Path to Health
“F as in Fat”: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011
In the 2011 report by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that looks at obesity in the United States
- More than two-thirds (68%)of American adults are either overweight or obese.
- 66.5% of Texans are deemed overweight or obese.
- 30.4% of Texans are deemed obese with a ranking of 12th nationally.
- 20.4% of Texas children are described as obese. Texas ranks as the 7th highest in the nation.
- 36% of adult Latinos in Texas are obese. Texas ranks 3rd place in the nation.
Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass. Overweight refers to increased body weight in relation to height, which is then compared with a standard of acceptable weight. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a common measure expressing the relationship (or ratio) of weight-to-height. The equation is:
Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while those with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese. Using the BMI equation, a person who is 5’4″ (64 inches) and weighs 150 pounds is considered overweight. A person of the same height, but weighing 175 pounds is considered obese, [175 ÷ 4096 (64 x 64) = .0427 X 703 = BMI of 30.02].
Health Impact of Obesity
- Obesity is linked to more than 20 major chronic diseases. These include high blood pressure, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer and Kidney Disease.
Type 2 Diabetes
The Texas Health Institute, in its document titled “RESPONDING TO THE EPIDEMIC: STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING DIABETES CARE IN TEXAS” – November 2010, reports that:
- More than 80% of people with Diabetes are overweight. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the US.
- 2.2 million Texans have Diabetes. That is projected to increase to 8 million in 30 years
- Serious problems of diabetes are heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failures and amputations.
- Smoking doubles the risk for heart disease in people with diabetes.
The China Study
The China Study details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. This was a large survey of diet and death rates from cancer in more than 2,400 Chinese counties. It studied the significance and implications of nutrition on health.
- People who ate the most meat got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most vegetables and fruit were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease.
- These findings show that heart disease, diabetes and obesity can be reduced or reversed by a healthy diet.
- Other research shows that diabetes, various cancers, kidney health and vision are influenced by diet.
- This diet has shown to undo and/or stop these diseases. It is the same fresh vegetables/fruits and whole grain diet found in The China Study.
Details of The China Study show the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. This was a large study of diet and rates of death from cancer in more than 2,400 Chinese counties, which demonstrates the implications of nutrition in health.
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