In the News: August 28, 2007:

Epidemic obesity hurting US health, economy -- report
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 07:56am (Mla time) 08/28/2007

WASHINGTON -- Two-thirds of US adults and some 25 million children are obese or overweight, and the fatness of the land is harming Americans' health and threatening US competitiveness, a report published Monday showed.

                                                                                       (Full text of the press release)                                                

How does obesity affect your health?

Overweight and obesity are external mark indicating an excessive food intake. Overweight and obesity do not occur overnight. Overweight and obesity are the consequence of years of excessive food intake, most of the time under the form of a diet containing too much starch and sugar.

A sustained intake of too much starch and sugar promotes and maintains a higher than normal blood sugar level (Hyperglycemia for the health professional) that causes insulin to be released by the pancreas in greater quantity than needed for health support.

Insulin—the storage hormone, stores the excess of sugar and starch as fat. Excess of insulin does it faster.

Fat tissue, however, is not just a storage facility. Fat tissue release hormone-like substances that—among other effects, stimulate inflammation. Too much insulin also modifies the effect of other hormones. An example of this is the reduction of utilization of thyroid hormone (the consumption hormone) to protect fat deposit with as consequence fatigue and lack of energy, a frequent complaint in overweight and obese people. Another example is the change in women of their ovarian function resulting in sterility by lack of ovulation, in the appearance of male patterns (facial and body hair growth, in cysts in the ovaries (PCOS or PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome) and breast hypertrophy. Still another example in both genders, is the greater production of adrenal hormones responsible of hypertension and with time of a modification of the general physical appearance. Furthermore people with hyperglycemia are prone to develop heart and renal failure and stroke, late consequences of years of chronic inflammation of the blood vessels. They also have higher cholesterol and triglycerides. The chronic inflammation maintained by hyperglycemia accelerate arteriosclerosis and deteriorate nerve function (neuropathy).

People with sustained hyperglycemia also have an increased risk of tumors and cancer.

Until recently this cluster of health deterioration was considered a consequence of diabetes only.

This is no longer admitted. It is now well established that—with time and their genetic configuration permitting, people with hyperglycemia soon or later may also become diabetic. It is, however, also evident that they don’t have to wait until sugar appears in their urine and they are labeled "diabetic" to share the misery of that condition. They are already fully exposed to it.

Would you like to learn more about the damage of overweight?  It is all explained in the book “The American Diet: A Recipe for Disaster”. Before buying that book at Amazon.com you can proofread it at http://books.google.com Entering the title in the text box of that web page gives you access to most of the text.