Executive Summary One in four people on this earth is overweight, a fifth of whom are obese. In the western world, one in two people is overweight. In the United States, two out of every three people are overweight, half of whom are obese (Sciolino, 2006). Being overweight or obese is directly associated with more than 30 different health conditions, including heart disease, various types of cancer, and diabetes. For example, the risk of heart disease, the number one killer worldwide, triples when a person is overweight. Of all people with type II diabetes, more than 90 percent are overweight (WHO, 2003). Due to the health problems caused by increasing weight, obesity is expected to bring the historical increase in life expectancy to a halt (Seidell & Visscher, 2001). Obesity is measured from one’s body mass index, or BMI, which is a ratio of weight to height. Example calculations are shown in Table 1. A BMI of greater than 25 is considered overweight, and a BMI of greater than 30 is considered obese. While one out of three Americans is obese, only one out of ten French is obese. France has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. However, obesity rates are starting to rise in France. Currently, adult obesity is increasing 6 percent annually and child obesity is rising 17 percent every year (Lee-St John, 2005). Experts predict the rates of obesity in France will rival today’s rates in America by 2020 (Sciolino, 2006). In this report I compare the eating habits of the French to American eating habits, I analyze the past success of the French in fighting obesity, I investigate the recent increase of obesity in France, and I explore recommendations for reversing the trends in both countries.
Table 1: The Body Mass Index in pounds and inches. Source: US Department of Health & Human Services
One idea to promote healthy weight in the United States is dieting. However, dieting can be counterproductive to both one’s health and weight. Since the 1970’s, consumption of fats in the United States has dropped tremendously, yet obesity has skyrocketed. Eating less fat actually encourages fat storage in the body (Clower 2003). The added sugars in low fat foods cause a depletion of blood sugar, which instigates a large appetite soon after one is finished eating. This depletion causes overeating and snacking, which contribute significantly to the rise in obesity rates. The French, on the other hand, eat rich, unprocessed foods. They avoid manufactured foods: from low fat products to soft drinks. The rich foods they eat tend to be more satisfying because they facilitate the production of cholecystokinin, a chemical which signals to the brain that the body is full and satisfied (Clower 2003). Eating habits matter just as much as the food which is eaten. In France, meals are served in courses. The courses do not come until everyone is done with the previous one, and people do not start eating until everyone has their food. The Figure 1: A comparison of percentages of obese people in the US and Europe. fork is put down, and the food is Source: World Health Organization swallowed before shoveling the next bite into the mouth. This allows for more time to talk, thus extending the meal even more. This strategy
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prevents overeating, since it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain it is full. The servings are also smaller in France. In a study of 11 comparable restaurants in Paris and in Philadelphia, it was found that on average, the American plate was 25 percent larger. The difference is even noted at supermarkets, where the products are on average 37 percent bigger in America (Rozin 2003). Overall, the French traditional eating habits are healthier. However, these healthy French traditions are fading away. The long, sit down lunches the French used to embrace are disappearing, being replaced by easier, quicker meals. A mere 25 years ago, the average French meal lasted 88 minutes. Today it lasts only 38 minutes (Sciolino, 2006). The foods the French eat are also changing. The rich foods the French always used to consume are being replaced by processed and fast food because it is easier – more than a million French eat McDonald’s everyday. In order for such a complex problem to be solved, one must look at the causes. In America, some blame it on eating habits, the sedentary lifestyle, or even high fructose corn syrup. Others blame it on the government, the restaurant industry, or even the absence of knowledge about the problem. As you can see from figure 2, US obesity rates remained stable in the 60s and 70s. The first reason for this stability is there were more family meals at home in the 70s. Between 1960 and 1980, when obesity rates were steady, the number of restaurants in America actually fell, but since 1980 the number of restaurants has skyrocketed. Americans eat out twice as much as 30 years ago, and on average twice as many calories are consumed when eating out (Grossman & Rashad, 2004). Secondly, portion sizes were smaller in the 70s. The average plate at a restaurant has increased 27 percent from 20 years ago (Cox, 2003). Also, due to technological advances in agriculture, grocery prices have fell causing a much Figure 2: The prevalence of obesity in the US higher demand for food and excess buying at Source: CDC 2006, Grossman 2004 supermarkets (Grossman & Rashad, 2004). Exercise has also been on the decline. Since the early 80s, exercise rates have declined 15 percent, and among children 12-17 years old, they have plunged 41 percent (ASD, 2006). Today, only 15 percent of Americans exercise regularly (Cohen & Farley, 2004). It seems American culture is engineered to promote obesity. Vehicles take over for walking, machines take over for manual labor, suburban developments make driving a necessity, and Americans are tired and overworked. In Los Angeles, the average worker works 2022 hours per year, 461 more hours than the average Parisian. That is almost 12 full 40 hour work weeks more (UBS, 2003). This leaves a lot more time for French to engage in healthy activities. In France, most things shut down in the early afternoon and are not open on Sundays. Workers can have almost a month of vacation a year, whereas most Americans are lucky to get more than a week. All of these things contribute to obesity in some way, so all need to be considered. To fight this epidemic, the individual and society have to work together. The individual is responsible for what he or she eats, how much he or she exercises, or what he or she teaches the children about healthy lifestyles. The first step for the individual should be to implement the old French or even the old American habits because these old habits are healthier than today’s French and American habits. The barrier, however, is the environment, which greatly influences the individual’s decisions and the ability to make them. This is why the government also needs to look into how it can help in the fight against obesity. It should put nutritious foods back in schools, require more physical education, or even redesign suburban developments. In America, companies should consider giving their employees less hours or more vacation days. In order to win the fight, everyone has to give a little. Fighting this epidemic will not be easy for the individual or for society, but the pay off is worth it – a clean bill of health.
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