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© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Severe obesity on the rise in U.S.
By JONEL ALECCIA NEW YORK©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
83 Comments
The Ripper!
The experts advise maintaining a healthy weight by exercising and reducing caloric intake.
The experts also advise of severe side effects associated with weight loss drugs.
virusrex
The previous account that like to spam this claim could never support it with a reference where experts said it was better to have the much more important side effects associated with a failure of changing lifestyles, which is exactly what the drugs helps preventing. Are you going to provide this reference? or is it safe to assume the claim is still false and the experts actually recommend drugs (with their demonstrated positive effects) instead of letting the patients deal with the chronic diseases that come with obesity?
virusrex
Even this article clearly explain how the experts think about the new drugs against obesity.
Moonraker
So, we have gone through overweight, through obesity and now reached severe obesity, and 1 in 10 people are severely obese with a BMI of 40 (that's like a 170 cm (5'7" for the metrically challenged) person weighing over 116 kg (254 lbs). A merely overweight person can feel in good shape now. You'd think there would be a realisation personally and societally that something very wrong was going on.
Wick's pencil
Yes, many have suffered severe and permanent damage to their digestive system, and many have died.
Hawk
The rates of severe obesity seem to be rising in many developed countries. Japan is one outlier, where rates of obesity in general remain comparatively low although I wouldn't be surprised if they were rising here as well.
Kids are generally encouraged to eat healthily at school and at home. Also, there are fewer, in number and range, of the western fast-food options such as McDonald's and Burger King. The Japanese versions of fast-food, for example, Yoshinoya or Matsuya, still offer much healthier plates which are smaller, more balanced, and don't usually come accompanied by a soft drink and so on. Also, and just my observation, more kids seem to commute by foot or bicycle here. All of these healthier habits seem to keep obesity rates at bay.
Finally, the 'fat acceptance' movements of the 60s, and the broader body positivity movement more recently, also play a role. I think peer pressure, while probably not being the most desirable and positive approach, certainly helped to keep people in shape in the past.
Hawk
Sorry, self edit:
Finally, the 'fat acceptance' movements of the 60s, and the broader body positivity movement more recently, also play a role in rising obesity rates. I think peer pressure, while probably not being the most desirable and positive approach, certainly helped to keep people in shape in the past. I'm not sure how strong those movements are, or have been, in Japan.
virusrex
Much less than those that instead fail to correct their lifestyle and suffer the much more important consequences of obesity, which is precisely why the drugs are recommended and considered a huge possibility to correct the epidemic as the article helpfully includes.
Eastmann
check at youtube documentary oversize me.there is anwer why americans are obese...
The Ripper!
What is recommended by the experts is to maintain a healthy weight by exercising and decreasing caloric intake.
Some dude
Isn't "severe obesity" an oxymoron? Obesity itself is by definition a dangerous level of overweight.
Or have they had to invent a new level of it for the USA in particular?
(On that subject, I just spent a couple of weeks in the UK, and I was surprised by how few extremely fat people I saw. Could be my imagination running wild from previous times, when I did see a lot, but this time it seemed that there were fewer. Maybe the Tory "austerity" means that fewer people even have the money to buy enough food to get fat on...)
Some dude
The Japanese versions of fast-food, for example, Yoshinoya or Matsuya, still offer much healthier plates which are smaller, more balanced
When we were in the UK and went out to eat, I found myself having to leave some of the food quite often. Even if it was good, there was just too damn much of it.
Zaphod
Hawk
Everywhere where American style junkfood chains and over-processed factory food replaces traditional food. From developed to undeveloped countries.
It is a mystery. But I am sure "the experts" and "respected institutions" will have a an explanation that we hear about.
ian
Maybe you're thinking of another word, not oxymoron.
Anyway, per article
mountainpear
Kids develop a taste for junk processed food from a young age in the U.S! This is what happens when both parents work and are too exhausted to cook proper food! You often see Tik Tok videos where they think throwing some chicken nuggets on a plate is a homecooked meal! And then they get to school, and the lunches are pizza and French fries! Obesity is inevitable! And people drive everywhere! You can see this too in Japan. Lots more overweight people in the countryside than in the cities!
ian
the term used for very obese was morbid or morbidly obese so I looked up severe obesity
Yup it was officially changed, severe obesity is what's called before as morbid obesity
Megan Thee Stallion
We are eating way too much fat junk food in the states and not enough exercise. Aint no rocket science.
finally rich
Last time I put merely 20lbs (10kg) I started feeling backpain and shortness of breath by going up 2 floors using the stairs.
I have absolutely no idea these people live like this, obesity is like a disability, but painful.
