Obesity "epidemic" may have been overstated

[Guest Cerebus]

Who's spreading the culture of fear now?

 

Obesity Danger May Have Been Overstated

 

By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

 

CHICAGO - Being overweight is nowhere near as big a killer as the government thought, ranking No. 7 instead of No. 2 among the nation's leading preventable causes of death, according to a startling new calculation from the CDC.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Tuesday that packing on too many pounds accounts for 25,814 deaths a year in the United States. As recently as January, the CDC came up with an estimate 14 times higher: 365,000 deaths.

 

The new analysis found that obesity — being extremely overweight — is indisputably lethal. But like several recent smaller studies, it found that people who are modestly overweight actually have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight.

 

Biostatistician Mary Grace Kovar, a consultant for the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center in Washington, said "normal" may be set too low for today's population. Also, Americans classified as overweight are eating better, exercising more and managing their blood pressure better than they used to, she said.

 

The study — an analysis of mortality rates and body-mass index, or BMI — was published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

Based on the new calculation, excess weight would drop from the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking, to seventh. It would fall behind car crashes and guns on the list of killers.

 

Calculating the health effects of obesity has been a major source of controversy at the CDC.

 

Last year, the CDC issued a study that said being overweight causes 400,000 deaths a year and would soon overtake tobacco as the top U.S. killer. After scientists inside and outside the agency questioned the figure, the CDC admitted making a calculation error and lowered its estimate three months ago to 365,000.

 

CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said because of the uncertainty in calculating the health effects of being overweight, the CDC is not going to use the brand-new figure of 25,814 in its public awareness campaigns and is not going to scale back its fight against obesity.

 

"There's absolutely no question that obesity is a major public health concern of this country," she said. Gerberding said the CDC will work to improve methods for calculating the consequences of obesity.

 

Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said she is not convinced the new estimate is right.

 

"I think it's likely there has been a weakening of the mortality effect due to improved treatments for obesity," she said. "But I think this magnitude is surprising and requires corroboration."

 

The analysis was led by Katherine Flegal, a senior research scientist with the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. The study that had to be corrected was conducted by a different arm of the CDC, the Division of Adult and Community Health, and its authors included Gerberding.

 

One major reason for the far lower number in this latest study is that it used more recent data, researchers said.

 

"This analysis is far more sophisticated," said Kovar, who was not involved in the new study. "They are very careful and are not overstating their case."

 

A related study, also in Wednesday's JAMA, found that overweight Americans are healthier than ever, thanks to better maintenance of blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Diabetes is on the rise among people in all weight categories, however.

 

Flegal said the two studies raise questions about what definitions to use for obesity and "where to draw the line." Under current government standards, a BMI, or weight-to-height measurement, of 25 or higher is overweight; 30 and above is obese.

 

In recent years, the government has spent millions of dollars fighting obesity and publicizing the message that two out of three American adults are overweight or obese, and at higher risk for heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.

 

After more diets books than you can count, after the endless campaigns, after all the jokes about fat americans, after that Super Size Me documentary, after Cookie Monster going on a diet, it turns out it was all, at least somewhat, overblown?

 

People are often (rightly) accusing political pundits and reporters of bias, sensationalism, and selective ignorance of unconvient facts. Maybe we should turn our attention to all the doctors and scientists who are giving us endless lectures about this or that epidemic.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Christ, now there will be the Keebler Diet, where you may not fit into your old pants, but you'll live 10 years longer...

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Junk science strikes again.

[Guest MikeSC]

People need to SERIOUSLY question all studies, as many of them are rather transparent attempts to get grant money. I was surprised to hear about this (I thought it made sense that excess weight was not good to carry), but I'm not stunned.

 

Doctors like money too and will do whatever is needed to get some.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I now open up the floor to start the bidding for the rights to make the first Mikey Moore fat joke in this thread.

 

Do I hear 10 fantasy dollars?...

[Guest MikeSC]

I now open up the floor to start the bidding for the rights to make the first Mikey Moore fat joke in this thread.

 

Do I hear 10 fantasy dollars?...

I heard he died from a heart attack at the joy from this story.

-=Mike

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The new analysis found that obesity — being extremely overweight — is indisputably lethal. But like several recent smaller studies, it found that people who are modestly overweight actually have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight.

 

Playing Devil's advocate here. I would think that there are other factors involved, such as overweight people being less likely to participate in at-risk activities. There are other factors involved.

 

I do think the obesity epidemic is overstated. But I would like to see continued steps towards gettings Americans to eat better.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

The Obesity epidemic is caused by perfectly fine women thinking they're fat. It's true

 

[no, not really]

 

It doesn't surprise me that a media-proclaimed epidemic is overstated. It happened with Killer Bees too.

 

Unless the bees are mounting a very slow advance though Texas

[Guest MikeSC]

So, is the obesity epidemic as big a fraud as "saccharine causes cancer"?

 

Or is it not at that level yet?

-=Mike

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I was about 50-80 lbs. overweight all through high school and I routinely scored fit on everything on the Presidential fitness tests except for distance running and that was due to a knee injury I suffered during a wrestling match.

[Guest MikeSC]

I'm 75 pounds overweight.

 

But that's because I have a huge cock.

-=Mike

...Not actually 75 pounds overweight...

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

How would we measure that sort of thing?

 

Money spent against the problem or something else?

 

Swine Flu sounded like a worthy addition to any "overhype" list

 

I'm at a normal weight, according to BMI.. i'm 6'0" and 165lbs

[Guest MikeSC]

How would we measure that sort of thing?

 

Money spent against the problem or something else?

 

Swine Flu sounded like a worthy addition to any "overhype" list

What thing? If this is as big a fraud as 'saccharine causing cancer" or was it something else?

 

I mention saccharine because it killed a product because lab rats would get cancer over time.

