NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
October 28, 1999
Estimates suggest that more than half of American adults are overweight or obese. The disease and deaths linked to obesity emphasize the need for concerted efforts to prevent and treat it, say authors of a research article appearing in a recent issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). When it comes to prevention, two educators with the North Dakota State University Extension Service have some advice about weight management.
"The answer to the overweight issue isn't going to be found in fad diets such as the popular Atkin's Diet and other high-protein diets," says Julie Garden-Robinson, extension food and nutrition specialist at NDSU. "The real answer to weight management lies in controlling portion size and engaging in physical activity. Even small lifestyle changes can affect overall health."
The authors of the JAMA article examined the relationship between weight and disease, and focused on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, coronary heart disease, high blood cholesterol level, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. From survey results, the researchers found that about 63 percent of men and 55 percent of women ages 25 or older in the U.S. population were overweight or obese. Specifically, 42 percent of men and 28 percent of women were overweight, and 21 percent of men and 27 percent of women were obese.
The researchers used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), which was conducted during the periods 1988-1991 and 1991-1994. The authors looked at survey results on 16,884 adults ages 25 and older who were classified as overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI).
In the United States, BMI is calculated by dividing weight (pounds) by height (inches) by height again and then taking that figure times 705, explains Garden-Robinson. For example, a male who weighs 180 pounds and is 6 feet tall (72 inches) would have a BMI of 24.5 (180/72 = 2.5/72 = 0.03 x 705 = 24.5).
U.S. men and women with a BMI exceeding 30 are considered to be obese. Having a BMI of 25 to 29.9 puts people in the moderately overweight category, according to the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. People with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 are considered to be of normal weight.
An estimated 280,000 deaths annually are attributed to obesity.
"For both men and women, high blood pressure was the most common overweight- and obesity-related health condition, and its prevalence showed a strong increase with increasing weight status category," the authors of the JAMA article write.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease and osteoarthritis increased sharply among both overweight and obese men and women corresponding with the increasing weight classes, the authors say. A high blood cholesterol level was prevalent among both men and women but showed no increased prevalence with increasing weight status. However, men and women with BMIs of 25 or more were more likely than people of normal weight to have high blood cholesterol levels.
"This all sounds very alarming, and it is a problem, but any successful weight-loss effort must begin with small steps," says Joyce Merkel, extension nutrition specialist at NDSU. "We know that even a weight loss of 10 pounds can have beneficial effects on hypertension and other chronic conditions. And there is still some controversy surrounding what makes up `ideal weight.'"
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Sources: Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
Joyce Merkel (701) 231-7760
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136