Ten Overlooked Contributors to Obesity

[Legend]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Legend
1. The types of food people eat, the quantities and frequency. While ice cream, restaurants, and snacks existed for several decades, people ate their much less frequently and the food was better. Soda came in 6 oz servings made of sugar and not HFCS, ice cream was a rare treat, and people ate more balanced foods. Doesn't mean you should sue any company, because it's entirely at fault of the individual.

2. Lifestyle -- not exercising or eating so many bad foods that running a little bit just creates a status quo.


Genetics is a rare case. Like a hypothyroid. Where were all the obese people 100 years ago? They certainly weren't half of the population. If anything, genetics is in actuality the eating habits and lifestyles taught to children by their parents.

There's some other minor factors, like sleeping, inbalanced intestinal flora due to killing all bacteria on food, etc, but it mostly comes down to 1 and 2.

Genetics are hardly rare cases (think Samoans), hypothyroidism is quite common, obese people have been around since humanity moved past the hunter-gatherer stage (including 100 years ago), and about a third (not half) of the population is considered obese today (BMI>30).

Hypothyroidism affects nearly 2 percent of the population, but is much more commonly found among certain groups

http://www.abbottdiagnostics.com/Your_Health/Thyroid/Disorders/hypo.cfm
2% of the population is quite rare, especially considering there are treatments for it.



We're a melting pot, yet have higher obesity rates than our relatives. Nope, couldn't be that we're spamming children with fast food and junk food ads. Couldn't be that we're out in traffic every lunch break to get fatty yum yums because packing a healthy lunch isn't any fun. Couldn't be that we inject corn syrup from bread to yogurt. These things have bene around since the dawn of man. It must be genetic! lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bmi30chart.png



If it's so commonly genetic, then why weren't there many obese people in the past?

This is most notable in the United States. In the years from just after the Second World War until 1960 the average person's weight increased, but few were obese. In the two and a half decades since 1980 the growth in the rate of obesity has accelerated markedly and is increasingly becoming a public health concern.

There are a number of theories as to the cause of this change since 1980. Most believe it is a combination of various factors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity




http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2003/12_03/bray2.gif

Wow, just look how fast we're evolving! Genetic my ass.

 

[0roo0roo]

portions and physical activities, no magic. calories are calories as they have always been. too much in = fat. derrrr
genetics..yes a big fat excuse.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Legend

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Legend
1. The types of food people eat, the quantities and frequency. While ice cream, restaurants, and snacks existed for several decades, people ate their much less frequently and the food was better. Soda came in 6 oz servings made of sugar and not HFCS, ice cream was a rare treat, and people ate more balanced foods. Doesn't mean you should sue any company, because it's entirely at fault of the individual.

2. Lifestyle -- not exercising or eating so many bad foods that running a little bit just creates a status quo.


Genetics is a rare case. Like a hypothyroid. Where were all the obese people 100 years ago? They certainly weren't half of the population. If anything, genetics is in actuality the eating habits and lifestyles taught to children by their parents.

There's some other minor factors, like sleeping, inbalanced intestinal flora due to killing all bacteria on food, etc, but it mostly comes down to 1 and 2.

Genetics are hardly rare cases (think Samoans), hypothyroidism is quite common, obese people have been around since humanity moved past the hunter-gatherer stage (including 100 years ago), and about a third (not half) of the population is considered obese today (BMI>30).

Hypothyroidism affects nearly 2 percent of the population, but is much more commonly found among certain groups

http://www.abbottdiagnostics.com/Your_Health/Thyroid/Disorders/hypo.cfm
2% of the population is quite rare, especially considering there are treatments for it.



We're a melting pot, yet have higher obesity rates than our relatives. Nope, couldn't be that we're spamming children with fast food and junk food ads. Couldn't be that we're out in traffic every lunch break to get fatty yum yums because packing a healthy lunch isn't any fun. Couldn't be that we inject corn syrup from bread to yogurt. These things have bene around since the dawn of man. It must be genetic! lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bmi30chart.png



If it's so commonly genetic, then why weren't there many obese people in the past?

This is most notable in the United States. In the years from just after the Second World War until 1960 the average person's weight increased, but few were obese. In the two and a half decades since 1980 the growth in the rate of obesity has accelerated markedly and is increasingly becoming a public health concern.

