Obesogens: An Environmental Link to Obesity

[CWS4322]

I found this interesting:

Environmental Health Perspectives: Obesogens: An Environmental Link to Obesity

 

[Soma]

Link doesn't work for me.

 

[CWS4322]

Environmental Health Perspectives: Obesogens: An Environmental Link to Obesity

I used the link inserter...odd. I cut and pasted the above, it works for me.

 

[Steve Kroll]

It's interesting, but I ain't buying it. It sounds like a convenient excuse for obesity to me. Let's blame everything on the environment rather than simply admitting that many of us (myself included) have a tendency to be overeating couch potatoes.

 

[taxlady]

It's interesting, but I ain't buying it. It sounds like a convenient excuse for obesity to me. Let's blame everything on the environment rather than simply admitting that many of us (myself included) have a tendency to be overeating couch potatoes.

Then why are our pets getting fatter too, even urban rats?

 

[taxlady]

Thanks for the link CWS4322.

 

[CWS4322]

I found the paragraph about BPA thought-provoking, and thought of you TL! I also thought the information about low-birth weight babies interesting.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Then why are our pets getting fatter too, even urban rats?

Hate to say it, but our pets eat as much processed food as we do these days. Take a look at the ingredients on a bag of dog food. Also, if the owners aren't exercising, I guarantee the pets aren't, either. Even urban rats are extensions of what we eat, since they consume our throwaways.

I just think there are so many other obvious things that tie in to obesity rates than invisible environmental factors.

A few examples.

• More and more people work at jobs where they spend the day sitting on their behinds. In the past, most jobs required physical activity.
• The so-called "green revolution" has completely changed how our food gets from farm to table. You are what you eat, and these days we tend to eat animals that have spent their lives consuming simple carbohydrates.
• Portion sizes have grown in leaps and bounds as food has become more affordable. I know there are those who will argue how expensive food is these days, but if you look at the percentage of our income that is spent on food in comparison to other countries, we really have it pretty good in most of North America and Europe.
• Fast food. I know people I work with who eat lunch at fast food restaurants every single day. I can't say they are all heavy, but many of them are. And as if that weren't enough, they take their families out to the same places for dinner. Unless you really pay close attention to what you eat at these places, there is a lot of calories being consumed.

The list goes on and on.

I'm not saying that all "obesogens" are imaginary, but it's way too easy to claim overweight is caused by things beyond our control. That's a victim mentality.

I'm a somewhat heavy guy, but I can say with a degree of relative certainty that it was my own doing that got me to this point. Shortly after I began working at a desk some 20 years ago, my trouser size began increasing. Same thing when I gave up smoking. Coincidence?

 

[taxlady]

Hate to say it, but our pets eat as much processed food as we do these days. Take a look at the ingredients on a bag of dog food. Also, if the owners aren't exercising, I guarantee the pets aren't, either. Even urban rats are extensions of what we eat, since they consume our throwaways.

...

I think you just made my point for me. As they wrote in the article, the effects are worst when people overeat and don't get enough exercise.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Then why are our pets getting fatter too, even urban rats?

I think even urban rats have it easier than the rats in the old days.

Metabolism plays a small part in obesity but, like James Brown says "ya gotta get up offa that thing"!