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It is impossible to estimate the number of
Americans who will die of the ramifications of obesity in the
coming years, but it is a frightening statistic.
William Dietz,
Director of Nutrition of the government's Centers for Disease
Control, states:
"Never before has America seen a chronic
disease epidemic of such massive proportions." In 1980, 14% of
Americans were obese; by 2001, 31% were obese. Since 64.5% of
Americans (and 19% of children) are overweight, the obesity
numbers will continue to climb precipitously.
Our number one killer, heart disease and
related cardiovascular problems, leads to the death of over
one million people a year, almost half of our total annual death
toll. The effects of obesity on heart problems alone cause
an ever-increasing number of deaths.
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Obesity brings on heart attack.
Just being 10% overweight raises one's risk by 30%, especially if the extra
pounds surround the belly. And those who are obese develop
heart disease seven years earlier than those who stay slim!
Obesity is a double
whammy in the area of breast cancer. It not only
tremendously increases a woman's risk of getting the disease,
but it also increases the likelihood of fatality, because
fat makes tumors hard to detect early and keeps blood hormone
levels high, making it harder to fight the disease.
The Harvard
Nurses' Health Study (80,000 nurses) found that women who are 44
pounds overweight double their risk of breast cancer. A
new Yale study found that severely obese women are three
times more likely to be diagnosed too late
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"An aspirin a day will definitely help prevent a heart
attack if you have it with a light lunch and skip the Big
Mac, french fries and chocolate shake!'
Obese smokers die 13.5 years sooner than normal-weight nonsmokers.
Inactivity is worse for women! In a Duke University study, sedentary women gained fat twice as quickly as sedentary men did! |
The list of life-shortening effects of obesity is staggering:
In A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that being obese at age 20 can cut 20 years off a person’s life.
In A study of 900,000 followed over 16 years showed that overweight contributes to 20% of cancer deaths in women and 14% in men.
In 65% of high blood pressure in women and 78% in men can be attributed directly to obesity.
High blood pressure leads to strokes and Alzheimer’s! n Colon cancer risk is up to 70% greater in overweight men!
In Over twelve million American children are obese or near-obese! More than one in three are overweight!
In CRP, the most newly recognized major heart risk, is six times more likely to be elevated in obese women than in thin ones.
In Overweight kids as young as three have ballooning blood pressure and cholesterol levels!
"You
can see by my diet chart that I was doing quite well until
we moved next to McDonalds!" |
DIABETES
Of all the diseases associated with unhealthy weight, Type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes is the most strongly linked. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, amputations and heart disease. For such a dire health threat, diabetes is fairly easy to forestall by making basic healthful lifestyle changes. The National Institutes of Health enrolled 3,234 Americans at highest risk for diabetes in a prevention study. |
Over 58% of those who did moderate exercise five days a week and lost only five to seven pounds each escaped diabetes for the life of the study.
Medical researchers estimate that between 88% and 97% of the cases of Type II diabetes diagnosed in overweight patients are associated with their obesity. There is a five-fold increased risk in those who are moderately overweight and a ten-fold increased risk in those who are severely obese! Unbelievable! |