 

Of course, they were given quantities in such massive amounts that if a human consumed saccharine in similar amounts, cancer would be the LEAST of their problems. It translated to some ridiculous number of gallons of Diet Coke every day for an absurd length of time.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I'm 75 pounds overweight ... But that's because I have a huge cock.

Being a huge cock and having a huge cock are two different things there, Mike...

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

More info on Swine Flu

 

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

 

Swine Flu is a form of influenza. Although swine flu is normally virulent only in pigs, it is thought to have crossed over to humans in the early part of the 20th century, causing the Spanish Flu pandemic. Estimates of the worldwide death toll from the Spanish Flu range up to 100 million people. The death toll was particularly high among young, healthy adults.

 

In 1976, a swine flu scare provided the biggest embarrassment of US President Gerald Ford's administration. On February 5 an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. The next day, he was dead and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death.

 

Despite the fact that only one person died, alarmed public health officials decided that action must be taken to head off a major pandemic and they urged that every person in the United States be vaccinated for the disease. The vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems but about 24 percent of the population was vaccinated by the time the program was cancelled.

 

The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the "swine flu" itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS.

 

It would definately take a cake when it comes to fucking up

[Guest MikeSC]

I'm 75 pounds overweight ... But that's because I have a huge cock.

Being a huge cock and having a huge cock are two different things there, Mike...

Your mom liked it.

-=Mike

...Umm, burn~?...

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I think they were giving the rats something like a 6 pack a day.

[Guest MikeSC]

More info on Swine Flu

 

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

 

Swine Flu is a form of influenza. Although swine flu is normally virulent only in pigs, it is thought to have crossed over to humans in the early part of the 20th century, causing the Spanish Flu pandemic. Estimates of the worldwide death toll from the Spanish Flu range up to 100 million people. The death toll was particularly high among young, healthy adults.

 

In 1976, a swine flu scare provided the biggest embarrassment of US President Gerald Ford's administration. On February 5 an army recruit at Fort Dix said he felt tired and weak. The next day, he was dead and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death.

 

Despite the fact that only one person died, alarmed public health officials decided that action must be taken to head off a major pandemic and they urged that every person in the United States be vaccinated for the disease. The vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems but about 24 percent of the population was vaccinated by the time the program was cancelled.

 

The vaccine was blamed for 25 deaths (more people died from the vaccine than died from the "swine flu" itself) and a small, but statistically significant, rise in the incidence of a rare illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome or GBS.

 

It would definately take a cake when it comes to fucking up

Damn.

 

"The most embarassing moment of Gerald Ford's presidency"?

 

That has to be pretty bad.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Your mom liked it.

-=Mike

...Umm, burn~?...

You will in a day or so...

[Guest MikeSC]

Your mom liked it.

          -=Mike

...Umm, burn~?...

You will in a day or so...

I thought something smelled like burning cottage cheese...

-=Mike

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, Mike. Your mom.

[Guest MikeSC]

Yeah, Mike. Your mom.

You're sniffing my mom?

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Well you'd have to before diving in. And reasonable person would...

[Slayer 0]

You'd think people would stop believing media reports on food after previous mea culpas

 

Report: "(random food) is good/bad for you! Eat more/less of (random food)!"

6 months later: "Well, maybe (random food) isn't so good/bad for you..."

[Vyce 0]

Oh man, this story has made my entire week, and it's only Tuesday.

 

As I've said before (and will keep saying until you bastards give me compliments), over the course of the past year, through strict dieting and diligence, I've lost around 70 lbs. So I'm not longer one of the overweight masses. But I've come to realize one thing.

 

I fucking hate all of these anti-obesity bastards.

 

You know what? I don't fucking care if people are overweight. I don't care if most American kids are overweight. I just don't fucking CARE. People can eat all of horrible, artery-clogging, fattening shit they want to, and I will applaud them, because I don't give a shit if they weigh 500 lbs., all I care about is that I'm not overweight.

 

It's why I don't give people who smoke a hard time. Personal responsibility. People want to fuck up their own lives, fine. I'm not going to be one of these pussies who tries and lay a fucking guil trip on someone cause they want to eat a cheeseburger at every meal.

[EricMM 0]

yeah except sick people cost money.

 

their sickness makes your health insurance cost more.

 

their sickness makes your taxes to go up to pay their government sponsered medicare/medicaid as well as soc. sec. if they're too sick to work.

 

Basically it makes total economic sense for the vast majority of people involved that Americas be as fit as possible. It's not just being fat, chronic diseases like diabetes are just money sinks.

 

What was the say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?

[Guest MikeSC]

yeah except sick people cost money.

 

their sickness makes your health insurance cost more.

 

their sickness makes your taxes to go up to pay their government sponsered medicare/medicaid as well as soc. sec. if they're too sick to work.

 

Basically it makes total economic sense for the vast majority of people involved that Americas be as fit as possible. It's not just being fat, chronic diseases like diabetes are just money sinks.

 

What was the say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?

Then, theoretically, we'd be wise to encourage smoking since it kills people off at younger ages, reducing the number of years they have to be cared for.

-=Mike

[EricMM 0]

yeah, except the only people who die quickly from cigs are the people who burn themselves alive in their own households.

 

Ephysema (sp?)? Cancer? Years. Long, awful years.

[Guest MikeSC]

yeah, except the only people who die quickly from cigs are the people who burn themselves alive in their own households.

 

Ephysema (sp?)? Cancer? Years. Long, awful years.

But it tends to be earlier than otherwise --- which limits such things as Social Security pyments.

-=Mike

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

There are a lotof guys who are fat, out of shape, and need to sit down and let the ladies stand up and take a look at what a real ma..er...theres just a lot of people who are fat, but they aren't falling over dead all over the place because of it..