KFAI Radio Without Boundaries

5/21/2007 Health Notes

*The Big fat health and fitness lie
by Craig Pepin-Donat*

For years we've all been tricked into spending our hard-earned money on products that "guarantee" impossible results. For most of us, the struggle to lose weight, stay fit or just maintain the semblance of a healthy lifestyle is a constant battle. Unfortunately, there are people and industries that prey on our vulnerabilities. We are relentlessly enticed by advertising, seduced by marketing gimmicks, prescribed unnecessary drugs, served unhealthy food, sold useless products, misled by government agencies, and, well, left to fend for ourselves as our health deteriorates.

*21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox
by Roni Deluz, James Hester*

Toxic, Unhealthy, and Heavy

America's Rude Awakening

The United States has the best health care system in the world, yet Americans of all backgrounds are having a hard time staying healthy. At least 20 million Americans are chronically ill with conditions that undermine their quality of life and may ultimately lead to their demise—diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and kidney and liver failure. Each week, about 80 percent of adults take medication—at least one-third of us down five different drugs—the Institute of Medicine reports. Often, the conditions these medicines treat are caused by our lack of success in maintaining a healthy weight.

Today, over 60 percent of Americans weigh more than their recommended body mass index (BMI), which measures the amount of body fat we carry compared to our height. Sixty-two percent of women and 70 percent of men are overweight, meaning that their BMI is 25 or more (normal is 18.5 to 24.9). Thirty-one percent of men and women are obese. Of course, everyone has different advice for how to slim down. These days, it's almost impossible to figure out whether to eat or avoid carbohydrates; how much protein to consume; whether butter or margarine is better; if fat free also means low calorie; whether foods like red wine, chocolate, and coffee are healthy after all; or if we should sign up for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, or L.A. Weight Loss. The advice seems to change almost daily.

Most experts tell us that whether we gain or lose weight is determinedby the number of calories we eat compared to the number of calories we burn. If we want to lose weight, we should consume fewer calories, increase our activity level, or, better yet, do both. But while many Americans try to take weight off, experts now know that traditional weight-reduction dieting does not work. Fewer than 5 percent of dieters succeed in keeping the weight they lost off for five years, according to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. A stunning 90 percent of people gain some or all of their weight back, and one-third end up weighing more.