In a recent post published at Sixty & Me, Dr. Sasse wrote about obesity and laziness. While many people persist in blaming the former on the latter, there’s so much more to the story. Read on for highlights and then make sure to check out the post in full at Sixty & Me.
From the Post
“Fifty years into the obesity epidemic, people are quick to blame excessive weight on laziness. Well, I hate to dispel what would be a convenient explanation (although one that blames the individuals suffering with it), but obesity is not caused by laziness. Here’s what’s really going on.”
The post includes a table on the prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults between the ages of 20 and 74, with data derived from NHANES. The graph shows a significant uptick between 1960 and the projected date of 2030.
“Now, ask yourself if people these days are truly any lazier than people were in the 1960s. The answer is no. In fact, researchers describe a more frenetic pace of life and more intentional physical workouts to combat obesity among U.S. adults in these modern times.
So, what accounts for the dramatic increase in obesity, if not a wholesale character flaw of laziness among everyone we know? The answer is that we have not changed – not our genetics and not what makes us tick as human beings, but that the environment in which we live has. It is both as simple and as deeply complex as that.”
Dr. Sasse explains the obesogenic environment, which refers to “the complex interplay of factors within our surroundings that promote weight gain and obesity. These factors are incompletely understood but start and end with biochemistry, although along the way, there are additional things like physical, social, economic, and policy-related components.”
Then, he outlines major changes that have occurred in our environment, which have contributed to rising obesity rates around the world. These include:
- pharmaceuticals
- food staples such as wheat
- obesogens like BPA, PFCs, pesticides, and PCBs
Next, Dr. Sasse outlines other factors in play, including:
- gut microbiome
- dietary patterns
- portion sizes
- sedentary lifestyles
- urbanization
- marketing and advertising messaging promoting unhealthy foods
- accessibility and convenience
- social norms
- economic factors
- policy and regulation
- medical conditions
The takeaway here is, as Dr. Sasse explains, that the obesity epidemic is both complex and multi-faceted. “Blaming laziness completely misses the true causes, oversimplifies the problem, and fails to address the root causes of obesity,” he adds.
Get the full post at Sixty & Me now. Ready to learn more about treatments for weight loss? We’re happy to help! Contact the Nevada Surgical team today.
