Obesity Epidemic

You've heard about the "Wheat Belly" diet, right? Well, technically, it doesn't exist. Dr. William Davis points out that the word "diet" does not appear on either the cover of his bestselling "Wheat Belly" book published in 2011 or on the follow-up, "Wheat Belly Cookbook," which was published last month and already tops bestseller lists. And that omission is intentional, Davis said. "Wheat Belly" is about stripping your plate of a substance that contributes to heart disease, causes joint pain, inflammation, foggy thinking, bloating and much more, Davis said.

Chain restaurants have been nudged and cajoled for years to ditch mammoth portion sizes and high-calorie choices. But perhaps the best motivation to lower-calorie, more healthful menu items is here: profit. A report released Thursday calls lower-calorie menu choices “just good business.” “We found that those restaurant chains that were growing their lower-calorie items, they demonstrated business advantages,” Hank Cardello, lead author of the report from the think tank Hudson Institute, said Thursday at a news conference to discuss the report.

"We're losing the war against obesity in the U.S.," says chef Jamie Oliver. "Our kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods, and today's children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. " About 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children are obese, according the Centers for Disease Control , and such obesity-related diseases as Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer have become leading causes of death in our country.

Obesity among Philadelphia's nearly 900,000 schoolchildren has ticked downward slightly, a new study says, suggesting that efforts to reverse the rising tide of fat among the nation's children are paying off. In 2009-2010, 20.5% of the Philly's kids weighed in as obese, and 7.9% were considered "severely obese. " Writing in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, a team of Philadelphia public health officials and researchers called those figures "unacceptably high. " But they noted that the latest statistics are down from measures taken in 2006-2007, when 21.5% of Philadelphia's schoolchildren were obese and 8.5% were severely obese.

Researchers have identified another cause of the American obesity epidemic – too many of us don’t realize that we’re overweight. In fact, the doctors and other experts who published this hypothesis this week in Archives of Internal Medicine have a clinical name for this problem: body size misperception. And about 8% of adults in Dallas have it, according to their study. The primary symptom is that when shown pictures of nine figures – ranging from very thin to morbidly obese – these adults selected an “ideal body size” that was the same or bigger than the image they thought best reflected their own body size.

Shari Roan's profile of Louisiana State University fitness and nutrition expert Melinda Sothern was excellent ["The Birth of Obesity," Dec. 19]. Sothern postulates that the obesity epidemic may have roots in the 1950s because "a generation of young women … smoked, spurned breast-feeding, and restricted their weight during numerous, closely spaced pregnancies. " We know that there is great work being done around the nation to combat this "obesity trinity. " Sothern believes we can reverse the epidemic and so do I. As a breast-feeding advocate, I support the surgeon general's call to reduce the barriers to breast-feeding.

The holidays are upon us, presenting wonderful opportunity to celebrate and enjoy good food. No doubt many of us will heartily indulge ... and feel the guilt. The guilt is hard to avoid. Hardly a day goes by without the media trumpeting obesity fears: 65% of us are overweight or obese, we're gaining weight at unprecedented rates, we don't know how to eat, we're not exercising enough, we're the first generation that's going to die younger than our parents.

Fat Politics The Real Story Behind America's Obesity Epidemic J. Eric Oliver Oxford University Press: 228 pp., $28 * PIMA Indians living in southern Arizona today are among the heaviest people in the world. The average Pima woman weighs 200 pounds; men weigh more. Before the 1940s, most Pima sported lean, muscular physiques.

Infant weight and height are faithfully charted at each pediatrician's visit to make sure the child is growing properly. But nowadays doctors are more likely to see babies who are growing too fast rather than ones lagging behind. A new study shows that rapid growth on these charts foretells obesity in childhood. Researchers looked at the weight-for-length charts that show how a baby's weight compares to that of other babies of the same length. For example, babies on the 5th percentile growth line have a weight that puts them among the smallest 5% of all babies their length.

Re "No end in sight to obesity epidemic," May 8 Of course there is no end in sight to the obesity epidemic. If the government can hold a conference that might suggest that Americans consume less junk food, then what makes us believe that the government wouldn't stop there and would suggest that Americans eat more broccoli? The Supreme Court has already given its lecture that our vegetable-averse Founding Fathers have hidden in the Constitution a prohibition to a broccoli mandate, even though one would improve citizens' health.

