Craig Hitchens Therapies - Health Online

This LAT article is representative of many articles this week that reports on a study issued by Trust for America's Health regarding how America is losing the battle against obesity, state by state.  The actual study can be found here on Trust for America’s website.  The site also has an interactive feature that shows state by state results and information.

The results show that Mississippi is the number 1 state in obesity with a whopping 30% of its residents classified as obese.  The District of Columbia holds the dubious position of number 1 for childhood obesity with 22.8 % of its children obese.

The LAT article quotes Jim Marks, a senior vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a healthcare philanthropy group that sponsored the study as follows:

“The report is a devastating indictment and the nation is in the middle of a public health crisis that is deteriorating rapidly, and we are treating it like an inconvenience.”

“These children could be the first generation to live sicker and die younger than their parents,"

“Obesity costs $117 billion a year in preventable healthcare expenditures and "is pushing the healthcare system to the breaking point.”

The LAT article also makes clear that the data is based on self reporting, hence the results are probably much worse and people do tend to understate their weight.

This report is no surprise.  America seems content to ignore the obesity epidemic.  But by ignoring it, we will pay as individuals and collectively as a society in higher health costs and a lower quality of life.

Cranberries, eaten fresh or dried or consumed through cranberry juice, are one of the best fruits to eat that promote good health.  The number of positive health impacts from cranberries is truly amazing.

Here is information extracted directly from the Cranberry Institute Web page.

“The majority of physicians and other health professionals believe there is a clear association between a diet high in fruits and vegetables and a low risk of chronic disease. Phytonutrients (naturally derived plant compounds), particularly antioxidants, are increasingly being shown to help optimize human health.

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs) that can prevent the adhesion of certain of bacteria, including E. coli, associated with urinary tract infections to the urinary tract wall. The anti-adhesion properties of cranberry may also inhibit the bacteria associated with gum disease and stomach ulcers.

Recent scientific research shows that cranberries and cranberry products contain significant amounts of antioxidants and other phytonutrients that may help protect against heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Rats fed diets supplemented with cranberries are put through a series of tests to evaluate their neural function compared to a control group. Preliminary results indicate that there will be compelling evidence that cranberry can help protect the brain from neurological damage.

Atherosclerosis, in the simplest terms, is the accumulation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad cholesterol", in arteries resulting in restricted blood flow. In the advance stages of the disease blood flow may be decrease severely or cease completely resulting in angina (chest pain), a thrombosis (blood clot) and/or myocardial infarction (heart attack). Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of cardiovascular disease. Ongoing research continues to suggest that cranberries may offer a natural defense against atherosclerosis.

Researchers at the University of Western Ontario demonstrated, using an animal model, that human breast cancer cells showed significantly lower incidence of tumor development when the experimental group's diet was supplemented with cranberries. Although these results are very preliminary, compounds in cranberries may prove to be a potent cancer fighter.”

Here is more on the health benefits of Cranberries from WebMD.

“A plant compound, called proanthocyanidin A-1 is found in cranberries.  Herpes simplex-2 is one of the most common viral infections in humans. It causes genital sores or ulcers, as well as inflammation of the brain and infection of newborns and people with weakened immune systems.

Scientists' lab tests showed that proanthocyanidin A-1 helped combat herpes simplex-2: it interfered with the virus when it tried to latch onto and penetrate cells -- a necessary step for infection by the herpes virus."

 Buy a bag of Sweetened Dried Cranberries and keep it handy for snacks.  It’s one of the most healthful snacks you can consume.

This NYT article by the prolific health and fitness writer, Gina Kolata, is one of several in the national newspapers this week which reports on a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The  study found that if you have a friend, spouse or relative who becomes obese, you are much more likely to become obese, or in the words of the study itself:  “Network phenomena appear to be relevant to the biologicand behavioral trait of obesity, and obesity appears to spreadthrough social ties.”

Some in the media have expanded this language “spread through social ties” interestingly saying that obesity is “contagious.” 

Clearly what is at work here is the reconfirmation of a very old phenomenon—we are influenced in many direct and subtle ways by the habits, actions and characteristics of those close to us—note that a neighbor’s obesity did not show causality because we aren’t necessarily socially close to our neighbors..

Americans do pay attention to the way their close friends act and live.  We tend to wear the same clothes, go to the same stores, take the same vacations, see the same movies and listen to the same music—to some extent.  For example, if a close friend or sibling returns from a European vacation, we are likely to follow.   And, if close friends or siblings become fat, well, gradually our norms for what is acceptable weight-wise may loosen and we are probably less resistant to gaining weight.

I think that all that is going on here is re-affirmation of  age old peer group pressure/influence as it pertains to obesity.  The study results are correct and meaningful in this respect.  However, the idea that obesity is somehow “contagious” is somewhat off the mark and summarizes the problem in an unhelpful way—because Americans are always searching for that reason why obesity is not their fault.

So, although your close friends may have an influence on your obesity norms, you certainly can’t blame them for your own obesity, anymore than you can blame them for your wardrobe, the kind of car you drive or your last vacation.

The first step in fighting obesity is take responsibility for your own BMI.