We've looked at this shocking data before, but Sukie points to a nice movie illustrating how obesity rates in the US have bloomed in the past three decades.
really frightening when you begin to ponder the consequences and coming stress to the healthcare system.
Is the United States becoming the second most diseased country in the world, second only to Great Britain?
"The debate about whether obesity should be called a disease continues. From a clinical perspective, it meets the criteria needed to call it a disease. It has an etiology—an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. It has a pathogenesis in the feedback systems involving leptin, neurochemicals in the brain, and the neural and endocrine messages that respond to the intake of food. The pathology of obesity lies in its enlarged fat cells, and the pathophysiology lies in the changes in the secretion of products from these enlarged fat cells, including cytokines, procoagulants, inflammatory peptides, and angiotensinogen. These secretory products of fat cells and the increased mass of fat are responsible for the associated metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea, and some sorts of cancer. Treatments consist of techniques to alter the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. This constellation of factors leads to the conclusion that obesity should be called a disease."
"The concept that obesity is a risk to health was clearly identified in the works of Hippocrates and frequently over the ensuing centuries. Obesity was originally discussed as part of more general texts. Scholarly theses on this subject began to appear in the late 16th century with the first monographs published in the 18th century. The value of dietary restriction, increasing exercise and reducing the amount of sleep were identified early in medical history dating at least from the time of Hippocrates. These concepts were often framed in a manner which implied a 'moral' weakness on the part of the overweight individual. The most spectacular dietary success was published by a layman in 1863 and was the forerunner to many subsequent diet books. Cases of massive obesity were identified in stone age carvings and have been described frequently since the time of Galen and the Roman Empire. More specific types of obesity began to be identified in the 19th century. Following the identification of the cell as the basic building block of animals and plants, fat cells were described and the possibility that obesity was due to too many fat cells was suggested. After the introduction of the calorimeter by Lavoisier, the suggestion that obesity might represent a metabolic derangement has been suggested and tested. Standards for measuring body weight appeared in the 19th century. The possibility that familial factors might also be involved was clearly identified in the 18th and 19th century. In conclusion, most of the concepts which are currently the basis for research in the field of obesity had their origin in the 19th century and often earlier."
On a more serious note, this fattening planet ought to be concerned about those alien worlds out there who are keeping watchful eyes on us, licking their chops. At what point do we lumbering elephants become sufficiently tasty, lardy morsels, worthy of their expending the time and effort to round us up and taser us into their space trailers?
Posted by: Roger | May 24, 2012 at 09:25
The Roman Feast
Their bodies rolling in blubber and clad only in robes upon returning from torturous hours in the steam rooms were sprawled across cushioned benches. Now they would have to make up for the pounds boiled off that morning.
Spread before them was a feast fit to founder any king. Within minutes they would ravenously wash down, with wine, what the starving slaves had worked through the night and half the day to prepare. And they wouldn't stop until their guts felt like they'd rip apart. Some of the delicacies would be stuffed dormice, stuffed snails, roasted hedgehogs, fresh peacock, flamingo tongues, sow's udders, boar's heads, honey buns, and goldfish.
Bon Appetite!
And then they would commence to gnashing and gnawing, slopping and slurping, grunting and groaning, downing everything within sight before somebody else got hold of it, flinging bones and scraps every which way. Nothing but disarray would remain once they retired to their chambers to suffer in seclusion.
One step ahead of the flies, the slaves would descend on the remains, licking up every spilled morsel, stripping off every bit of fat and gristle. And then they would clean up the mess and start preparing for the next day's feast.
Posted by: Roger | May 24, 2012 at 09:50
We are fortunate that our cemeteries still have plenty of space. German crematoria are having trouble with huge bodies.
Posted by: Roger | May 24, 2012 at 22:58
Verdi? Where does Verdi come into this?
Posted by: Tom Jaskiewicz | May 26, 2012 at 11:13
This is a running joke from my grad school days. When people would hear it on my stereo they would pronounce "ah Verdi!" with some authority, while it is really a popular tune (don't know who wrote the words), put to music by Luigi Denza... :-)
You got to it before a regular reader who was in on the original.
Posted by: steve | May 26, 2012 at 12:19
Lyrics by Peppino Turco
Posted by: Tom Jaskiewicz | May 26, 2012 at 23:51