As obesity rates increase, so too do obesity-related health problems and associated costs. Still, a federal health advisory panel has formally recommended additional care in the form of intensive counseling. Commenting on the panel's decision, my colleague Paul Whitefield argues that we can't afford it. "The solution?" he writes . "It's not government-approved and insurance-paid-for counseling. It's a fat tax. " He continues: You want to be obese? Fine. Keep chowing down, big guy or gal. Just don't expect those who pursue sensible, healthful choices to pay for you. Instead, you're gonna pay a tax on all that extra weight, which will help offset the healthcare costs you're sure to incur.

Walt Disney Co., acknowledging the powerful role that television can play in influencing children's behavior, announced that it has instituted a junk-food advertising ban on programs for kids. Along with its current healthful-foods initiative in its theme parks, Disney will begin imposing strict new standards for food and beverage advertising on its boy-centric network Disney XD, during Saturday morning shows on Disney-owned ABC television stations, on Radio Disney and online. Disney Channel and Disney Junior, which are not ad-supported but receive brand sponsorships, also would be covered under the nutrition guidelines.

"We're losing the war against obesity in the U.S.," says chef Jamie Oliver. "Our kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods, and today's children will be the first generation ever to live shorter lives than their parents. " About 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children are obese, according the Centers for Disease Control , and such obesity-related diseases as Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer have become leading causes of death in our country.

Re "No end in sight to obesity epidemic," May 8 Of course there is no end in sight to the obesity epidemic. If the government can hold a conference that might suggest that Americans consume less junk food, then what makes us believe that the government wouldn't stop there and would suggest that Americans eat more broccoli? The Supreme Court has already given its lecture that our vegetable-averse Founding Fathers have hidden in the Constitution a prohibition to a broccoli mandate, even though one would improve citizens' health.

Shari Roan's profile of Louisiana State University fitness and nutrition expert Melinda Sothern was excellent ["The Birth of Obesity," Dec. 19]. Sothern postulates that the obesity epidemic may have roots in the 1950s because "a generation of young women … smoked, spurned breast-feeding, and restricted their weight during numerous, closely spaced pregnancies. " We know that there is great work being done around the nation to combat this "obesity trinity. " Sothern believes we can reverse the epidemic and so do I. As a breast-feeding advocate, I support the surgeon general's call to reduce the barriers to breast-feeding.

After long days discussing America's obesity problem, Melinda Sothern has had enough of windowless conference rooms. "I need to exercise," she says, pausing to review her plans in the San Diego Convention Center lobby. She plans to rent a bicycle in Coronado and ride, fast and far. Sothern, 55, is a woman who practices what she preaches. And one of her messages about obesity is aimed at women like herself: mothers. Fat mothers. Thin mothers. And especially mothers-to-be.

To say that Warner Bros. has shown "restraint" on "Harry Potter" promotions ["Warner Marketing 'Potter' With Care," Nov. 5] by licensing "only" 87 tie-in opportunities allows industry spin to obscure the reality of one of the most massive marketing extravaganzas ever. The reality is an avalanche of "Potter" products, from lunch boxes and figurines to trading cards and toothpaste. And then, of course, there is the big one: Coca-Cola's $150-million global promotional deal that is using "Harry Potter" to get kids to drink more of its "liquid candy"--exactly what we don't need in the midst of an obesity epidemic.

Re "Gym Class, Revisited" (May 17): As a nursing student I have become aware of the rising number of obese children and their increased risk of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. One of the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic is the increasingly sedentary lifestyle children are leading. Redirecting the focus of school PE classes from competitive team sports and skills, which can alienate the children most at risk, to encouraging exercise in whatever form is fun for the child and can go a long way in helping children develop lifelong healthy habits.

Infant weight and height are faithfully charted at each pediatrician's visit to make sure the child is growing properly. But nowadays doctors are more likely to see babies who are growing too fast rather than ones lagging behind. A new study shows that rapid growth on these charts foretells obesity in childhood. Researchers looked at the weight-for-length charts that show how a baby's weight compares to that of other babies of the same length. For example, babies on the 5th percentile growth line have a weight that puts them among the smallest 5% of all babies their length.

For this sequel to 2007's far-roaming critique of the beauty industry, "America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments" filmmaker Darryl Roberts narrowed his focus — a bit. The result is a mixed bag of a film that scores not when rehashing our national obsession with dieting but when it challenges the underpinnings of a national obesity epidemic. Loosely structured around Roberts' quest to get healthier through diet and exercise instead of prescription drugs, the film raises serious questions about undue influence — Big Pharma and medical professionals, the dieting industry and government health standards.