By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Obesity rates are spiralling across the globe, concluded the 10th International Congress on Obesity held in Sydney, Australia (3--8 Sep). As if we already didn't know it! The same findings were echoed in the WHO four-yearly conference in 2002, so did the International Obesity Task Force in 2003, and the World Health Assembly in 2004, and on and on, including endless reports from health institutes, universities, magazines, television, and satellites -- to what effect? We are facing a worldwide epidemic of obesity and all reports recommend a vigorous government approach worldwide, to address the issue of modifying the diet and nutrition of the general population. Does anyone listen! Does anyone heed! Surely food, glorious food, can hardly pose a dangerous risk to humans! This attitude is reminiscent of our struggle with tobacco as a health hazard. Fifty years ago, concerns began to surface over the negative effects of smoking, but we refused to be impressed and continued to smoke. It was only when we started dropping like flies from a series of deadly diseases, that governments began to take steps restricting the general use of tobacco for health preservation. Will it take us another 50 years of hard evidence before we realise the awesome menace of obesity? When will we wake up to the fact that the food we eat is killing us? "Unless individual nations move now to rein in expanding waistlines, we will have missed the boat." Drastic measures need to be taken, but when, how, what, where, and by whom? Obesity is already out of control, overtaking tobacco as the world's major health hazard. There are over one billion obese people (1:6) reports WHO, and almost two billion (1-3) overweight and obese combined. For the first time in history the number of obese people exceeds the number of the underfed. We need help, but we are virtually left on our own, and we must take steps individually and immediately if we are interested in living healthier, longer. Even moderate weight excess (3- 7 Kg) increases the risk of death between ages 30 to 64 from certain types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, stroke, arthritis, asthma, respiratory, and psychological disorders. To maintain your weight your intake of calories must equal your energy output. Intake: Calories from food. Output: Calories used up during physical activity. The solution to obesity is agonisingly simple, your physical output must exceed your calorie intake. Eat less, move, more. Why can't we poor mortals get it! For thousands of years mankind struggled to get enough to eat. Once we did, our bodies learned to store the excess fat. Junk food and a sedentary lifestyle are the cause of our obesity today, but obesity has existed throughout history. Statues of obese people date back to prehistoric times, the oldest, of an obese woman found in Willedorf, Austria, (circ. 22,000 BC). On the island of Malta statues of obese people are 5,000 years old. Ancient Egyptians must have considered obesity as a disease, placing statues of the corpulent alongside those of the sick. Hippocrates believed the obese were more prone to sudden death. Romans wrote of a senator who needed two slaves to carry his belly for him, and in 1087 William the Conqueror could no longer ride his horse because he was too fat. Stories and pictures depicting the portly were common during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. Once the property of the rich, obesity is now more prevalent among the poor. Because of the introduction of new foods and beverages, such as corn, potato, coffee, tea and chocolate, rotundity became more common during the 17th and 18th centuries. The misconception of obesity as a weakness of character prevailed for hundreds of years. Now physicians and researchers recognise that obesity "fits all the medical definitions of a disease -- an interruption, cessation or disorder of a bodily function, organ, or system." Not only is it viewed as a disease, like diabetes, but as an addiction like drugs and alcohol. The obese crave sugar, flour, and fats, and experience similar withdrawal symptoms when dieting as alcoholics do. Obese people are not happy to be obese. Not only do they have a 50- 100 per cent increased risk of premature death, they are shunned by society, prone to many diseases, suffer embarrassment, job discrimination, discomfort, lack of mobility, and dream of being thin. Hundreds of centres and aid groups have sprouted in the UK and the US, such as Overeating Anonymous, much like Alcoholics Anonymous, with the purpose of aiding food addicts to control their cravings. The terms "obese" and "overweight" are often used interchangeably, but technically they are different. "Overweight" refers to an increase in body weight from optimal health standards, while "obesity" is excess body fat in relation to lean body mass. "Morbid obesity," 40-50kg over ideal, will inevitably develop major medical problems. "Being obese and female is about as bad as it gets," reports a Danish study, one of the major findings of the 10th International Congress on Obesity. They are subject to reproductive complications, are socially stigmatised, "deprived of friendship, intimate relations, education, income, and respect." If women have it bad, children have it worse. The US Institute of Medicine reports that TV advertising is associated with adiposity among children. Britain's Food Standards found a probable link between junk food and children's weight gain. Prime Minister Blair committed �280 million to improve school dinners for children. A study from Scotland concluded that their estimated one million obese adults, have a twofold increase in age-related macular degeneration -- the leading cause of sight loss in the UK. Trish Richmond of Motherwell, whose blindness was caused by overweight complained that she had no idea her excess weight would lead to blindness. "If they had told me that, I would have been more motivated to lose weight." We are now forewarned. The risk of losing our sight, the most precious of our senses, may put some sense into our diet habits, and motivate us to seek a healthier, happier, longer life. If we watch what we eat, limit our fat intake, walk 30-45 minutes a day, a better tomorrow awaits us. The destiny of countries depends on the way they feed themselves. -- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)