There are a number of theories as to the cause of this change since 1980. Most believe it is a combination of various factors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity




http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2003/12_03/bray2.gif

Wow, just look how fast we're evolving! Genetic my ass.

2% is not "rare" for a medical condition.

I'm not arguing against diet and exercise being crucial to maintaining a healthy weight, I'm arguing against the morons who skew statistics and lack common sense and basic reading comprehension:

The International Journal of Obesity recently published a list of 10 novel factors for Americans? expanding waistlines. After conducting an in-depth review of the literature, the team of 20 international researchers identified several potential contributors to the obesity epidemic beyond what they call the ?Big Two? (think diet and exercise). What are the other big 10?

 

[Legend]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Legend

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Legend
1. The types of food people eat, the quantities and frequency. While ice cream, restaurants, and snacks existed for several decades, people ate their much less frequently and the food was better. Soda came in 6 oz servings made of sugar and not HFCS, ice cream was a rare treat, and people ate more balanced foods. Doesn't mean you should sue any company, because it's entirely at fault of the individual.

2. Lifestyle -- not exercising or eating so many bad foods that running a little bit just creates a status quo.


Genetics is a rare case. Like a hypothyroid. Where were all the obese people 100 years ago? They certainly weren't half of the population. If anything, genetics is in actuality the eating habits and lifestyles taught to children by their parents.

There's some other minor factors, like sleeping, inbalanced intestinal flora due to killing all bacteria on food, etc, but it mostly comes down to 1 and 2.

Genetics are hardly rare cases (think Samoans), hypothyroidism is quite common, obese people have been around since humanity moved past the hunter-gatherer stage (including 100 years ago), and about a third (not half) of the population is considered obese today (BMI>30).

Hypothyroidism affects nearly 2 percent of the population, but is much more commonly found among certain groups

http://www.abbottdiagnostics.com/Your_Health/Thyroid/Disorders/hypo.cfm
2% of the population is quite rare, especially considering there are treatments for it.



We're a melting pot, yet have higher obesity rates than our relatives. Nope, couldn't be that we're spamming children with fast food and junk food ads. Couldn't be that we're out in traffic every lunch break to get fatty yum yums because packing a healthy lunch isn't any fun. Couldn't be that we inject corn syrup from bread to yogurt. These things have bene around since the dawn of man. It must be genetic! lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bmi30chart.png



If it's so commonly genetic, then why weren't there many obese people in the past?

This is most notable in the United States. In the years from just after the Second World War until 1960 the average person's weight increased, but few were obese. In the two and a half decades since 1980 the growth in the rate of obesity has accelerated markedly and is increasingly becoming a public health concern.

There are a number of theories as to the cause of this change since 1980. Most believe it is a combination of various factors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity




http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2003/12_03/bray2.gif

Wow, just look how fast we're evolving! Genetic my ass.

2% is not "rare" for a medical condition.

I'm not arguing against diet and exercise being crucial to maintaining a healthy weight, I'm arguing against the morons who skew statistics and lack common sense and basic reading comprehension:

The International Journal of Obesity recently published a list of 10 novel factors for Americans? expanding waistlines. After conducting an in-depth review of the literature, the team of 20 international researchers identified several potential contributors to the obesity epidemic beyond what they call the ?Big Two? (think diet and exercise). What are the other big 10?

That genetic rant was against you, not the original post. Saying that 2% is rare is not skewing statistics when over 30% of adults are obese. There's another 28% that are obese for other reasons, and there's those that should have been treated among the 2%. Saying that 2% is quite common is skewing statistics. The only thing that I stretched was obesity being among half the population. I must have confused it with overweight, which is above 50%.

Seeing how you rely on ad hominem, I doubt this post is going to do anything.

 

[BoberFett]

Originally posted by: Amused
You can discourage fat prople from breeding.

I thought they did that on their own. :disgust:

 

[zerocool1]

Originally posted by: everman
Number 1, 2, 5 have some credence. Everything else is crap. Just because your parents are fat doesn't mean you can't have some self discipline (once you're old enough to understand that). Fewer smokers, wtf? Temperature, again wtf?