Moonraker
Maybe some humans have evolved altruistically to be society's stored energy for lean times, like honeypot ants.
Raw Beer
I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but a major reason why obesity continues to grow is that the recommendations given by the "experts" is just wrong. Americans (and many others) are addicted to carbs and are consuming way too many, especially the highly processed ones.
Hawk
Zaphod,
Unfortunately, you're right.
Zaphod
The Ripper!
LOL, yeah. The assumption with the "caloric intake" thing is of course that a calorie is a calorie, i.e. a calorie from Coca Cola is the same as a calorie from cabbage,
This is demonstrated perfectly by the Youtuber Amberlynn Reid, who has been on a "weightloss journey" for what, 10 years now or so? During which she has been ballooning to enormous size, while eating overprocessed junk and counting its "calories" on the labels.
The Ripper!
So, she has not been maintaining a healthy weight by exercising and decreasing caloric intake.
TokyoLiving
Even its own army suffers from obesity...
Amerifats..
LOL
Speed
Ultraprocessed foods, insane amounts of sugar and carbohydrates being consumed, high fructose corn syrup (since the late 70s), and unhealthy portions on plates at home and at restaurants. This is it.
opheliajadefeldt
I have seen many YT video's on YT featuring their police force.......Or Obesity Force. It is amazing why they are still serving when so many have problems in moving. I guess they are then put into offices, out of sight and mind, doing pointless dead end work. I bet if you go on there today you will see what I mean, there are so many on the streets...still.
falseflagsteve
Time for the government to campaign about losing weight, eating better and exercising more. If they pushed that as much as they did the lockdowns and vaccines they’d get a result.
wallace
More than 46% of Americans are obese. in Japan, it's 3.6%.
Wasabi
With one of the two candidates for the US election, it will be a lost cause ^o~
Raw Beer
I sort of agree, but then again, has government involvement in anything ever resulted in improvement?
A good example of where we would have been better off if the government did nothing and simply let doctors take care of their patients as they saw fit.
ian
And after covid had already ran through the population.
wallace
ian
More than 46% of Americans are obese.
The American obesity rate has been high for many decades.
Norm
I’m sitting in Higashi-Umeda station right now. Just saw two Japanese chicks who together probably weighed 300 kg. But they looked jolly, and speaking in commensurately loud voices they checked the exit map and wobbled on their merry way. I’m envious of their devil-may-care lifestyle.
Maybe obesity is not a problem only in the U.S.
Wasabi
Of course it is not only in the US but you must agree that in percentage the US is more in trouble than Japan about this.
Raw Beer
I don't think Ian was implying that Covid contributed to an increase in obesity, but rather that it might have been even higher if the pandemic never occurred. A very high percentage of the Covid deaths were obese...
Zaphod
Norm
At least they wobbled on their own. Have "mobility scooters" arrived in Japan yet? I would think the scale of the problem is different here.
Speed
I was just looking through some old photo albums and it was really hard to find any fat people (let alone obese) in any of the pictures, which were all from the 70s and 60s.
The vilification of fat and cholesterol in the late 70s is what caused a dramatic change in what has been put in packaged foods. This is when it all started. I remember as the 80s rolled along that I mentioned to my friends how everyone seemed to be getting fatter.
itsonlyrocknroll
Diets are no fun, its a self inflicted prison without bars.
It the ultimate test of self control. the temptations are everywhere,
The Best Cake 30 Restaurants in Japan 2024
https://matcha-jp.com/en/10766
I visit the doctor, dietitian, monthly high blood pressure.
I am within my agreed weight, and my alcohol intake is under control, I like socialising,
"Izakaya Fridays".
ian
CDC figures say 46% only for the 40-59 yr segment of population. Overall 40.3 and currently seems to be no longer growing
ian
Yes, Raw Beer
And could be the reason also why the rate seemed to be not growing that period (Aug 2021-aug 2023)
MilesTeg
Friends lost weight when they visited Japan for one week. They were shocked. They never lost weight on vacation but in Japan all that walking, stairs, small portions, less fatty food, etc., made a big difference.
The constant whine from Americans is that portions are too small in other countries or in gourmet food not that portions in the US are way too much. Truth is...if you wait 10min after eating normal portions, most likely you won't even feel hungry any more. I've noticed in the US, people get angry when there's fat shaming but it's okay to thin shame. I think it's jealousy cause so many are fat.
ian
Always on the lookout for good cakes myself , cheese and chocolate.
