Link Between Obesity, Premature Death

by Sam Beli 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Sam Beli

  As a kid growing up in the JW world it always bothered me that the WTS placed so little emphasis on obesity when it sought to place so much control on other aspects of the life of the rank-in-file. Personally, I have no use for smoking, but I always thought that being overweight was at least as "bad" as smoking for ones health and I never understood why they ignored (and left in place fat elders) obesity while Dfing smokers. It seemed hypocritical to me; still does. Below is evidence that I had a point.

  "Study Charts Link Between Obesity, Premature Death

  Mon Jan 6, 5:55 PM ET

  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Being overweight doesn't only increase the threat of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, it can actually rob years from your life, according to a new study released on Monday.

  Dutch researchers, examining the medical records of 3,457 U.S. adults who were middle-aged in 1950 found that obesity may shorten life expectancy by a magnitude similar to smoking among people who became obese by the age of 40.

  Women who were obese at 40 lost 7.1 years of life, while obese men lost 5.8 years, compared with normal-weight people.

  A person is obese when he or she weighs over 20 percent more than maximum healthy body weight.

  Study results were worst for obese people who smoked, with obese male smokers losing 13.7 years of life and obese female smokers 13.3 years, compared with normal-weight nonsmokers.

  But even nonsmokers who were simply overweight, and not obese, by the age of 40, lived lives that were shorter -- by 3.3 years for women and by 3.1 years for men.

  "The smoking epidemic in the western world is waning. However, a new fear should be the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in young adults, which heralds another potentially preventable public health disaster," the study's authors warned.

  The study, which appeared in the American College of Physicians' Annals of Internal Medicine, surfaces at a time when an increasing number of Americans face weight problems.

  Recent studies have shown that up to 64 percent of U.S. adults were overweight and 31 percent obese in 2000, up from 56 percent overweight and 23 percent obese a decade earlier.

  The latest study, conducted by researchers from Rotterdam's Erasmus Medical Center and the University of Groningen, was based on the Framingham Heart Study, which provides health information on residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, dating back to 1948.

  The research was financed by grants from the Netherlands Heart Foundation and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research."
• 

  EMTmom

  I just read this last night and said something to my husband (who is still a VERY faithful JW ). I asked him why he couldn't talk to his sister anymore because she smoked, but yet his other JW sister who is 300 lbs. overweight hasn't been disfellowshipped. He didn't have an answer.

  I know the answer though. Every Elder but one at his Hall is overweight. I don't have any room to talk because I am also (although I am working on it successfully). The double standard just floors me.

  I mainly lurk out of secret because the Hubby is not fond of me being on these "apostate" boards, but I just had to comment about this. This really bugs me!

  EMTmom
• 

  peacefulpete

  Not to defend any position of the JWs but this is not a legitimate beef. Smoking is a voluntary behavior and in at least SOME cases obesity results from pychological and/or physical abnormalities. It is like saying really tall people should be df'd. And no I'm not overweight. I do remember a funny comment made some years ago in the WT made in an effort to define gluttony. It remarked that "if your days activities revolve around your meals then you may have an idolotrous view of food". Guess thats everyone.
• 

  email

  I have no use for smoking, but I always thought that being overweight was at least as "bad" as smoking for ones health and I never understood why they ignored

  I've always wondered the same thing... and I also agree with

  in at least SOME cases obesity results from pychological and/or physical abnormalities.

  But the point is... those few cases aside... they treat smoking which is contaminating your body in a totally different way than when you contaminate your body with bad cholesterol and other toxins we knowingly take.

  If the WT is going to take everything to the extreme they should take this to the extreme also.

  Edited by - email on 7 January 2003 11:4:1
• 

  Crazy151drinker

  The BMI is not the greatest tool for measurement. According to their BMI's, Arnold Swartzenegger, and THE ROCK are obese, and Michael Jordan is overweight!!! The BMI does not factor in Muscle Mass. I am 5'11 and I weigh 225lbs. While I could stand to lose the little tire I grew from eating during the hollidays and drinking during the Packer games I am FAR from Obese. Even the little GNC Store says that im over my 'Ideal' wieght by 40+lbs!! Sorry, but thats a bunch of bull.
• 

  Englishman

  I'm normally about 10 pounds over my ideal weight. However I have put on another 8 pounds over the 2 week festivities with too much food and too little exercise.

  Now I'm back to zooming up and down a ladder most days I expect to lose it quite quickly, just to make sure, I'm living on fat-burner soup!

  Englishman. Body mass 28.5.

