Friday, January 15, 2010

The Obesity Peak

One of my theories is that many human behavioral and cultural trends are directly tied to the expansion and contraction of the economic system. If credit expands, so do waistlines. As stated in my New Years Day post, I believe that as credit contracts so will many other things....materialism, gluttony, obesity (aka The Supersize Me Era). The Wall Street Journal reported this week that obesity may have peaked. Peak oil and now peak obesity!

One-Third of American Adults Are Obese, but Rate Slows
WASHINGTON—"One-third of American adults are obese, according to new U.S. government figures released Wednesday, but the rate of increase seen in recent decades has slowed. Figures from the National Center for Health Statistics showed 34% of American adults age 20 and older were obese in 2007-08 while 68% were considered overweight or obese. In children ages 2 through 19, 17% were considered obese while 32% were considered overweight. Broadly, the figures are similar to rates seen in 1999-2000. 'Obesity remains high and is a significant public-health problem in the U.S.,' said Cynthia Ogden, one of the main researchers involved in tabulating the data and an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's health-statistics unit. But, she said, the rapid increases in obesity rates seen during the 1980s and 1990s are slowing for most groups." Source: The Wall Street Journal

"Gluttony and obesity will evolve back to more natural levels."
Random Roving - January 1, 2010

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