A new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine predicts that one in two Americans will be obese by 2030, and one in four will be “severely obese.”
This is the article:
“Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity”
And the link:
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1909301
In almost 30 states, the prevalence of obesity will be above 50 percent. No states will have obesity rates lower than 35 percent.
Even worse, in 25 states, the prevalence of severe obesity will be higher than 25 percent, and severe obesity will be the most common weight category among women, non-Hispanic black adults, and low-income adults nationally.
THIS IS INSANE.
It’s difficult to overstate the implications of these findings. These alarming increases in obesity prevalence are like the canary in the coal mine.
Obesity isn’t just a cosmetic issue; it’s a serious health problem. It increases the risk of:
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- Some cancers (breast, colon, endometrium, gallbladder, kidney, and liver)
- Sleep apnea
It’s also a clear sign of the mismatch between our modern environment and our genes and biology.
Our brains are programmed to seek out highly rewarding, calorie-dense foods. This protected us from survival in our natural environment, but in a world where highly processed and refined foods are cheap and readily available, it’s a prescription for overeating and obesity.
As one of the study authors, Dr. Bleich, remarked in The New York Times:
“It doesn’t take that many extra calories to result in weight gain. Through marketing, we’re constantly being sold on foods we didn’t even know we wanted. We’re all about immediate rewards. We’re not thinking about the future, which is why we’re going to see more than half the population obese in 10 years.”
Think about that.
In just 10 years, in virtually all of our lifetimes, most Americans will be obese.
This is why I’ve become such a passionate advocate for health coaching.
We’re not going to solve this problem with more information.
As I said above, we’re fighting against hard-wired brain mechanisms that make overeating and obesity the default in a world where highly processed and refined food is on every corner, or just a few taps in a food delivery app away.
Simply giving people information and educating them doesn’t stand a chance in the face of these biological impulses.
In this environment, seeking health becomes a revolutionary act.
We have to actively and consistently resist the influence of our modern environment and overcome our brain’s hardwired programming.
This means changing our behavior in thorough and lasting ways.
The first step I tell people to do is to lower your carbs/sugar. This is the key to optimal health!
And this is the key to weight loss. Studies after studies demonstrate this point. A low-carb diet is critical for weight loss.
However, I have seen a phenomenon where, despite a great diet, people can’t lose weight.
There are a few reasons for it.
First, in women mostly, the cause of stubborn weight is hormonal. Fixing the hormonal system is the thing to do when weight is not coming off.
Which brings us to the second point: the “obesogen” hypothesis.
Your body does its best to protect you from toxins by creating fat cells around toxins and move them away from vital organs.
The issue with this is these fat cells are hard to release from the body. Since they were created because of toxins, they do not function like healthy fat cells.
Toxins seem to love the thyroid. Your thyroid helps your body use energy, regulates body temperatures, and keeps your brain, heart, and other organs working as they should.
Your thyroid also has a very important job when it comes to weight. It regulates your metabolism. This means it is the master of keeping you at your current weight.
When your thyroid is under attack by toxins from your environment, food, or water you consume, you won’t be able to burn fat as you usually do, and gaining weight will be the result.
Not only is your thyroid affected by toxins, but many processes slow down when toxins are running through your body.
You can read more about this hypothesis:
“Chemical Toxins: A Hypothesis to Explain the Global Obesity Epidemic.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12006126/
and
https://drhyman.com/downloads/Toxins-and-Obesity.pdf
At the end of the day, I firmly believe that environmental toxins are the main driver of the obesity epidemic.
A good detox is necessary to address this issue.
God bless y’all 😊
Dr. Serge
