It is refreshing to read the article that was published today at the Los Angeles Times with regards to the obesity epidemic, while at the same time scary to read the facts.
* Two out of three adults and one out of five children in the U.S. are obese or overweight.
* Childhood obesity can lead to depression, anxiety, asthma and joint problems and is the single biggest predictor of diabetes.
* Healthcare providers, increasingly diagnosing the condition in children, have stopped calling Type-2 diabetes “adult onset.”
* Scientists estimate that due to complications related to childhood obesity, today’s youngsters could be the first generation to live fewer years than their parents.
* The direct medical costs of obesity total about $147 billion annually, almost twice the amount since the CDC first considered costs in 1998, and more than $50 billion more than is spent fighting cancer each year, according to a study funded by the CDC Foundation and released Monday.
It is about time that more attention is given to such a societal thorn and even though the focus is on providing healthy choices and increasing physical activity at schools, I would like to see more education as well. Education on nutrition and on healthy lifestyles will bring transformation and long lasting results.
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