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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – If numbers could talk, the picture is grim. The estimate of Americans who are overweight is on the rise, with those who are significantly overweight growing at the fastest pace. Economically, the picture is bleak. The direct and indirect cost of extra pounds is a serious financial drain on the US economy.
If a person is overweight, they are at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, trouble with joints and movement, sleep apnea, and some forms of cancer. If they become obese all the these risks remain along with increased risk for complications in pregnancy, menstrual irregularities, excess body and facial hair, urine leakage, surgical complications, psychological disorders and premature death.
The shear number of Americans at risk for these problems is staggering, two-thirds are overweight (133.6 million) and one-third are obese (63.3 million). More men (70.5%) than women (61.6%) are overweight. But, more women (33.2%) than men (29.5%) tip into the obese range. Less than one-third of American adults are within a healthy weight range – women (36.1%) and men (28.3%).
Who decides if you are a healthy weight, overweight or obese? Overweight is defined as too much body weight. It can come from muscle, bone, fat or body water. An athlete or body builder with a high proportion of muscle may be overweight, yet healthy. Obesity is different. It is specifically defined as an abnormal amount of body fat.
BMI (body mass index) is often used to categorize people into healthy weight, overweight or obese groups. You use a mathematical formula to calculate BMI. You multiply your weight in pounds by 700, divide the result by your height in inches, and then divide that result by your height in inches a second time. An easier way is to use a BMI calculator. (www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi).
A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a healthy weight. If your BMI of 25 to 29.9 you would be considered overweight. A BMI over 30 classifies you as obese. BMI measurements do have limitations. Very muscular people may fall into the overweight group when they are actually healthy and fit. Some older people or slim people, who have little muscle mass and are not fit, may still fall into the healthy weight group. BMI is best used as a screening tool not as a diagnostic tool to determine a person’s health status.
What BMI measurements and other statistics tell us is that Americans continue to gain weight. From 1960 to 2004 the prevalence of overweight in the US grew from 44.8% of the population to 66%. The prevalence of obesity more than doubled from 13.2% of the population to 32.1%. This increase has serious implications on the population as a whole, even if you fall into the healthy weight category.
The cost of supporting a population that weighs too much affects everyone through increased health care cost, both direct and indirect. Direct health care costs are the obvious: prevention programs, diagnostic and treatment services, physician visits for health related problems, medications, and hospital and nursing home care. Direct health costs account for over 10% of our health care dollars, more than $117 billion per year.
But costs don’t stop there. Indirect costs are productivity and wages lost by overweight people who are unable to work because of mobility issues, increased risk of disease, or increased risk of on-the-job accidents. There is also the loss of future earnings because of premature death. The person’s productive lifespan is shortened because of their size.
Unless we aggressively attempt to control, prevent and treat the problem of weight gain in the US, the issue will only get worse. Though children are not classified into distinct weight categories, approximately 18% of children 6 to 11 weigh too much and 17% of teens are too heavy. The likelihood of these kids become overweight adults is very good. This is more significant than you may realize. The younger a person is when they start to gain too much weight the earlier they will face major health problems. Overweight children are at greater risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease which will become a serious health problem at a much earlier age.
As a population, the health advances we have achieved in the last 100 years may be wiped out by the pounds we’ve gained in the last 40 years.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 8 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to The Nutrition Experts
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