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DECEMBER 1, 2023
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RAINING ON THE PARADE T
here is no joy in the role of party pooper. Sadly, we have learned this hard truth at Augusta’s palatial Medical Examiner world headquarters from painful first-hand experience. Nobody wants constant reminders to floss daily, exercise more, and cut back on pork rinds to no more than one bag per day. But somebody’s got to do it. Seriously, someone has to be the bringer of rain, even when the year’s biggest parade is all queued up and the marching bands are ready to play. That’s all happening right now. As the golden oldie issue displayed here (from November 2018) said, “Welcome to Eating Season!” As the cover story went on to explain, we all know this really isn’t eating season; it’s Overeating Season. Eating season lasts a good 10 months of the year, but we’re well into Overeating Season, which begins with Thanksgiving tables sagging under the weight of the vittles thereon, and extends through countless encounters with office snack trays, holiday luncheons, dinners and parties, college football bowl games and pro playoffs, chugging toward the grand finale, a national holiday in February whose main event is eating (mainly junk food) and watching TV.
And we picked now to talk about eating less? Are Why is that of concern? we crazy? Possibly. Anyone reading this who is overweight or obese As we have already established, the role of party knows the answers: Overweight and obese indipooper is no fun. But it’s very important. After all, viduals are at much higher risk for high blood the latest statistics show that 40% of Americans are pressure, stroke, and heart failure; they are more obese. Not overweight. likely to suffer from diabetes, whose rates are Obese. And that’s just the exploding, especially in Western average. Certain populacultures; nearly 10% of all cancers tions have much higher are linked to obesity; obese peorates. A study by the ple are more likely to be afflicted Food Research and by asthma and sleep apnea; obese Action Center reports people are statistically 25% more that 50.6% of Hispanlikely to have chronic depression; ic women and 54.8% obese children are 200% more likely of black women are to develop multiple sclerosis; obesity ANSWERS FO obese. People in the is linked to osteoarthritis and joint R ALL YOUR ME DICARE QUES TIONS South have higher pain and surgical replacements. rates of obesity than All of these side effects of our col706•399•19 other parts of the lective food addictions cost trillions of 89 soosbenefits group.com country. Overall, dollars in healthcare costs each year, obesity rates in the but more importantly they shorten U.S. have more than doubled in both adults and lives and reduce the quality of life for children since the 1970s. And as we say in the millions of people. South, it’s fixin’ to get worse. As the other golden What is the solution? It’s complicated. As we’ll oldie Medical Examiner shown here (from April explain in a brief overview on page 5, it’s a whole 2023) reported, projections by expert researchers lot more than cutting back on Hostess Ho-Hos. But warn that in about ten years fully half the world’s that could be a good start. population will be obese. For more, see page 5.
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The world is getting bigger. Carefully examin And bigger. And even bigger ed data has a little more recently led still. than a decade to from now, more the disturbing predicti will be obese. on that We’re not that than half the tion (or at least far world’s populat severe malnutr removed from a time when ion healthcare commu ition) was a mass starvamajor nity. Ironical ly, that era gave concern for the world’s birth to this How did this one. happen? An extreme is closely related ly complex set of circums tances are all to the scarcity food. When factors, and/or but one of them people cannot unaffordability of millions of people worldw afford those healthful foods of healthful and nutritio It’s the old “Coke ide) they resort us (and poverty affects hundred is cheaper than to less expensi calorie-dense ve, less salubrio s milk” syndrom processed foods us options. even result in with little nutritio e. The less expensive choices are the paradox n. A steady often ical combination Beyond the diet based on direct food factor, of obesity and such foods can that will not malnutrition. experts point be easy to fix. to a frustrat Examples: a their children changing culture ingly long list of culprits to play outside and neighbo where parents due to fear of rhood that discour crime, and the don’t allow The World Obesity design of cities, age walking . towns Federation, emphasize that the organization solving the that released world’s obesity telling people to eat less (or problem is nowher the projections, and challen e near as simple ging than that. healthier) and get more as exercise. It’s far more comple The stakes x could not be higher A world where half of the populat the medical ion is obese commu Healthcare costs nity and the world’s econom would be a world that would tax would run into y to the breakin ents of care the trillions g point. are living at of dollars, and or below the world. What many poverty level, conditions would wherever they of the recipimuch higher be treated? may live in risk for high the blood pressur Overweight and obese likely to suffer individu e, stroke, and from diabete als are at heart failure; tures; nearly s, they are more 10% of all cancerswhose rates are explodi ng, especially be afflicted are linked to by asthma and in Western culobesity; obese to have chronic sleep apnea; people are obese people are statistically more likely to sclerosis; obesity depression; obese children 25% more likely are 200% more is A problem with linked to osteoarthritis and joint pain likely to develop multiple complete inertia: so many causes and so many repercu and surgical replacem it’s so huge ents. can do will ssions can easily that nothing make even a I or my organiz opposite of ation or even result in the correct recipe.tiny improvement. So my no governm are living in one Instead, everyon does anythin ent a g. That is the e needs nor or a senator. gated community or on exact welfare, whethe to do their little part, whethe It’s really everyon r they don’t r they e’s problem vote or and everyon e’s solution. + they’re a gover-
WEIGHT LIFTING
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