Article published December 06, 2007
Putting the thin on fat
FOR years, the nation's obesity epidemic has steadily worsened, to the increasing alarm of the health-care industry. Now, for the first time since 1980, the news is a little better. While there is no sign that the obesity trend has reversed itself, it may be leveling off.
That's a development long overdue. Twenty-seven years ago, a mere 15 percent of U.S. adults were classified as obese. In just over a quarter century, the figure more than doubled, to 34 percent today.
A survey by the National Health and Nutrition Examination found a slight increase in obesity, though not a statistically significant one. But no one should break out the GooGoo Clusters just yet. "This doesn't show we've turned the corner on obesity, but we might be at the corner," said William Dietz of the Centers for Disease Control. He added that the first step in controlling an epidemic is stemming the rise in cases.
And an epidemic it truly is, one of the biggest health problems of our time. "We've got to continue to take the problem seriously and be aggressive about finding effective prevention and treatment strategies," noted Gary Foster, director of obesity research and education at Philadelphia's Temple University.
Obesity isn't simply a matter of excessive weight. It contributes to increased risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health issues. Hopefully the news from the nutrition survey is not a statistical fluke and indicates the trend is not worsening.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, while this is not the beginning of the end of our war with obesity, we may hope that it is the end of the beginning.
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