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Observations: Weighty Problems
by A. Yechiel
A new study by the World Watch Institute in Washington
reveals that approximately 1.1 billion of the 6 billion
people on earth are overweight, and their numbers
continue to rise. The unaffiliated research institute
notes that for the first time in history, a majority of
adults in a number of countries suffer from obesity: 61
percent in the U.S., 54 percent in Russia and 51 percent
in Great Britain. In Germany the number hovers around
the 50 percent mark, and more than half of all Europeans
between the ages of 35 and 65 weigh more than what
doctors recommend. This trend stands out not only in
wealthy nations, but in several developing nations as
well.
The price of the extra pounds is high: heart attacks,
cardiac disease, arthritis, diabetes, colon cancer and
cancer in women are becoming more and more common among
overweight people. According to estimates, in the U.S.
alone 300,000 people die every year due to diseases
associated with excess weight.
The study also found that overweight people have a 30
percent greater chance of being involved in work-related
accidents. Four thousand industrial workers in 21 large
factories were surveyed. In order to process the data
the researchers compared two groups of employees:
workers with normal body weight and workers who suffer
from obesity. (Obesity was defined as 20 pounds over the
preferred range.)
The results were surprising. Regardless of working
conditions, overweight people had a higher likelihood of
being involved in accidents on the job. The researchers
attributed the results to the fact that fat people are
more tired and less alert.
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