Australia Climbs In Obesity Rankings

[icyfroth]

The rapidly increasing number of overweight Australians has seen the country overtake Canada in the obesity rankings, with 28.3 percent of adults tipping the scales.

Australia is behind the United States, Mexico and New Zealand in the OECD's annual ‘Health at a Glance’ report.

Despite this, Australia ranks 18th when it comes to children being overweight, below the OECD average.

The OECD shows a negligible gender gap for obesity in Australia, while women in countries like Mexico, Chile, South Africa and Turkey are much more likely to be overweight.

India, Indonesia and China have the lowest rate of obesity in the OECD.

Australia is number one for fruit and vegetable consumption, while Finland, which has substantially fewer obese people, is at the bottom of the rankings.

Australia also has one of the lowest rates of smoking, with only 15 percent of people having a cigarette daily.

Life expectancy at birth in Australia is 82 years old, the seventh best in the OECD and two years higher than average.

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Hmmm. I wish I'd read this before I had a slice of Christmas cake for my morning tea.

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

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@my*mum wrote:
My FIL has some type of diabetes and whatever medication he is on is causing really scary weight gain.quick as too. We've got him with a dietician, personal trainer, the works, and we just can't control it.

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Alot of medications can cause weight gain..It's not the patients fault.

[polksaladallie]

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@**meep** wrote:

What medical conditions cause weight gain?   I can only think of one.

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Medical Reasons for Weight Gain

Several conditions can cause weight gain or hinder weight loss, says Rebecca Kurth, MD, director of PrimeCare at Columbia-Presbyterian Eastside and associate professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University.

Among them, Kurth says, are:

• Chronic stress. When you live with anxiety, stress, or grief, your body can produce chemical substances -- like the hormone cortisol -- that make your body more likely to store fat, especially around the waist. That's the type of weight gain that really increases your risk of serious health problems. (Extra weight around the hips and thighs poses fewer health risks.)
• Cushing's syndrome. This happens when the adrenal glands (located on top of each kidney) produce too much cortisol, which leads to a buildup of fat in the face, upper back, and abdomen.
• Hypothyroidism. If your thyroid is underactive, your body may not produce enough thyroid hormone to help burn stored fat. As a result, your metabolism is slower and you will store more fat than you burn -- especially if you're not physically active.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This disease, the result of a hormonal imbalance, afflicts more than 5 million women in the US. Common symptoms are irregular menstrual bleeding, acne, excessive facial hair, thinning hair, difficulty getting pregnant, and weight gain that is not caused by excessive eating.
• Syndrome X. Also called insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia (high insulin levels), syndrome X goes hand-in-hand with weight gain. Syndrome X is a cluster of health conditions thought to be rooted in insulin resistance. When your body is resistant to the hormone insulin, other hormones that help control your metabolism don't work as well.
• Depression. Many people who are depressed turn to eating to ease their emotional distress.
• Hormonal changes in women. Some women may gain weight at times in their lives when there is a shift in their hormones -- at puberty, during pregnancy, and at menopause.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56872

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

There also brain diseases and even sleep apnea can make people gain weight.

[joz*garage]

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@icyfroth wrote:

I find just eating less helps

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@icyfroth wrote:

I find just eating less helps

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yeah, pays to be aware of not over doing it, the belly only needs to be a quarter full

when fairly active though i find i need eat more often, to make up for the energy used

(personally, i wouldnt go depriving myself, i'd add the excersise component)

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

What a shallow ignorant society we live in, that we assume everyone who is over weight should move more and eat less.

[joz*garage]

do you have an uncontrollable weight problem siggie?

is it a common thing?

[love*today]

Omg yeah "some" people do have medical reasons but why try and assume that everyone overweight does?

We need to promote fitness more in this country IMO and get rid of the xcuses.

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

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@joz*garage wrote:

do you have an uncontrollable weight problem siggie?

is it a common thing?

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No Joz.

It's called empathy.

[*crikey*mate*]

Well if you believe Science, when things get hot, they expand. So maybe overweight people are just "hot"

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

Do you believe that medical reasons are just an excuse?.........goodgrief.