interleukin-8 (IL-8), RANTES, and peptides with hormone-like actions such as adiponectin, leptin and resistin" (Meier & Thalmann, 2007).
Lately, there is some more bad news on the "weight loss" horizon. Despite all the bold steps taken by government and state programs, the recent - 2010 Annual Obesity Report (June 29, 2010) showed data that obesity rates are still geometrically increasing. When in 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent, the new 2010report done by two separate public health groups concluded that the obesity rate in US is increasing in 28 states for 2009. (Source, Mayo Clinic, Healthy Americans and Medicine Net)
There is only one state, showing good results- the District of Columbia, while Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Weight Virginia scaled an increase of obesity rates over 30 percent comparatively to previous reports' data. What is unfortunate that four more states- Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana have been added to the already well known list of "obese" American states. (Source, Medicine Net)
Currently, more than 12 million children and adolescents in the United States are considered also obese according to the report. "Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region and income," concluded Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH.
The report classifies Wisconsin right in the middle, scaling much better than 42 other U.S. States. The report says that 27 percent of Wisconsin adults are obese and nearly half of all black adults are obese. It is more than obvious that neither the increased awareness, nor the wealth of health knowledge offered by health organizations and government sponsored programs is translating yet in real results.
Additional Key findings of the Annual report are:
1. Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
2. Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
3. Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
4. No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state - West Virginia - had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
5. The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight - Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
6. Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates; Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent. (Source, Healthy Americans)
Note * For more information on metabolic syndrome, disease and prevention, diabetes, obesity, diets and weight loss just click on the "Subscribe" button above to receive the Milwaukee Diets Examiner daily articles.
Photo credit: Flickr (Let Ideas Compete)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is already labeling obesity with two terms- a "chronic disease" and "escalating global epidemic" and estimates that by 2025, the number of people with diabetes will reach 300 million- a staggering 122 percent increase in less than 30 years.
Obesity results when the person consumes more calories than the ones used by his daily activity. In the last decade, the conventional medicine changed its main concept that white adipose tissue works as a protective buffer or it is a "passive" energy warehouse. Now it is well known that white adipose tissue is highly dynamic hormonally involved tissue, engaged in multitude of hormonal, biochemical and metabolic reactions and with its proper memory.
In authors' proper words, "Our view of white adipose tissue (WAT) has changed over the last decade, from an inert triglyceride storage tissue to a highly active metabolic organ. Indeed, WAT secretes pro-inflammatory cytokines such TNF-a, interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and chemokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10), interleukin-8 (IL-8), RANTES, and peptides with hormone-like actions such as adiponectin, leptin and resistin" (Meier & Thalmann, 2007).
Lately, there is some more bad news on the "weight loss" horizon. Despite all the bold steps taken by government and state programs, the recent - 2010 Annual Obesity Report (June 29, 2010) showed data that obesity rates are still geometrically increasing. When in 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent, the new 2010report done by two separate public health groups concluded that the obesity rate in US is increasing in 28 states for 2009. (Source, Mayo Clinic, Healthy Americans and Medicine Net)
There is only one state, showing good results- the District of Columbia, while Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Weight Virginia scaled an increase of obesity rates over 30 percent comparatively to previous reports' data. What is unfortunate that four more states- Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana have been added to the already well known list of "obese" American states. (Source, Medicine Net)
Currently, more than 12 million children and adolescents in the United States are considered also obese according to the report. "Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced, and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region and income," concluded Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH.
The report classifies Wisconsin right in the middle, scaling much better than 42 other U.S. States. The report says that 27 percent of Wisconsin adults are obese and nearly half of all black adults are obese. It is more than obvious that neither the increased awareness, nor the wealth of health knowledge offered by health organizations and government sponsored programs is translating yet in real results.
Additional Key findings of the Annual report are:
1. Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
2. Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
3. Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.
4. No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state - West Virginia - had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
5. The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight - Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
6. Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates; Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent. (Source, Healthy Americans)
Note * For more information on metabolic syndrome, disease and prevention, diabetes, obesity, diets and weight loss just click on the "Subscribe" button above to receive the Milwaukee Diets Examiner daily articles.
Photo credit: Flickr (Let Ideas Compete)
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