So difficult to find good chocolate cakes
wallace
ian
Compare those figures with Japan.
ian
Huh why
wallace
ian
because the Japanese obesity rate is a mere 3.6%. The Americans could learn something from that.
robert maes
All that is needed is a bit of common senses and strength of character. Regretfully both are in short supply.
some easy rules to help.
do not tell yourself “ I can not “ You can. But you choose not too.
say” not now, in 30 min to a snack or Coca Cola. “ and try it again 30 min later.
realise all your favourites are always there, so no need to rush and dig in.
when obese, loose weight by controlling food and drink intake before exercising to loose more. Otherwise joint injuries or exhaustion will discourage exercise.
Everyone metabolism is different. What works for your friend will not necessarily work for you. But everyone can loose weight.
do not lie to yourself. Everyone knows what’s bad for him/her.
If you need excuses I can give you more than you can think off but they are only that. Excuses.
diet is an ugly word. And always seems to imply it’s temporary but a healthy lifestyle is permanent.
robert maes
Mr Wallace. Obesity in Japan is on the rise. Having said that, compared to western countries of course stil very low. You are right about that.
ian
Ah ok, yes
fxgai
Holy cow!
The Ripper!
In Japan folks--- 2022 survey found that 31.7% of men age 20 and older had a body mass index, or BMI, of 25 or higher, which indicates obesity by Japanese standards.
Meanwhile, the rate for women was 21%.
Many Japanese with a low bodyweight still have a high rate of fat in proportion to muscle.
Mr Kipling
As long as my tax money doesn't go towards their healthcare and increased social costs they can stuff themselves as much as they like.
wallace
Mr Kipling
American healthcare is by private health insurance.
ushosh123
I think it's a bit odd to mention or rely on drugs to ease / solve obesity. Obesity is more the result of your life style and work put in over time, none of which should persistently be relied upon drug intake.
Hawk
So the rate of obesity in Japan is lower, despite Japanese being subjected to a more inclusive standard for obesity.
Are you extrapolating that from BMI?
Guy Gin and tonic
40%? 10% Those figures must be vastly overinflated.
M3M3M3
Are you ready for a mind-boggling statistic?
Despite having a privately run system, the US government still spends $1.5 trillion in public funds on healthcare (Medicare, Medicaid, etc). That's roughly $4500 per capita. The UK spends $242 billion (£181 billion) to publicly fund the entire NHS. That works out to only around $3560 per capita.
More tax money is spent on healthcare in the US than the UK, largely due to exorbitant prices.
wallace
M3M3M3
Great. Mr Kipling does not pay a single dollar of American taxes.
virusrex
Including pharmacological help to reach that goal, as you confirm by recognizing you could not find any expert defending the original claim, no expert recommends that patients fail their lifestyle changes and instead they recommend to use drugs instead because this will lower their risks much more.
There are cases where even the American diet is healthier than the traditional one, that includes the risks coming from obesity, for example that happened with the inuit that had better health (still worse than those with the best diet) when they replaced their original diet with a westernized one, much closer to typical American.
The problem is not that you are repetitive, but that you are repetitively wrong. Countries like Japan are much more closer to what the experts recommend, according to you that would mean Japanese would be more obese than Americans when that is obviously not the case. Pretending that obesity comes from listening to the experts instead of what is actually happening in the US (which is an unhealthy diet in spite of the experts recommending something very different) is too obviously misleading.
In both cases, the more the measures approximate what the doctors recommend the better the public health, this completely contradicts your point.
ian
Yes their figures must look vastly overinflated
ian
Even if not compared to the Japanese'
The Ripper!
No, experts recommend exercising and diet.
Experts recognize the severe side affects associated with weight loss drugs.
Bret T
Kind of ironic there's a story about potato chip flavored fried chicken just below this story.
I live in the US and am not overweight at 67 years old. I rarely eat at fast food places, or even restaurants in general. If I did, I'd probably be overweight also. Even eating at home, you still have to be careful about what you put in your shopping cart. All kinds of hidden ingredients that can cause weight gain.
The diet of most Americans is terrible. It's as simple as that.
Hawk
And if that's not enough or doesn't work for an individual patient, they try other measures along with them.
Possible severe side effects. And if an individual patient experiences negative side effects and they outweigh the benefits for that patient, then experts will reduce or discontinue the dose, or try a different medication. Of course, an expert generally won't know if an individual patient will experience those side effects until they try the medication.
Dirk T
Japanese don't often hold back from fat-shaming. It works here, where people still have shame.
Wick's pencil
Not just the severe side effects, but also the high cost. I've heard a range of costs (without insurance), from about $1000 per dose to about $1600 per month for life!
Hawk
Too bad if you live in the States, I guess.
"The company charges U.S. residents $969 a month for Ozempic, but the same drug costs $155 in Canada, $122 in Denmark, and $59 in Germany.
