Posted on 10/04/2005 8:09:04 AM PDT by Firefigher NC
BALTIMORE - Just when we thought we couldn’t get any fatter, a new study that followed Americans for three decades suggests that over the long haul, 9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women will become overweight.
Even if you are one of the lucky few who made it to middle age without getting fat, don’t congratulate yourself — keep watching that waistline.
Half of the men and women in the study who had made it well into adulthood without a weight problem ultimately became overweight. A third of those women and a quarter of the men became obese.
“You cannot become complacent, because you are at risk of becoming overweight,” said Ramachandran Vasan, an associate professor of medicine at Boston University and the study’s lead author.
He and other researchers studied data gathered from 4,000 white adults over 30 years. Participants were between the ages of 30 and 59 at the start, and were examined every four years. By the end of the study, more than 1 in 3 had become obese.
The findings, published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, show obesity may be a greater problem than indicated by studies that look at a cross-section of the population at one point in time. Those so-called “snapshots” of obesity have found about 6 in 10 are overweight and about 1 in 3 are obese, Vasan said.
The findings also re-emphasize that people must continually watch their weight, Vasan said.
The research subjects were the children of participants in the long-running and often-cited Framingham Heart Study, which has been following the health of generations of Massachusetts residents.
CONTINUED
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Correct that to I thought I could eat whatever I wanted without exercising. That makes all the difference in the world.
I gained 25 pounds from the age of 29 to 40, found out I was diabetic - went on a very low carb no sugar diet - and now at 45 I lost the 25 pounds and am more active then I ever was. Gotta be careful with weight gain in your 30's and 40's - it can lead to diabetes.
Oh and I walk 8 miles a day - so that kinda helped me lose it too! ;-)
Give me a government grant: I'd like to explore my theory that the vast majority of Americans are likely to become old.
I know that this is a bit of a stupid question, but why does weight gain lead to diabetes? It just struck me when I read your post that as much as I've heard this and taken it for granted over the years, I've never actually known the reason why weight gain leads to diabetes. Do you have the answer on hand?
Only 15 pounds? Lucky you! -_-
If you are overweight your body doesn't use insulin well. This is called Insulin resistance. That leads to diabetes. When you gain weight your blood sugar rises.
Um, there is thing called "Google". You put in "fat" and "diabetes" and you find a web site that answers your question. Try it!
You don't have to get snippy about it! I know how to use Google; I just thought maybe someone had the answer on hand, because it wasn't a priority for me to go track it down right this sec. I'm just about to go to bed.
Thanks for the link!
Ahh, that makes sense. So, basically, it's the same general principle as resistance to a medication. Interesting..
The only possible way you can get fat is to consume carbohydrate at a faster rate than you burn it off with exercise. It's really that simple!
what a surprise......
Have a good rest. :-)
Im in shape...... round is a shape.
"The only possible way you can get fat is to consume carbohydrate at a faster rate than you burn it off with exercise. It's really that simple!"
Sure is, I was just too stupid to realize that I'm not immune from the same laws of the universe that everyone else is- that is if you eat like a pig and don't run, you'll get fat. Our town just got a new local Marine recruiter, so I might start running with their DEP guys if my schedule fits it.
Better than starving to death.
I weight 210-215 pounds. I am 6' 4". When I had longer hair people said I was a dead ringer for Jim Morrison (when he was thin).
Yet according to the government's statistics, i'm overweight.
Their numbers are nonsense.
That's right!
Ack!
WHOA !!!!! How does that fellow tie his shoes?
That's to be expected when every commercial is about fast food or new cars.
Hey, FR is a rough place, you got to expect a little towel snapping. ;-)
Some thoughts on the increasingly chubby American condition:
1. Sedentary lifestyles
Years ago people walked more and did far more physical activity (not scheduled exercise either). Anyone who remembers the old push lawnmowers (non-motor) that I had to use as a teenager knows what i'm talkin' about! Even a typist had to work at the manual typewriters. Car windows had to be manually rolled up and even the old steering wheels (sans power steering) were killers! I'm petite and the steering wheels were unreal! I'm sure I could come up with literally thousands of examples.
2. Eating Out
People eat out 10x as often as they did years ago which causes two problems: (1) the food in restaurants is much fatter, saltier and less healthy than stuff prepared at home, especially if home meals are made from scratch and not Stouffers. (2) Preparing home meals burns calories (mixing, kneading, stirring, washing pots and pans) vs. sitting in a restaurant and just eating (3) the portions in restaurants are larger and often we are tempted to eat more than we should because, "hey we paid for it!"
3. Shift in Work
Years ago many, many jobs were physical (e.g. manufacturing) but we have gone to a more service-oriented work industry so we have people in customer service and at computers - not much physical labor.
Just some thoughts.....
Oh my God!!!!! You mean people in their 40s, 50s and 60s might develop a little gut or a little extra in thighs even if they diet and and excerice!!??? What is this world coming to????
You are lucky that this time he is wearing pants.
The condescension from this article really irritates me. We don't know how to get healthy? If that's true, it would only be because the messages that have been communicated over the past 20 years have been disjointed, conflicting and incomplete.
If any of us stays or becomes healthy, it will be no thanks to the guvvament-oriented healthocrats.
I've been fighting it too. In my early 20s I was pretty thin. Then, gradually, between the ages of 27 and 37 I slowly packed on about 40 lbs. It took two years to strip off 30 of them. I stayed at that weight for a year and then drifted back up 10. Then I noticed, and started the battle again and struggled back down 10... I'm still trying to lose that last 10.
Yes, I'd like to study why am I forced to pay for this BS?
Or...maybe do a study on how to make fat people a protected class.
In a related article:
" Vast majority of Americans likely to die at some point "
Low carb diets work. The spouse and I lost a combined total of 17 pounds over the last two weeks without feeling deprived. We have realized that as middle age approaches, we just can't eat the same stuff that we did when we were younger. So out went refined carbs and sugar. We now get most of our carbs from veggies, and we've never felt better.
Thank you, Dr. Atkins!
"Sorry to say, American portions and fried foods are what are killing us."
Add soda and sugar to the list...
And don't forget sedentary lifestyles...
These people aren't overweight, they're "metabolically challenged". ;^)
Great, then I can have my cake and eat yours too!
Hahaha (poking your belly)!
1/2 of Americans now make up 3/4 of Americans.
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