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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 25, 2014 4:50 PM IST
The obesity epidemic in the US has opened a Pandora's box. An analysis has revealed that commonly-held assumptions about the causes that have pushed up the rates of obesity are mostly wrong.
Contrary to popular belief, people are exercising more today, have more leisure time and better access to fresh, affordable food - including fruits and vegetables - than they did in past decades, the study said.
While troubling disparities exist among various groups, most economic, educational, and racial or ethnic groups have seen their obesity levels rise at similar rates since the mid-1980s.
'The gap between groups is secondary to the increase that all groups experience over time,' said Ruopeng An, a kinesiology and community health professor at University of Illinois, US.
So a reversal of the obesity epidemic would need universal intuitions rather than a focus on certain groups, he added.
So what is it that is making the waistlines larger in the US?
The easy availability of food could be one of the factors.
'Overall, food is more accessible and affordable than ever in the US, and this may be an important factor in the dramatic rise in obesity,' An noted.
What is obesity?
Obesity refers to increased body fat but it is not same as being overweight. A person who is overweight need not be obese but a person who is obese is overweight. Overweight is the term used for a person who weighs more. The weight can be muscle weight, bone weight or fat weight. But a person is said to be obese when he/she consumes more number of calories than the number of calories used by the body. If your Body Mass Index or BMI (calculated by dividing height by weight) is more than 30, then you are obese. Obesity is becoming a global epidemic not only in developed nations but also in developing nations like India. Obesity is linked to a host of lifestyle disorders like diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension and stroke. Easy availability of sugars and fats, messing with our body clocks and an increased sedentary lifestyle are responsible for obesity. Being overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths with at least 2.8 million adults dying each year due to them. In this section, you'll find articles like the need to control obesity, hazards of being obese, childhood obesity etc. You can also look for ways to fight obesity, for ex: exercises for obese people, bariatric surgery, possibility of eating obesity without healthy diet and exercise, healthy food option to lose weight quickly.
With inputs from IANS
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