Natural Selection: overweight people out survive their leaner counterparts because they can draw more energy from fat stores...but not today in a time of plenty

So you're saying it did, and now does not, ok...then how is this a factor?

So really beyond the three good ones, the rest are about personal decisions made by people. Nobody is forcing you into McDonalds or to cook unhealthy food at home, or drinking sodas every day.

natural selection only refers to the fact that certain genes that are associated with specific attributes don't get passed down.

 

[HombrePequeno]

The part about comfortable temperatures doesn't seem right. The reasoning behind it makes sense but the numbers don't. The population in 1978 was 223 million and now it's 298 million. The percentage increase in homes with central air isn't as much as the percentage increase in population. I guess you could argue that more people are living in each household but I don't think that's the case.

 

[Whitecloak]

what about hypothyroidism?

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: HamburgerBoy

Originally posted by: Amused
1. Sleep deprivation: There?s no doubt that Americans are getting less than the recommended eight hours each night. Now researchers claim that too few hours of slumber cause hormonal changes that lead to weight gain.

I doubt that. I got about six hours of sleep a day for several months last year and didn't gain a pound from it.

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
1. Twinkies
2. Ice Cream
3. McDonald's
4. Pop Tarts
5. Fried *
6. All You Can Eat Buffet Only $9.99!!!
7. HBO
8. "Light" Beer
9. Late Night Infomercials Curing Fatness With a Pill
10. Global Warming (It gets blamed for everything else...)

QFT.

Originally posted by: Amused
All of those foods predate the obesity epidemic by at least 30 years. People have been frying food and eating ice cream for decades longer than that.

Food is not the problem. Lifestyle is the problem.

In what quantities do they eat them? I have McDonald's a few times a year, a poptart maybe once a year, a bowl of ice cream weekly, and a couple of doughnuts monthly and weigh 112lbs. Then compare to the 3rd grader that goes to McDonald's once a day, two boxes of poptarts weekly, two bowls of ice cream daily (covered in soda, of course), and a box of doughnuts every weekend that weighs 130lbs.

112lbs?! Age/height?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Legend

Wow, just look how fast we're evolving! Genetic my ass.

No one has said genetics are the only cause of obesity, but they DO play a part.

There exists a genetic propensity for obesity given the proper environment. Were this not true, we would not have people who, given the same environment and lifestyle as an obese person, will never become obese, while others will become chubby, and still others will become obese.

When you can explain why a significant percentage of the population can lead sedentary lives, eat whatever they want and as much of it as they please and never become obese, you can deny a genetic propensity for obesity. Until then, not only are you denying reality, you are going against every single bit of reputable research that exists on obesity.

The rise in obesity over the last 20 years reflects the change in our environment. That does NOT discount genetics, as the ability to become obese within our given environment IS genetic.

I have no doubt that you are ignorant enough to believe that every thin person you see somehow has more self control than the fat people you see. But you are flatly wrong. The majority of thin people are thin without even trying. Hell, some of them are even TRYING to gain weight without success (think "hard gainers" in body building). And most of them lead lifestyles no different than those who are overweight. The only difference is genes.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: fs5

4. Fewer smokers: It?s no secret that smoking increases metabolism. The question is: What can you do that also revs up your metabolism that doesn?t kill you?

wtf. I'm going to start smoking.

Cigarettes are an excellent appetite suppressant. They also give people a thing to do with their hands and mouth that's a good substitute for a snack. That's why most people who quit smoking gain weight. I doubt anyone will ever do a serious study on this for PC reasons, but I bet the decline of smoking is a major factor in the rise of obesity. 30 years ago half of all American adults smoked - and they smoked a lot more than smokers do now. The food people ate back then would be considered horribly fattening today. The fitness craze hadn't yet begun. It was unusual to see people exercising unless they were specifically training for a sport. People just didn't think about their bodies that much - they certainly didn't obsess over them like we do today. Yet people were much thinner than they are now. When I was growing up in the 70s, someone who weighed 300lbs was rare enough to be considered a freak - like an albino or a 7-footer. It's because most people were smoking, instead of stuffing their bloated jiggling faces with food.

Of course, those same thin people were dying of cancer and heart attacks at 50, but the fatties are dying of diabetes and strokes at 50 now. At least their teeth look better.

