Despite the flood of warnings about the alarming rise of obesity in the United States, a pair of recent studies confirmed Americans haven't gotten the message yet. In fact, the numbers show obesity rates have actually risen slightly.
In one government report of 4,000 adults and an equal number of children, the number of overweight adults for 2001-02 had risen to 65.7 percent versus 64.5 percent in a similar study of adults in 2000-01. The level of obesity in adults edged upward from 30.5 percent to 30.6 percent. The number of adults who were labeled extremely obese grew slightly from 4.7 percent to 5.1 percent.
The government study gathered childhood obesity data on participants from ages 6 to 19 based on their body mass index (BMI) readings alone. Almost 32 percent of the children surveyed were rated "at risk" for becoming overweight in the recent study, nearly a 2 percent increase since the 1999-2000 study. Children judged to be overweight rose to 16.5 percent in the recent study, a 1.5 percent increase from previous research.
In a related study of teens ages 13 to 17, fast food restaurant chains were again blamed as the prime culprits in the epidemic of obesity among children. During the first phase, in which teens were allowed to eat as many extra-large fast-food portions as they wanted, overweight teens tended to eat more than their slimmer peers.
The second study recorded the participants' food intake on days they ate meals at any of five leading national fast-food chains. Researchers found leaner teens compensated for eating fast-food by consuming less during those days, but the overweight adolescents didn't.
Researchers believe the study didn't prove a cause-effect scenario. They were unsure a high-calorie, fast-food diet was the leading contributor to teen obesity or if people just have an innate ability to overeat. Nevertheless, the findings of the studies support an argument for reducing fast-food marketing to children, eliminating the sale of such foods in schools and promoting the reduced intake of refined starches and extra sugars.
Journal of the American Medical Association June 16, 2004;291:2847-2850
Even though scientists collect data that prove beyond a doubt fast-food restaurants are marketing bad food to kids and adults, they're still dancing around the big issue: Fast food tastes good and is very affordable but the cost of eating badly will affect you in so many ways in the long term. You can only fool your body for so long.
I'm certain if you live on a diet of fast-food diet, you'll accelerate the aging process and compromise your health severely. That doesn't even take into account the fact that the overwhelming majority of foods you buy at fast-food restaurants are processed. How in the world can a person be healthy if they eat that much processed food?
If you want to live a healthy life, you'll need to spend some time in the kitchen preparing your own food. There's no doubt that it takes more time and energy to follow the nutrition plan I describe in my latest book, Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program. But the benefits listed below that my patients and I enjoy every day make the extra effort in the kitchen worth it.
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