KWENU: Our Culture, Our Future

Obesity and mortality

Acho Orabuchi

Dallas, Texas

A_Orabuchi@yahoo.com

Thursday, April 1, 2004

Very closely trailing tobacco, and may potentially overtake it, obesity is the second leading cause of death.

My recent visit to my primary care physician revealed that as a matter of healthful exigency I have to get rid of some unwanted bulge. Without hesitation, I have since shed some sizeable pounds through healthy food choices, small portion serving, intake of low carbohydrates, and increased physical activity. Wearily, it is my observation that most Nigerians in the United States are overweight or obese because of our unhealthy food choices and sedentary lifestyle. Regrettably, the problem is more ubiquitous among Nigerian women due to ecological factors and severe physical inactivity.

Generally speaking, people would like to live long for one reason or the other. Yes, people would live long if they would take the pains to adopt healthy lifestyles. I have not met any individual whose life is not precious, but obesity and obesity-related diseases seem to be dampening the hope of longevity of life of many people by replacing it with brevity. The danger of obesity is not only real, but the impact of its collateral damage to the family is heart wrenching. What is obesity? National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) states, “To most people, the term "obesity" means to be very overweight. Health professionals define "overweight" as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. "Obesity" specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat.”

There are multiple diseases associated with obesity and physical inactivity that are now bringing about mortality all over the world thereby reducing people’s lifespan. The US National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion stated the following categorically: “Research studies have shown that obesity increases the risk of developing a number of health conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, colon cancer, post menopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, gall bladder-disease, osteoarthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea. Overweight and obesity and their associated health problems have a significant economic impact on the U.S. Health care system (USDHHS, 2001).”

In the United States of America, recently published research findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) researchers found that, “Poor diet and physical inactivity were close behind [Tobacco] and gaining rapidly, causing 400,000 deaths.” The CDC researchers analyzed in their study the 2000 data containing the leading causes of death. Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concluded, “Today we face an epidemic of obesity—a major risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. Few of our citizens have healthy nutrition and physical activity levels. For example, only 28 percent of women and 20 percent of men eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.” 

She alerted the USA public that, “In the past 15 years, the prevalence of obesity has increased by over 30 percent among adults. In the past 20 years, prevalence in children and adolescents has increased by 100 percent. More than 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight, and more than half of children who are overweight have at least one additional cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as elevated cholesterol or high blood pressure. Rates of overweight and obesity have increased in older Americans by almost two-thirds since 1990. Almost 90% of middle-aged Americans will develop high blood pressure in their lifetime and nearly 70% of Americans with high blood pressure do not have it under control. The cost of diseases associated with obesity has been estimated to be $117 billion per year for direct and indirect costs.”

Similarly, the US National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion alarmed by the pervasiveness of obesity in the society echoed, “The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the last 2 decades. In 1999–2000, an estimated 31% of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older — nearly 59 million people — were obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more (NHANES 1999–2000).”  For instance, a man who is six feet tall and weighing between 183 and 222 pounds is considered obese and may likely reduce his lifespan by six years. In contrast, a woman at age 40 with a height of five feet five inches and weighing between 150 and 180 pounds may be deemed obese and consequently may reduce her life expectancy by three to seven years. The lifespan is further reduced if an obese is also a smoker.

The consolation is that most of the health problems associated with weight is self-inflicted. Extrapolating a study on mice published in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences to humans, Stephen R. Spindler of the University of California, Riverside, concluded that reduced caloric intake increases longevity of life. The study generally concludes that everyone could benefit from reduced calories no matter one’s age thereby shattering the dogma that one has to start early in life to benefit from restricted diet. To the enlightenment of those at risk of developing some kinds of cancer, it is further found that restricted caloric intake by humans slows the development of cancerous tumors.

Sadly, however, the CDC statistics reveal that there is a disproportionate high rate of obesity among Black Americans and Mexican Americans. Also, there is a higher rate of obesity-associated diseases among black Americans than any other group. Obesity and overweight are not limited to the United States of America (USA) alone. Obesity and obesity-associated diseases are world’s emerging health problem.

According to American Obesity Association, “The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate in both developing and developed countries. Environmental and behavioral changes brought about by economic development, modernization, and urbanization have been linked to the rise in global obesity. Obesity is increasing in children and adults, and true health consequences may become fully apparent in the near future.”

In USA, the obesity study findings would attract delayed and sustained public reactions. The obesity findings would likely open a floodgate of lawsuits against fast food restaurants by those who would claim that they were obese because of the fattening food these restaurants fed them. Due to temptation for huge sums of money coupled with dereliction of individual responsibility, some obese may now be consulting with high-powered attorneys. Fearing an onslaught of further investigations of food contents and in a bid to stave off class action lawsuits against food industry as a result of the obesity findings, the United States House voted the same day the results of the research findings on obesity were to be published in the JAMA, to ban any class action lawsuits against the fast food industry. Balancing the fear that the floodgate of lawsuits may cripple the food industry with corporate responsibility, health and the rights of citizens to seek redress, and health cost to the economy associated with obesity, this action by the House may just be one in a long haul of actions that may ensue.

Perhaps, since 2004 is an election year, there is a likelihood of the fast food restaurants and their advocates would be tempted to make huge campaign contributions to both presidential candidates and congressional campaigns in order to influence or induce favorable policies that would protect them down the road. The food industry would struggle to avoid the kind of avalanche of lawsuits unleashed on the tobacco companies. Perhaps, the obesity findings may help shape the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy on food labeling which, may eventually lead to fast food industry disclosing what people eat at the fast food joints.

Carrying an extra weight in one’s body is like being suited up in an eternal heavy plate. Unfortunately, many people have persistent problems with bulge and ailments associated with obesity. Conversely, we can now breath a sigh of relief about the validation that disciplined regular physical activity coupled with sensible healthy food choices would prolong our lives. Without further ado, remove the perpetual weighty plate and increase your lifespan.

MORE ACHO :::>