 

[Doboji]

Of course you realize that 99% of the skinny little geeks on ATOT neither eat right nor exercise enough... and still have the gall to scream bloody murder at fat people...

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: Doboji
Of course you realize that 99% of the skinny little geeks on ATOT neither eat right nor exercise enough... and still have the gall to scream bloody murder at fat people...

Just for the record this skinny geek runs between 21 and 28 miles a week.

 

[Doboji]

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: Doboji
Of course you realize that 99% of the skinny little geeks on ATOT neither eat right nor exercise enough... and still have the gall to scream bloody murder at fat people...

Just for the record this skinny geek runs between 21 and 28 miles a week.

congratulations you are in the 1%...

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: purbeast0

11. Common sense: No rocket science here. When you don't give a fvck about your health and are already fat slob piece of shlt, and continue to eat supersized meals at McDonalds 5 times a week, and get absolutely no exercise other than doing potato chip and soda can curls to your mouth, people wonder why they are "weight challenged" and healthier people aren't. It's because they skip over this contributor.

Forgot to add that one.

I guess you missed the part where they said:

"...several potential contributors to the obesity epidemic beyond what they call the ?Big Two? (think diet and exercise)."

Reading comprehension is a good thing.

Worse than the obesity epidemic is the ignorance epidemic

Bottom line, exercise is your best bet. Although that list did convince me to let off on my thermostat a little. My electric bill was huge last month, so I should really let in a little more heat anyway.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Stunt
#1 contributer to obesity = FOOD.

Solutions:
The "As much as you want diet".
a) from morning till noon eat as much asparagus as you want....as much as you want.
b) from noon till 8 drink as much water as you want...as much as you want.
c) from 8 till bed you cry...as much as you want...because you're starving...


The Diet Patch
* Similar to the nicotine patch...but you place over your mouth.

That's like saying that the number one cause of death is losing your life

Going on a diet like that will screw up your muscle mass though. It would be great if dieting didn't bring along some horrible health problems

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Stunt
#1 contributer to obesity = FOOD.

Solutions:
The "As much as you want diet".
a) from morning till noon eat as much asparagus as you want....as much as you want.
b) from noon till 8 drink as much water as you want...as much as you want.
c) from 8 till bed you cry...as much as you want...because you're starving...


The Diet Patch
* Similar to the nicotine patch...but you place over your mouth.

Actually, what you eat is more important than how much you eat. Even more important than that is metabolic rate. And genetics does play a definite role.

According to that professor that ate mcdonalds and lost weight, what you eat is not as important as EXERCISE

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: yowolabi
Here's my problem with the OP's list...

All of that stuff may play a role , but they're definitely a much smaller role than the big two. Getting more sleep and not adjusting the thermostat so much aren't going to make much difference if that's the only changes you make at 300 pounds. If you listen to all 10 of those points you still won't lose much weight if you don't touch the big two. However it has been proven that if you only adjust your diet and exercise, you will get significantly smaller. Coming up with 10 or 100 more minor factors that may influence weight gain isn't really benefitting the people that need to lose weight. All it does is provide them with more excuses about how they aren't in control (it's the endocrine disruptors in the air), which is incorrect.

In theory, you would lose weight faster if you included those 10 factors in addition to the big two. They're called the big two because they're the most important, like you said. Let's say all of those factors remove an additional 100 calories daily. It's not much, but it's a difference.

 

[TheSlamma]

Lazy

Videogames instead of going outside

More and more fast food garbage

TV Dinners

Vending machine food

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Stunt
#1 contributer to obesity = FOOD.

Solutions:
The "As much as you want diet".
a) from morning till noon eat as much asparagus as you want....as much as you want.
b) from noon till 8 drink as much water as you want...as much as you want.
c) from 8 till bed you cry...as much as you want...because you're starving...


The Diet Patch
* Similar to the nicotine patch...but you place over your mouth.

Actually, what you eat is more important than how much you eat. Even more important than that is metabolic rate. And genetics does play a definite role.

According to that professor that ate mcdonalds and lost weight, what you eat is not as important as EXERCISE

You were talking about the ignorance epidemic? See bolded. Exercise stimulates the metabolic rate.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Legend
That genetic rant was against you, not the original post. Saying that 2% is rare is not skewing statistics when over 30% of adults are obese. There's another 28% that are obese for other reasons, and there's those that should have been treated among the 2%. Saying that 2% is quite common is skewing statistics. The only thing that I stretched was obesity being among half the population. I must have confused it with overweight, which is above 50%.

