100 Percent Childhood Obesity by 2044
According to new biomedical research, every U.S. child and adult will be obese by 2044 and 2058, respectively, if the current progressive rise continues.
The rate of increase in overweight and obese Americans continues to climb in threatening speed.
According to University of Missouri-Columbia biomedical researchers Frank Booth and Simon Lees, every U.S. child and adult will be obese by 2044 and 2058, respectively, if the current progressive rise continues.
According to Booth, children and adults now spend 45 hours each week watching television, working on the computer, playing video games or watching movies.
Lest we forget, human genes evolved to support a great deal of physical activity, yet in the last 20 years, physical activity has decreased dramatically in the United States. Just a 48-hour period of inactivity can lead to a large increase in the amount of fat and the size of fat cells in the body. Even if you decrease the amount of activity by less than four minutes each day can result in a person gaining one pound of fat in a year.
In a similar study, Booth found that insulin sensitivity decreases when a body is inactive for two days. This decreased insulin efficiency may be a precursor to diabetes and other related diseases.
Obesity leads to earlier death - 20 years ago, the U.S. population ranked first in longevity on the planet. Today, American women rank 19th and American men rank 28th.
Obesity and lack of activity leads to earlier onset of adult, or Type 2, diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control predict that the number of Type 2 diabetes cases in the United States will triple to 39 million by 2050.
Most horribly, inactivity and excess weight leads to onset of different types of cancer - other research has linked inactivity to Breast cancer, Colon cancer and pancreatic cancer .
To stop this threatening trend, adults have to start taking responsibility for childhood inactivity, scientists believe. Truth is, children are not mature enough to make informed decisions about their eating habits.
Booth also recommended that doctors start asking their patients about their activity levels, much like they do about their drinking and smoking activities.
Revision date: July 4, 2011
Last revised: by Janet A. Staessen, MD, PhD