Obesity could bankrupt NHS

[kebaldwin]

Obesity could bankrupt NHS

LONDON (Reuters) - The costs of dealing with a growing obesity epidemic could bankrupt the National Health Service, doctors said on Friday.

Dealing with obese people costs as much as nine percent of a country's health service budget, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.

According to the most recent figures, Britain has the highest obesity rate in Europe, with one in five adults classed as obese.

That could rise to one in three, said the study, written by Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at Glasgow University, and other colleagues.

"The problem of rising prevalence in obesity may get much worse -- rates could climb still further, bankrupting the health system and leading soon to reductions in life expectancy," they said in the report.

Dealing with obese and overweight people in England costs the NHS as much as 7.4 billion pounds a year.

The doctors urged the government to put pressure on the food industry to promote less fattening food and curtail advertising of unhealthy snacks.

"Given people's increasing reliance on processed and precooked food, the industry needs to assume much more responsibility for preventing obesity," they said in their report.

They also called for better education in schools on nutrition and physical activity.

Even the medical profession needed more training on obesity and nutrition-related diseases, they added.

Another suggestion was a helpline number for larger people that could be put on all clothes sold with waistlines over a certain measurement.

Earlier this week, medical watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), said obesity was a greater threat to the nation's health than poverty, drinking or smoking.

(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1865662006

Last updated: 15-Dec-06 13:51 GMT

[Whoa182]

Things are looking bad, I noticed the other day at the local school just how many kids were overweight, significantly more than when I was at school. The past few weeks with news and websites concentrating on 'skinny models' was ridiculous in my opinion, considering the fact that almost 50% of the population is overweight and 1% of girls develop AN.

[kebaldwin]

I noticed the other day at the local school just how many kids were overweight, significantly more than when I was at school.

If you can -- pay close attention to what they eat most days. Garbage for breakfast, garbage for morning snack, garbage for lunch, garbage for afternoon snack.

Then do you think most parents come home and cook a nice, healthy meal? Most likely it is more garbage for dinner, and then more garbage for dessert / evening snack.

It does not surprise me at all that child obesity, discipline problems, ADHD, sickness, mental problems (including depression and anxiety) and even diabetes are soaring.

Then they praise the kids for eating healthy!

This is one really screwed up world we live in.

[Whoa182]

You're right, problems like ADHD have sky rocketed in recent years... Its almost certainly linked to how children are raised, and more important how well they are nourished in their younger years.

What frustrates me SOOO much is that I give my niece and nephew strawberries, blueberries, apples, walnuts yogurt and those kinds of things. Then my sister or mother walks in after work and cooks them smileys, fries, and all other types of refned foods, fizzy drinks. Gives them chocolate, biscuits, crisps etc...

and what is amazing is the fact that I've pointed out to them that when they eat this crap the kids go crazy, hyper.. everytime!

Whats odd about the situation is that they love eating veggies and fruit... it just seems more convenient for cook them crap, and seems to make my sister happy that she is giving them junk food.

[MyJourney]

Then my sister or mother walks in after work and cooks them smileys, fries, and all other types of refned foods,

Just out of curiosity, what is a Smiley?

[Whoa182]

http://static.flickr.com/35/73192681_ba6c65531c_m.jpg

potato... they eat a whole bag of them =/

and even more potato (french fries)... BOTH cooked in a deep fat fryer

[dansonya]

Just out of curiosity, what is a Smiley?
Deep fried mash potatos in the shape of smiley faces. My kids have had them, and didn't like them a whole lot, thank god!!

[Cajunboy47]

Whats odd about the situation is that they love eating veggies and fruit... it just seems more convenient for cook them crap, and seems to make my sister happy that she is giving them junk food.


Whoa182, I must agree with your point of view. I observe parents who don't eat properly, really don't try to fee their children properly either. Either out of convenience or denial of all the information floating, many parents feed their kids junk foods.

Now, I ate wrong for many years, paying the price now, wish I could reach every person on poor diets and get them to make corrections before problems set in and give health issues besides obesity.

