Seriously, how is anyone dumb enough to be fat?

[Aractus]

They said what now? I'm interested in what you said, but could you explain it for me? The epidemics are widely recognized, and at least for the numbers of diabetics it is easier to calculate those numbers than for the number of overweight.

Here's a 2006 press release from the IDF:

• The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has published new data indicating the enormity of the diabetes epidemic. Data published today in the Federation’s Diabetes Atlas show that the disease now affects a staggering 246 million people worldwide, with 46% of all those affected in the 40-59 age group. Previous figures underestimated the scope of the problem, while even the most pessimistic predictions fell short of the current figure. The new data predict that the total number of people living with diabetes will skyrocket to 380 million within twenty years if nothing is done.
  
  At today’s press conference in Cape Town, IDF President Pierre Lefèbvre told reporters, “Just twenty years ago, the best information available suggested that 30 million people had diabetes. A bleaker picture has now emerged. Diabetes is fast becoming the epidemic of the 21st century.”
  Diabetes, mostly type 2 diabetes, now affects 5.9% of the world’s adult population with almost 80% of the total in developing countries. The regions with the highest rates are the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, where 9.2 % of the adult population are affected, and North America (8.4%). The highest numbers, however, are found in the Western Pacific, where some 67 million people have diabetes, followed by Europe with 53 million.
  
  India leads the global top ten in terms of the highest number of people with diabetes with a current figure of 40.9 million, followed by China with 39.8 million. Behind them come USA; Russia; Germany; Japan; Pakistan; Brazil; Mexico and Egypt. Developing countries account for seven of the world’s top.
  According to IDF President-Elect Martin Silink, “The diabetes time bomb has been ticking for 50 years, and it’s been getting louder. Despite the warning, successive generations of world leaders have largely ignored the threat. Diabetes has now exploded with the force felt greatest in the Middle East, India, China and the USA.”
  
  Lifestyles in transition
  
  A complex interplay of genetic, social and environmental factors is driving the global explosion in type 2 diabetes. For low and middle-income countries, economic advancement can lead to alterations to the living environment that result in changes in diet and physical activity within a generation or two. Consequently, people can develop diabetes despite relatively low gains in weight. In the developed world, diabetes is most common among the poorest communities. Either way, wherever poverty and lack of sanitation drive families to low cost-per-calorie foods and packaged drinks, type 2 diabetes thrives.
  Diabetes is deadly. It accounts for 3.8 million deaths per year, similar in magnitude to HIV/AIDS. Once thought of as a disease of the elderly, diabetes has shifted down a generation to affect people of working age, particularly in developing countries. This has economic consequences. As IDF Vice-President Jean-Claude Mbanya puts it, “This epidemic is responsible for so much suffering and loss of life, yet so little is being done to tackle it. Where growing economies like India and China lead, many will soon follow. Doing nothing in the face of the epidemic will place significant stress on the economic development of many countries and will jeopardize the Millennium Development Goals.”

And here's a press release from 2011:

• New Diabetes Atlas figures released today by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) confirm that the diabetes epidemic continues to worsen.
  
  Data from global studies demonstrates that the number of people with diabetes in 2011 has reached a staggering 366 million, 4.6 million deaths are due to diabetes and health care spending on diabetes has reached 465 billion USD.
  
  IDF launched the figures at the Lisbon meeting of EASD (European Association for the Study of Diabetes) a week ahead of the UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which has demonstrated that world leaders are finally facing up to the challenge posed by diabetes as well as cancer, heart and chronic respiratory diseases.
  
  As only the second UN Summit in history to deal with a health-related issue, the global diabetes community is expecting international political leaders to sign-up to commitments, concrete actions and measurable targets to tackle NCD as they did at the ground-breaking High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in 2001.
  
  ...

As you see the global number of diabetics in 2006 was 246 million with the data indicating we'd reach 380 million in 20 years time in 2026. We in fact reached 366 million - 90% of the way to 380 million - in 2011 - just five years later. In case you're wondering, according to IDF we reached 382 million globally last year and the new predicted figure is 592 million by 2035. The period 2006-2013 shows a 55% increase over 2006 levels in the number of diabetics, thus we would expect a similar increase in the number of overweight/obese people.

