US researchers say that the country's obesity problem
may be more serious than previously believed and that a
vast majority of adults in the United States are at risk
of becoming overweight or obese.
In a government study that followed 4,000 participants
over a 30-year period, researchers found that ninety
percent of men and seventy percent of women were
overweight or later became overweight.
"National surveys and other studies have told us that
the United States has a major weight problem, but this
study suggests that we could have an even more serious
degree of overweight and obesity (cases) over the next
few decades," said Elizabeth Nabel, director of the US
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Excess weight and obesity increase the risk of poor
health and can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure,
heart disease, stroke, breathing problems and some
cancers, Nabel said.
"We hope these results will serve as a wake-up call to
Americans of all ages."
The study's results, which were published in the Annals
of Internal Medicine, were based on assessments of body
mass index, a standard measure of weight relative to
height.
The volunteers for the study were white, from the town
of Framingham in the northeastern state of
Massachusetts. Researchers said their study might
underestimate the problem among Hispanic and
African-American communities, which tend to have higher
rates of excess weight.
According to the government's National Center for Health
Statistics, an estimated 65 percent of US adults over
the age of 20 are either overweight or obese, with 30
percent of adults considered obese.
The study found that making it to middle age at a
healthy weight was no guarantee for staying at that
weight. About one in five women and one in four men in
the study deteriorated during a four year period,
gaining excess weight or becoming obese.
"Taking simple steps to make sure that the overall
number of calories you consume do not exceed the amount
you burn can play a major role in lowering your risk for
many chronic conditions," Nabel said.
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References:
worldhealth.net
AFP
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