For the weight-loss drug Wegovy, Americans pay $1,349 a month. The drug can be purchased for $186 in Denmark, $140 in Germany, and $92 in the United Kingdom, according to Sanders' charts."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/09/24/senate-hearing-novo-nordisk-ceo-ozempic-wegovy-prices/75348020007/
Zaphod
Hawk
Well, Novo Nordisk still gets their money, regardless if from the patient or all tax payers. In event, I would not get this shot if it was free. Being on chemical treatment for the rest of life? No thanks.
Strangerland
This is new to me, that someone has to be on it for life. Where does it say this?
The Ripper!
They don't have to be on it for life if they don't care about becoming obese again.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Yes, lets ignore the saving of lives and costs to the medical system because, what, you believe that chemicals are only harmful?
Hawk
Zaphod,
I wish I could develop an effective weight loss drug.
Same. But I don't plan on becoming obese any time soon, so hopefully I won't have to.
The Ripper!
Like these weight loss drugs aren't a drain on costs to the medical system in the US.
Guess what? Dieting and exercising are free.
Peter Neil
the obesity curve history follows the curve of use of high fructose corn syrup in darn near everything in american food and drink to replace sugar because it’s cheaper. government provided financial aid to kickstart it.
cause? i don’t know, but you can be sure any studies paid for by the food or corn people will say it’s perfectly healthy!
Zaphod
Strangerland
Ozempic and similar drugs only work as long as you get the injections. You did not know that?
Zaphod
Data
You call weight loss drugs "medicine"?
Peter Neil
HawkSep. 27 10:52 pm JST
pharmcy benefit management companies in the u.s. suck up 80-90% of the cost of drugs. they were created to circumvent the margin limits on drugs. a middleman that does nothing but force ridiculous prices on americans. it’s criminal.
TaiwanIsNotChina
HFCS is also darn addictive. It's not like we don't know what regular sugar tastes like.
TaiwanIsNotChina
If you don't know that obesity weighs on the health care system, that is fine.
The Ripper!
How does dieting and exercising weigh on the health care system?
If you don't know that weight loss drugs weighs on the health care system, that is fine.
Have you?
New study ties weight-loss drugs Wegovy, Ozempic to serious gastrointestinal conditions
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ozempic-wegovy-glp-1-1.6988122
Yeahhhh, right.
Strangerland
No, I haven't. Neither have I claimed to.
Seeing as I haven't seen data, and also haven't formed an opinion, yes, it is right.
Does this article say that you need to be on these drugs for life?
Nifty
Well, years ago in the US, when Kmart was popular, you could watch thin people walk in the entrance, and watch overweight people walk out the exit. I never did find out the root cause of this. It's happening now at other stores, and it's still mysterious.
Strangerland
And neither did I use the word addictive. I did however respond to this comment of yours:
Is that the case? Any links to that conclusion from those who have analyzed the data? Or are you just assuming?
Nobody has claimed it is a time-limited intervention. If you have other information, share it.
Oh, I don't know much about it, I won't ever need any of these drugs. But with the claims being made in this thread, and this topic being culturally relevant, I'm trying to sort out if those making the claims are making said claims based on data, or based on assumptions and/or podcast bro science, so I'm questioning those making claims.
virusrex
And still consider them much better option than the sever side effects associated with not using the drugs. As the article clearly mentions:
But, she added, recent emphasis on understanding obesity as a metabolic disease and new interventions, such as the new class of weight-loss drugs, gives her hope.
That is of course a completely invalid number since the drugs have been reducing their price (specially outside of the failing system of the US) and they can also be used intermittently, but even then, compared with the costs derived of patients failing in their lifestyle changes it is still a better option since it reduces all those costs importantly even without considering the positive side effects different from obesity control
So you are accepting that your problem is not about patients having to pay too much, but someone you dislike making a profit? that is terribly negative and refutes the original point of the comment.
And spend more in the drugs that will be needed to tend the metabolic problems resulting from that decision.
But they save on many other drugs that are also for life and expensive.
Dieting an excercise are the option that resulted in the current crisis, which is what is draining resources, there is a point where betting for failed approaches becomes just throwing money away.
Not really, differently from other drugs for metabolic diseases they still work for months after they are not used, which leaves a lot of room for treatment.
The experts (including the ones in the article you are commenting) do. They are the ones that treat the problem so they are a much more reliable source to know about this.
It seems you are confused, all drugs for metabolic diseases are considered a medicine, even if they are meant for treatment and not as a permanent cure.
As measures that fail so frequently it means they can be blamed for the cost of obesity, when a measure does not fix the problem the costs keep accumulating.
The experts have, and they still recommend them to be used as indicated, that means the negative side effects are well below the benefits obtained.