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Adult Obesity Facts

cdc.gov

231–236 of 236 posts

Re: Adult Obesity Facts

#231
post #179

Every top comment here tries to distill the problem into this or that based on hunches or links to books or blog posts. "It's cities" "It's society" "It's portions" "It's plastics" "It's activity" "It's overeating" "It's contaminates" "It's education" "It's just calories" This is a complex problem, and you are not experts. It could be some or all of those things, but this kind of pet-theory reductivism doesn't get us…

That's about as wet a blanket as you could throw on an HN comment thread. This kind of judgementalism doesn't get us anywhere.

Where is it that we can go in a free-wheeling conversation that amounts to 'what do you think about obesity in America?'.

Hacker News talking about technology is usually able to engage with a topic or article with some manner of substance, or at the very least, informed by professional familiarity. In this case, as far as I can tell, no one even read the site's information beyond glancing at the troubling stats.

Taking a quote from the same area of the CDC's site, which articulates a clearer thesis and goal than here in the comments:

"Obesity is a complex disease with many contributing factors. Neighborhood design, access to healthy, affordable foods and beverages, and access to safe and convenient places for physical activity can all impact obesity. The racial and ethnic disparities in obesity underscore the need to address social determinants of health such as poverty, education, and housing to remove barriers to health. This will take action at the policy and systems level to ensure that obesity prevention and management starts early, and that everyone has access to good nutrition and safe places to be physically active. Policy makers and community leaders must work to ensure that their communities, environments, and systems support a healthy, active lifestyle for all."

Re: Adult Obesity Facts

#232

Is this solely done based on BMI? Some of you may know that BMI can be wildly inaccurate. (this guy is technically obese on BMI scale - https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153207891 ) I wonder if we would find better connections between disease and "weight" with body fat % or similar measure.

I've read in a few places that BMI can be inaccurate too. Wondering if anyone has any good articles or perspective that dig into this some more: 1. Is it a "good enough" metric? 2. Is it "wildly inaccurate" for most, or just some outliers?

BMI can be inaccurate for an individual. That's because it was never designed as a metric to be applied to individuals, but rather to populations. This page is an example of BMI being used appropriately.

Re: Adult Obesity Facts

#233

Is this solely done based on BMI? Some of you may know that BMI can be wildly inaccurate. (this guy is technically obese on BMI scale - https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153207891 ) I wonder if we would find better connections between disease and "weight" with body fat % or similar measure.

I've read in a few places that BMI can be inaccurate too. Wondering if anyone has any good articles or perspective that dig into this some more: 1. Is it a "good enough" metric? 2. Is it "wildly inaccurate" for most, or just some outliers?

> I've read in a few places that BMI can be inaccurate too

BMI can't be inaccurate, though conclusions drawn naively from it can be.

Re: Adult Obesity Facts

#234
post #73

I wish that article talked about the geographical distribution of obesity. I saw a fascinating pre-print paper here a while ago: A Contamination Theory of the Obesity Epidemic. via: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27936016 I also read an interesting book lately called "The Dorito Effect" in which the author makes the case that we have a finely developed ability to associate the flavour of food with the nutrients…

anecdotally, fasting can help restore this sensitivity. Ever noticed "healthy" foods like say broccoli taste amazing after fasting >= 24 hrs?

No, and I fast between 23-25 hours six days a week and occasionally have longer fasts. My longest fast was five days.

Broccoli always tastes the exact same.

Re: Adult Obesity Facts

#235
post #185
post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not wrong about that! People for the most part do know that soda and burgers aren't healthy. But there are a lot of products out there with more grey area than the typical McDonald's menu item. For example, the Dunkin' "Power Breakfast Sandwich." The marketing sounds healthy without saying the words "healthy:" https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en/menu/sandwiches-and-more/pow... Notice how this item has almost half…

You shouldn't rely on a person estimating meal size and figuring out proper portions or looking up calories. That's not our ancestors eat, and that's not how I eat either. Though I did quit drinking half and half after realizing that it's supposed to be a food item rather than something to drink.

Your first sentence is exactly why everything I talked about is so important!

A lot of “default” portion sizes are too large.

A lot of companies heavily imply unhealthy products are healthy or beneficial.

A lot of high-calorie items are marketed as something that is okay to eat regularly and not just as an occasional treat.

That’s why in my mind advertising and packaging regulations are being underutilized.

Think of how cigarettes warn you about their unhealthy properties, and aren’t allowed to be advertised on TV. A lot of food products should really have similar restrictions.

E.g.:

“Caution: a full portion of this product provides an elevated level of sodium, increasing risk of heart attack and stroke.”

“This menu item exceeds recommended calorie levels for a single meal, and may cause weight gain and obesity with regular consumption.”

“This item is a high sugar item, increasing the risk of diabetes. Complications of diabetes can include nerve damage and glaucoma.”

Re: Adult Obesity Facts

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're a cycling enthusiast you'll always find a way. As you develop as a cyclist areas which once intimidated you may feel safer. It is like any other skill in that way. I know many would prefer bike lanes, but bicycle infrastructure isn't always safer for cyclists. Often city planners have no concept of what actually goes on, so even when token lines are painted on the street - it does nothing to increase cyclin…

Cities shouldn't be made for cyclists anymore than they should be made for cars. Most people do not care what form of transportation they take. They do not identify as cyclists, drivers, or anything else. Transportation is an inconvenience in their lives as they travel from A to B. They will do whatever is cheap, fast, and convenient. Cities need to be built to a human scale and not a car scale. Cities should be desi…

If cycling is abnormal, then by definition 'normal' people will never cycle.

>Most people are never going to risk their lives to ride bicycles on roads where cars, driven by people on their phone, are travelling at speeds exceeding 30 mph

From my admittedly biased or perhaps experienced perspective it really isn't as dangerous as people imagine.

What is clear to me is that no matter what happens, there will always be a contingent of individuals who will never ride a bicycle. Whether that is because of imagined safety reasons or because of infrastructure fantasies, I can't say. I can say with certainty that if you eliminated both of these objections, another excuse would be raised. That's fine. People should choose the lifestyle that suits them and brings them happiness.

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