Whoa182, after looking over your diet, I must agree you eat fairly healthy. I wish I could eat like that now, but my body won't respond as your does. All my hammering at you was merely to point out that for most of us low-carbers, we don't have your choices to make, as it just won't work for us now. I hope you can understand the point I am making here.......

[kebaldwin]

I observe parents who don't eat properly, really don't try to fee their children properly either. Either out of convenience or denial of all the information floating, many parents feed their kids junk foods.

I would say that the biggest problem is that the "health experts" will not come out and say that high glycemic diets are unhealthy.

At my children's school they say that this is a healthy menu:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=15174&catid=member&imageuser=20510

french fries, bagels, biscuits, doughnuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, rolls, toast, cake, cookies, ice cream and waffles are all healthy! Then they give them a couple of boxes of sugar water (juice and chocolate milk) to wash it down with.

The inmates are running the asylum!

[MyJourney]

http://static.flickr.com/35/73192681_ba6c65531c_m.jpg

potato... they eat a whole bag of them =/

and even more potato (french fries)... BOTH cooked in a deep fat fryer


Those are so cute!!! I have never seen anything like that before! Bad food! Bad Bad Food!

Whats odd about the situation is that they love eating veggies and fruit... it just seems more convenient for cook them crap, and seems to make my sister happy that she is giving them junk food.

You reminded me of an interesting conversation I once had with a friend of mine. She tries to eat healthy herself and yet she gives her children junk food even though they are starting to get chubby. I asked her why and she very honestly said that she doesnt have a lot of money and wishes she could do more for them like signing them up for after school activities or buying them toys etc. so she feels like giving them these treats makes them feel good and she wants to see them happy. Feeding them junk food is something small that she can afford and they enjoy it so much that she feels like giving them health food would be like another disappointment to her children. She knows that this is setting them up for all sorts of problems in the future but she cant seem to help herself. She feels guilty and somehow in the short term this makes her feel better even though she is fully aware of the damage she is causing. Somehow I guess she thinks that she will deal with the other problems when they arise and for now it makes her feel happy to see her children get excited over candy and fast food.

[kebaldwin]

wishes she could do more for them

Every time I walked by a toy store I wanted to go in and buy one of everything in the store for my kids. Everytime I saw candy or dessert - I wanted to buy that for them because I knew that it would make them happy right now (instant gratification).

But I know that less is more.

Perhaps parents need to look at it a different way.

One of the best gifts you can give to your kids is to teach them moderation (delayed gratification).

Tough love is just that. And I have explained all this to my kids - and they understand. They realize that the tougher I make it for them (and believe me - I go very easy on them) the easier the rest of their lives will be.

Today's parents want to talk about how tough it is for kids today. Anyone that has studied history thinks just the opposite. In fact, historians would suggest that todays kids are not only spoiled brats - but not one tenth as tough as kids 100 years ago.

How many kids today are lucky to get one present all year? Many kids got clothes or food for their gift.
How many kids today have to drop out of elementary school to go to work to help their family survive?
How many kids today walk for miles to attend school?
How many kids today have ever worked sun up to sun down?
How many kids today have been responsible for a chore that their family depends upon?
How many kids live in a house with a solid roof over their head that doesn't leak, walls that don't let the cold winter breeze through, a carpeted floor, a warm bed, running water, and electrical appliances.
How many kids have to go out in the freezing cold winter air to fetch food, water or use the bathroom?

I'm not picking on any poster and I'm not saying that every kid is a spoiled brat. But most parents today are soft. And they are making even softer kids.

[Angeline]

If you want to have an idea of how some people lived not so long ago, I encourage you to read Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt. It's pretty grim but an amazing book. No 1 on the New York Times bestseller's list and winner of a pulitzer prize.

So yes, a lot of kids today are spoiled brats, and the kids who have everything basically learn to appreciate nothing. Giving them everything is a disservice to them. Everything comes to them so easily there is no real thrill left. Contrast the experience of a little boy who had to save his pennies for a whole year in order to get a coveted bike to a child who gets a new bike, promptly breaks it and then demands another. Who is happiest? The first child will treasure his prize for years to come and will find satisfaction and pride everytime he sees it. The second will be pleased with his new toy for a few days, or a a few weeks, but soon enough it will cease to mean anything. So who is better off?