Obesity in the USA

US seen as facing growing obesity problem.

The CBS Evening News (1/7, story 5, 7:25, Couric) reported that the US "is facing a dangerous weight problem." Correspondent Seth Doane pointed out that "two-thirds, 190 million Americans, are overweight or obese," and that "childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years." Recently, in a study of "97 seemingly healthy children," cardiologists "from Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospital" discovered that "three out of every four children are either overweight or obese," putting "about 70 of" them "on a high-risk trajectory for coronary artery disease by their 30s and 40s." Joshua Samuels, MD, said: "A few years down the road, these are the people who are going to be flooding into our hospitals and emergency" departments.
New study presents "hard truths" about obesity. The Los Angeles Times (1/7, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reports that a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has determined that "the vast majority of overweight and obese Americans will not lose sufficient weight -- and obesity won't be prevented -- without major changes in society." The study points to several "hard truths" about weight loss, such as the fact that "when an individual reduces food intake and his or her body size diminishes, so does the amount of energy needed to maintain and move it." The report also faults the amount of calories that the average American consumes.
Researchers focus on leptin's role in metabolism, appetite. The Chicago Tribune /McClatchy (1/7, Doughton) reported that the "human body is equipped with an array of defenses to fend off fat, from ratcheting up metabolism to dialing down appetite." Now, "a growing cadre of researchers" is focusing on "the fact that evolution gave us mechanisms...to prevent weight gain and protect against its harmful effects. One of the key controllers is a hormone called leptin, produced by fat itself." For example, "when dieters lose fat, leptin levels drop, metabolism slows, appetite revs up -- and the weight usually roars back."
Calorie counts considered as "ballpark figures" for many chain restaurants. The AP (1/8, Hill) reports that a recent study published in this month's Journal of the American Dietetic Association has raised concerns about the accuracy of calorie counts. According to a survey of 10 chain restaurants, "the number of calories in 29 meals or other menu items was an average of 18 percent higher than listed." Meanwhile, "frozen supermarket meals from Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice, and South Beach Living had eight percent more calories than the labels said." The researchers maintained that the inaccurate figures can likely be explained "by variations in ingredients, portion sizes, and testing methods," and that most of the discrepancies "fell within the 20 percent margin of error allowed by the Food and Drug Administration."