Why We're Fat

Most of this information is summarized from a much longer 4-part article in The Orlando Sentinel. It was sent to me by Lorna, a friend who is arranging a tour of the Sanford Burnham Institute in La Jolla for a group of us in March. She sent us a link to their new website news@sanfordburnham.org to whet our appetites. Much of this article in the Orlando Sentinel was based on the scientific research being done at Sanford Burnham.

Why we're fat is a simple question with many complex answers. It's not just that we should exercise more and eat less. Of course that would help, but it's a bit more complicated. It all started in the 1970's with the Food Pyramid guidlines to healthy eating. The pyramid led to increased consumption of refined carbohydrates. The pyramid recommended 7 portions of day of bread, pasta, rice, etc. The die was cast. Sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, cheap forms of sugar, are found in most everything we drink, and many things we eat, likely have contributed to insulin resistance and diabetes. The more resistant your tissues are to insulin, the more you move calories into your fat tissues, causing you to burn less and store more. Americans currently consume three times more sugar than the recommended daily allowance.

In the 1970's, 14% of Americans were obese. In 2010, 34% of Americans are obese. (more than 20% over their desired weight). Why? Here are a few reasons.

1. Calorie consumption. Today, Americans eat on average 300 more claories a day than they did in 1985, and 600 more than in 1970.

2. Bigger portions. Americans value super-sized products. Amping up portions of cheap food is an inexpensive way to attract customres. 20 years ago the average bagel was 3 inches wide and 140 calories. Today it's 6 inches wide and 350 calories, although consumers still count the super sized bagel as one serving. Research shows that people eat more if more is presented to them. Go to Claim Jumper, Mimi's Cafe or Red Lobster and check out the portions. No wonder Americans are so fat.

3. Fewer breast-fed babies. Children who are breast-fed have lower rates of obesity, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

4. Westernization. Obesity happens when populations become westernized. People who eat an ancestral diet don't have nearly as high an incidence of diabetes, cancer or heart disease as those living in Western societies do. Go back to the 19th century, add sugar and refined grains, and you get obesity. Just look at the obesity figures for Japan from 1960-present. As they have westernized their diet, their rate of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity have dramatically increased.

The food pyramid of years ago has been modified. It is now call My plates. It contains less carbohydrates and more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eliminating sugary sodas, sweets and refined starches, and watching your portion size, will all help to reduce obesity. Be aware of how foods effect insulin levels. This will help with weight control and diabetes.

It's not gluttony or lack of willpower that makes Americans fat. It's the factors I have listed above, and the result of the way our genes interact with an environment that is stacked against them.

For lots more interesting information on what's being done in many areas of scientific research, go to the Sanford Burnham Institute web page and find out more. After my tour of the intitute, I will update you on more interesting research being done in our own backyard.