This is exactly why it's called an epidemic - it's literally out of control with the disease occurring faster than we can cope with, and affecting productivity and GDP.

[ShaMan]

I like fat chicks
Most of them are pretty smart too

[KichigaiNeko]

Funny how the population on the planet has exploded to what is now regarded as an epidemic.

I don't think you have thought this through Daniel. You seem to latch on to information without giving it a sceptical once over, and start preaching it as the only truth.

Some questions I have are, is it an epidemic in the sense that it is a disease or are we just getting better at diagnosis? Is it JUST laziness or is there some underlying factor not well explored yet? Not all weight gain is due to inactivity alone, just as not all exercise is the cure for obesity.

Remember, Zen? Funny how he went from slightly overweight to obscenely obese overnight, and I mean the literal overnight, just because WHO have to justify their existence. I think you can be guilty of putting far too much faith in science and not asking any questions regarding the science.

You seem to have yet to look at people as people.

---

Hmmm re-reading your references ...

380 million out of a population of 7.5 billion (?). And this is an epidemic? What the reference shouts to me is "we want money"
-To do more research
-To ensure our research facilities continue
-For this we need to scare governments that their bottom line is threatened.

[Aractus]

I disagree entirely - as I mentioned, India and South Asia are experiencing a diabetes epidemic, and in fact we're experiencing this epidemic globally, but it's the countries where people's bodies type put them at high risk that are, of course, experiencing the worst of it. These figures are not "invented", even if you believe the obesity figures are, and I'd be interested to see what information you're specifically referring to.

According to a report here, in 2008 11% of Indians were overweight or obese. It was also reported that in 2009, 50.8 million Indians had diabetes (the figures come from the IDF). India has roughly 18% of the world's population, thus you would expect all things equal for them to have 18% of the world's diabetics. in 2009 there were 285 million diabetics globally. This would represent slightly under 18% of the world's diabetics, so the maths is pretty much spot on.

However, Type 2 Diabetes is directly caused by the effects of overweight and obesity. So if the number of overweight people changes from 11% to 22% in India then it'd be expected for the number of diabetics to increase by around 90% or so (the rate of Type 1 Diabetes won't increase). Imagine if they got to 63% like we are in Australia, according to the ABS!

[KichigaiNeko]

Good morning Daniel.

Type 2 diabetes can also be caused by a change from a traditional diet. Seems to indicate that it is more DNA driven than anything else.

Have you seen the latest studies with Aboriginals going BACK to more traditional food? I think it was released earlier this year.



(On mobile atm and not able to search)

---

Your reports are a bit on the old side. Is there any new data?

You do realise that the researchers are questioning everything to do with diet and people. Heard that saturated fats are not the big taboo that causes obesity and heart attacks.

Not questioning the numbers Daniel, just your response to them. You seem very alarmed at very large figures. I think (as a guesstimate) we are talking about roughly 20% of the total planetary population being diabetic? I also think there has been some break throughs in how to diagnose and treat diabetes recently in the media.

[Aractus]

Good morning Daniel.

Good (WA) morning, Kichi.

Type 2 diabetes can also be caused by a change from a traditional diet. Seems to indicate that it is more DNA driven than anything else.
...
Your reports are a bit on the old side. Is there any new data?

Yes I have, and the more recent data on type-2 diabetes is that the biggest contributor is high visceral fat, with lifestyle factors also being responsible (eg. low physical activity, diets high in fat, diets high in sugar, high blood pressure, overweight in general), type-2 is considered preventable and even more importantly, Prediabetes is considered reversible most of the time and believed to be a medical condition that if left undiagnosed/untreated leads to type-2 (hence the name "prediabetes")

High visceral fat is linked to body shape, and hence DNA, and thus why Indians, South Asians and Africans are at higher risk - so far I've not seen conclusive evidence that links DNA apart from visceral fat to type-2, however it is perfectly possible that other contributors can be genetic as well (eg. high blood pressure).

