Is America's growing obesity epidemic something to be thankful
for? Unfortunately, some think so. This twisted thought pattern
is a product of the belief that the United States has traded cigarette
smoking -- a truly lethal habit -- for another health-damaging obsession
of eating too much.
Data used to illustrate this trade-off
shows:
- From 1973 to 1983, Americans got thinner: The average weight
of middle-aged men fell about two pounds, while middle-aged women
dropped nearly three pounds.
- From 1980 to 2000, Americans got heavier: The average weight
climbed by nearly 20 pounds.
However, despite this weight gain, health experts claim the nation
is actually getting healthier. In fact, over the past 30 years,
life expectancy has increased by more than six years and heart disease,
long the major killer, is on a decline. And, though a definite association
between increased obesity rates and the fall of smoking habits has
not yet been proven, statistical connections between the two have
been presented.
Links Between Obesity and Cigarette Smoking
in the United States
- As body weight rose from 1980 to 2000, smoking rates fell by
27 percent
- Today, smoking rates have leveled off and signs have indicated
that obesity rates are evening out as well
- Smokers gain an average 10 to 12 pounds after they quit, partly
because they crave sweets and carbohydrates and party because
their metabolism slows down after they have dropped the habit
- For every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes, the
number of obese people rises 2 percent (based on cigarette tax
receipts)
- It is estimated that the halt of smoking accounted for 20 percent
of the obesity increase
In regard to the evidence linking obesity and smoking, a statistician
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta claimed,
"A nation with an expanding waistline is in far better shape
than one with a cigarette in its mouth."
Now, isn't that something to be proud of?
New
York Times December 19, 2004
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