obesity rates

July 29, 2002

In a message dated 7/28/02 1:50:00 AM,

writes:

>I don't know what the answers are, but the questions are

>

>interesting! Around here people are getting really, really

>

>fat (not just chunky), much more so than when I was a kid.

>

>I don't think their lives have changed all that much in 10-20

>

>years.

I have no doubt that our current obesity/diabetic epidemic is directly

related to the USDA's advice to eat mainly grains and to eat lowfat. From

1960 -80 the rate of obesity/overweight stayed the same, but since 1980

(about the time the guidelines came down) we have decreased our fat intake as

a nation (from 43% of calories to 34%) and increased our grain consumption,

but our obesity rates have skyrocketed. The fat phobes insist we still eat

too much fat -- they acknowledge that we eat the wrong kind of carbs, but did

they make that clear on the pyramid?? Just recently they proposed guidelines

to lower our sugar intake, but the all powerful sugar lobby nixed that. The

newest theory is that we're fat because of fast food supersizing. We probably

do eat too much -- but why? There appears to be a strong satiety effect with

protein and fat (seems to be physiological restraints (CCK) on eating too

much protein and fat) -- but carbs by themselves never seem to satisfy. Get a

rush of glucose followed by an outpouring of insulin that removes the glucose

making you feel hungry sooner rather than later. In nature so to speak, we

only had access to carbohydrates (nothing like the sugar laden refined stuff

we have now) during a few months of the year. I think we are hard wired to

eat carbs when the lights are long (with electric lights that all the time

now) to lay down fat for the upcoming winter/famine. But -- given the advice

to eat carbs, but not fat, Americans have been on a twenty year eating binge

storing up for a winter that never comes. We've got obesity, diabetes,

increased cancer, etc. to show for it.

Namaste, Liz

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