Have you seen the latest studies with Aboriginals going BACK to more traditional food? I think it was released earlier this year.

No I haven't, however it would be advised that aborigines that want to eat traditional foods do so in a safe way (eg, don't eat the full kangaroo carcass as your ancestors did, much of the meat is not good for you and why most of the meat from roos ends up as pet food).

You do realise that the researchers are questioning everything to do with diet and people. Heard that saturated fats are not the big taboo that causes obesity and heart attacks.

That's right, it's high blood cholesterol that causes strokes and heart attacks (not directly dietary cholesterol or dietary fat).

I think (as a guesstimate) we are talking about roughly 20% of the total planetary population being diabetic?

Oh gosh no, that number would be totally unthinkable! Diabetes is a horrible disease.

---

Has anyone seen this series - Secret Eaters?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMFZ2b920As
Don't think it's shown in Australia, but it's pretty funny - and informative. In the above episode the dude cooks his cheese sauce with a block of butter and a block of cheese and then puts cheese on top, and then says "I didn't know it was that unhealthy"! LOL. But also they have an interesting, and quite informative social experiment where they give two groups of people the same dinner, but with one group all the food is left on the dining table to pick at and for the other it's in another room, so if they want more they have to make a conscious choice to get up and go get more. That's really good because it does highlight how our decisions can be affected by what's in front of us, I'm well aware that if I eat at a buffet type dinner I'll eat more - luckily though I am aware of this, but it seems a lot of people aren't aware. I would say though that even though I'm aware I'll eat more I wouldn't necessarily know exactly how much more I would have. But also, in my experience, when I've been to parties etc where people have over-catered, the hosts always put pressure on the guests etc to eat more which is very counter-productive to anyone wanting to diet.

It brings up some good eating habits you should develop - for instance when you cook whether for yourself, your family or for a group, only cook as much as you need for everyone, do not over-cater, and if there are going to be "leftovers" put them away right away so that nobody is tempted to overindulge! Also, if you're dining here, fill your plate up once with your portion and don't keep picking!!

In fact, I think it's the simplest solutions that are the most effective - if you're going to diet properly do this: 1. set a calorie goal, 2. eat three meals every day, 3. eat up to 3 planned snacks every day, 4. do not allow any other snacking outside of what's on your planned list, 5. either don't drink alcohol or be very well aware of the calorie count you're getting from alcohol and limit it accordingly, 6. always use low-fat milk in tea or sugar, use sweetener not sugar and drink water, diluted juice and low-cal softdrinks, don't drink juice except as part of a meal and don't drink non-diet coke/softdrink etc.

[Cato]

In fact, I think it's the simplest solutions that are the most effective - if you're going to diet properly do this: 1. set a calorie goal, 2. eat three meals every day, 3. eat up to 3 planned snacks every day, 4. do not allow any other snacking outside of what's on your planned list, 5. either don't drink alcohol or be very well aware of the calorie count you're getting from alcohol and limit it accordingly, 6. always use low-fat milk in tea or sugar, use sweetener not sugar and drink water, diluted juice and low-cal softdrinks, don't drink juice except as part of a meal and don't drink non-diet coke/softdrink etc.

Dude, your life sucks.

[tor]

Aractus are you serious or this is satire?

[Aractus]

Dude, your life sucks.

Why does my life suck?

---

Aractus are you serious or this is satire?

Calling fatties dumb is satire, but unhealthy lifestyles (ie eating habits) and being under/over weight is a serious health problem and not a joking matter.

[Cato]

Dude, your life sucks.

Why does my life suck?

Because your dietary restrictions sound like a prescription for the grave, not something to be enjoyed in our short time here. I'm always suspicious when someone's idea of healthy eating assumes I have four stomachs and chew cud. If I'm going to live to see 90, I'm not depriving myself of the simple pleasures in life just so I can see 94. I think you need perspective.

Sounds like you will soon advocate taking pussy off the menu. Seriously, how many calories does a good half hour of eating pussy impart? Have statistics on that do you?