  Edited by - Englishman on 7 January 2003 12:19:54
• 

  Crazy151drinker

  Good luck with the Soup! Can you ship some over here?? I have been eating WAY 2 many Chorizo breakfast burritos. Well that all ends today. I need to get back to were I was in the beggining of Dec. Ok, thats it. Im going to the gym tonight to do some Bench Pressing.
• 

  Crazy151drinker

  Body Mass Index Web Calculator Note: A BMI greater than 25 may or may not be due to increases in body fat. For example, professional athletes may be lean and muscular, with little body fat, yet they may weigh more than individuals with the same height because of their muscle mass regardless of BMI. Note for children: BMI is age and gender specific. Because BMI changes substantially as children get older, BMI-for-age is the measure used for children ages 2 to 20 years. BMI-for-age is plotted on growth charts by healthcare professionals. These calculators require a JavaScript-enabled Web browser to operate. Alternately, you may make use of the mathematical formulas. English Calculation Height: feet and inch(es) Weight: lbs. Your BMI:
• 

  yard dog

  I have recently found my self wondering the same thing. My mom has battled her weight much of the last 25 years reaching a max of around 300lbs. My sister struggles with the same problem. I believe there are medical conditions that contribute to obesity so blanket judgement could never be possible but i also believe there are lazy,self indulgent people who don't care what they put in their bodies. My mom and sister both spent years drinking soda,eating chips and dip,cheese and crackers,pizza,Mc Donalds and so on and doing so to extreme without ever attempting to exercise. Considering the damage this behavior does to ones body this in my opinion could be classified as "defiling the flesh" or at the least a lack of self control. I don't believe these persons should be difellowshipped as i believe we all have character flaws or "demons" in our life that we would be better off overcoming but struggle to do so. The society probably will never go down that road though as lawsuits galore would abound but it does seem to be a double standard.
• 

  Sam Beli

  Thank you everyone for your observations.

  Pete said: "

  Not to defend any position of the JWs but this is not a legitimate beef. Smoking is a voluntary behavior and in at least SOME cases obesity results from pychological and/or physical abnormalities. It is like saying really tall people should be df'd. And no I'm not overweight. I do remember a funny comment made some years ago in the WT made in an effort to define gluttony. It remarked that "if your days activities revolve around your meals then you may have an idolotrous view of food". Guess thats everyone.

  Sorry Pete, but I must disagree. In almost all cases obesity is a voluntary behavior every bit as much as smoking is. Eat more than a person burns and that person will gain weight. Simple as that. Below is what the Surgeon General says.

  The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesit

  Overweight and Obesity: At a Glance

  THE FACTS ABOUT OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

  • 61% of adults in the United States were overweight or obese (BMI > 25)* in 1999.
  • 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years were overweight* in 1999. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past 2 decades.
  • The increases in overweight and obesity cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and both genders.
  • 300,000 deaths each year in the United States are associated with obesity.
  • Overweight and obesity are associated with heart disease, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems, and psychological disorders, such as depression.
  • The economic cost of obesity in the United States was about $117 billion in 2000.

  HEALTH DISPARITIES

  Based on national survey data collected between 1988 and 1994:

  • The prevalence of overweight and obesity increases until about age 60, after which it begins to decline.
  • In women, overweight and obesity are higher among members of racial and ethnic minority populations than in non-Hispanic white women.
  • In men, Mexican Americans have a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than non-Hispanic whites or non-Hispanic blacks. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in non-Hispanic white men is greater than in non-Hispanic black men.
  • 69% of non-Hispanic black women are overweight or obese compared to 58% of non-Hispanic black men.
  • 62% of non-Hispanic white men are overweight or obese compared to 47% of non-Hispanic white women. However, when looking at obesity alone
    (BMI > 30)*, slightly more non-Hispanic white women are obese compared to non-Hispanic white men (23%; 21%).
  • For all racial and ethnic groups combined, women of lower socioeconomic status (income < 130 percent of poverty threshold) are approximately 50% more likely to be obese than those of higher socioeconomic status.
  • Mexican American boys tend to have a higher prevalence of overweight than non-Hispanic black or non-Hispanic white boys.
  • Non-Hispanic black girls tend to have a higher prevalence of overweight than Mexican American or non-Hispanic white girls.
  • Non-Hispanic white adolescents from lower income families experience a greater prevalence of overweight than those from higher income families.

  CAUSES OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

  • Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance involving excessive calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity.
  • For each individual, body weight is the result of a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic influences.
  • Behavioral and environmental factors are large contributors to overweight and obesity and provide the greatest opportunity for actions and interventions designed for prevention and treatment.

  PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND INACTIVITY

  • It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most days of the week. More may be needed to prevent weight gain, to lose weight, or to maintain weight loss.
  • Less than 1/3 of adults engage in the recommended amounts of physical activity.
  • Many people live sedentary lives; in fact, 40% of adults in the United States do not participate in any leisure time physical activity.
  • 43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day.
  • Physical activity is important in preventing and treating overweight and obesity and is extremely helpful in maintaining weight loss, especially when combined with healthy eating.

  *Please see fact sheet "Measuring Overweight and Obesity" for a definition of Body Mass Index (BMI).