Seeing how you rely on ad hominem, I doubt this post is going to do anything.

Excuse me, no. All I said was that genetics does play a definite role, whereupon you ranted that it plays no role at all and begin telling lies.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Stunt
#1 contributer to obesity = FOOD.

Solutions:
The "As much as you want diet".
a) from morning till noon eat as much asparagus as you want....as much as you want.
b) from noon till 8 drink as much water as you want...as much as you want.
c) from 8 till bed you cry...as much as you want...because you're starving...


The Diet Patch
* Similar to the nicotine patch...but you place over your mouth.

Actually, what you eat is more important than how much you eat. Even more important than that is metabolic rate. And genetics does play a definite role.

According to that professor that ate mcdonalds and lost weight, what you eat is not as important as EXERCISE

You were talking about the ignorance epidemic? See bolded. Exercise stimulates the metabolic rate.

Don't quote me about the ignorance epidemic, you're the one that misunderstood what I said I was agreeing through a reference to the mcdonalds guy, which is still a remarkable story

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: F22 Raptor
And they can all be controled by moderation and exercise. Who knew?

QFT. No excuses.

I was born with the inability to digest milk (almost like an allergic reaction). What is sad is I love all dairy products. No matter how much my mom fed me, I kept getting thinner and having reactions. I finally went to the hospital as a child and they put me on enriched soy milk. After that I grew because my appetite was huge. I guess it became ingrained in my system to eat as much as possible. My weight was alright because I was a extremely athletic and active kid (my parents not buying me gaming consoles probably contributed to that), but I normally out ate anyone I knew. Things didn't bode well after I got injured though. I ballooned like a bear storing for hibernation.

All I did in that case was change my diet since my exercise was lessened. I ate much less and much healthier and instead of doing a lot of high impact sports, I just decided to walk everywhere (grocery store <3 miles>, church <5 miles>...) while doing my therapy.

Diet & Exercise is the best way to control weight, NO EXCUSES.

 

[Legend]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Legend

Wow, just look how fast we're evolving! Genetic my ass.

No one has said genetics are the only cause of obesity, but they DO play a part.

There exists a genetic propensity for obesity given the proper environment. Were this not true, we would not have people who, given the same environment and lifestyle as an obese person, will never become obese, while others will become chubby, and still others will become obese.

When you can explain why a significant percentage of the population can lead sedentary lives, eat whatever they want and as much of it as they please and never become obese, you can deny a genetic propensity for obesity. Until then, not only are you denying reality, you are going against every single bit of reputable research that exists on obesity.

The rise in obesity over the last 20 years reflects the change in our environment. That does NOT discount genetics, as the ability to become obese within our given environment IS genetic.

I have no doubt that you are ignorant enough to believe that every thin person you see somehow has more self control than the fat people you see. But you are flatly wrong. The majority of thin people are thin without even trying. Hell, some of them are even TRYING to gain weight without success (think "hard gainers" in body building). And most of them lead lifestyles no different than those who are overweight. The only difference is genes.

I agree that some people are able to eat whatever they want and their body's respond to it better. My brother can graze on soda and junk food and stop eating when he should whereas as if I did that, I would keep eating. In that sense there is a genetic predisposition.

When I'm talking about genetically obese, I'm talking about people that are fat despite exercising and dieting, and that is rare. To people that can't eat twinkies all day and be thin, cry me a river. Neither can I.

 

[Legend]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Legend
That genetic rant was against you, not the original post. Saying that 2% is rare is not skewing statistics when over 30% of adults are obese. There's another 28% that are obese for other reasons, and there's those that should have been treated among the 2%. Saying that 2% is quite common is skewing statistics. The only thing that I stretched was obesity being among half the population. I must have confused it with overweight, which is above 50%.

Seeing how you rely on ad hominem, I doubt this post is going to do anything.

Excuse me, no. All I said was that genetics does play a definite role, whereupon you ranted that it plays no role at all and begin telling lies.

What I was implying was that genetics is insignificant.

List the lies.