Obese people are contributing to the world food crisis and climate change, experts say.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine calculated the obese consume 18% more calories than average.
They are also responsible for using more fuel, which has an environmental impact and drives up food prices as transport and agriculture both use oil.
The result is that the poor struggle to afford food and greenhouse gas emissions rise, the Lancet reported.
It comes as the World Health Organization predicts the obese population will double by 2015 to 700m.
Transport and food policy and the importance of sustainable transport must not be overlooked
Dr Phil Edwards, report co-author
In the UK, nearly a quarter of adults are classed obese, twice as many as there were in the 1980s.
The team found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 to maintain daily activities - a fifth more than normal.
The higher consumption of food has a two-fold effect, researchers said.
First of all the increasing demand for food, drives up production.
This means that agricultural processes are using more oil to meet demand, which contributes to the rising cost of fuel.
The cost of fuel is then passed on in the cost of food, making it more difficult for poorer areas to afford it.
Prices
What is more, the researchers said obese people are likely to rely on transport more and put more strain on that transport because of their mass, which again drives up prices and usage.
But the researchers said there was a solution.
Phil Edwards, who co-authored the article, said: "Urban transport policies that promote walking and cycling would reduce food prices by reducing the global demand for oil and promotion of a normal weight.
And they added: "Decreased car use would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Transport and food policy and the importance of sustainable transport must not be overlooked."
But Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said it was "stretching it a bit" to blame the obese in the way.
"Really, it is discriminatory towards obese people. They are an easy target at the moment, but I think the causes of climate change and rising food prices is much more complex."
This makes me thankful for having such a narrow ass and never developing much of a belly even in my Fallow Years. I'm not wasting as much resource as the fat assholes in their SUVs.
Of course, we have the food industry and the corn lobby to blame along with the TV and, of course, ourselves for letting it all happen. I'm sure the near-deliberate sabotage of education to make for a more pliant population can also be faulted as well. I still believe these are proximate causes, not the root.
Not only does he not offer a rebuttal, he's exaggerating the original claim.
"I think the causes of climate change and rising food prices is much more complex."
Yeah, no joke buddy, but nobody's saying fat -- ahem, obese, excuse me -- people are solely responsible for climate change or rising food prices, just that they're a contributing factor.
It's not a "stretch" to say that people who consume more affect prices for everyone else, it's a statement of the blindingly obvious.
Didn't you guys hear? It's all glandular! Never mind that when science discovered that about 10% of all obesity is caused by a glandular disorder, it now just so happens that every obese person you see is, in fact, suffering from just that glandular condition! The other 90% are just hiding somewhere. The Sandwich Islands maybe.
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around! If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!! Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
When it all goes to shit and I run through my supply of MREs and dried food, they'll offer a ready source of calories.
Plus warm, cozy hollowed-out carcasses in which to take shelter, when the cold rains come.
just to be safe - Stark, that was a joke. in poor taste. I don't *really* plan on hunting fat people in the post-apocalyptic wasteland and using their carcasses for food and shelter. not *really*. just so you *know*.
I find myself endlessly fascinated by your career - Stark, in a fit of Nerd-Validation, November 3, 2011
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what is so much worse about obesity from smoking (sans second-hand smoke factors)?
"You know what the problem with Hollywood is. They make shit. Unbelievable. Unremarkable. Shit." - Gabriel Shear, Swordfish
"This statement, in its utterly clueless hubristic stupidity, cannot be improved upon. I merely quote it in admiration of its perfection." - Garibaldi in reply to an incredibly stupid post.
The Fifth Illuminatus Primus | Warsie | Skeptical Empiricist | Florida Gator | Sustainability Advocate | LibertarianSocialist |
Illuminatus Primus wrote:I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what is so much worse about obesity from smoking (sans second-hand smoke factors)?
Take away second-hand smoke, and I don't really have any objection to sitting between two smokers, on an airplane.
Replace two smokers with a pair of grotesque fatasses, and it's a different situation.
I find myself endlessly fascinated by your career - Stark, in a fit of Nerd-Validation, November 3, 2011
Illuminatus Primus wrote:I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what is so much worse about obesity from smoking (sans second-hand smoke factors)?
Did you not read the article? Obese people consume a disproportionate amount of our resources. It's like asking what's wrong with single-occupant giant-ass SUVs.
That's not to say I'm a defender of smoking, but obesity does have its own particular environmental impact, and it's a fairly large one (ha ha .. sorry).
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Illuminatus Primus wrote:I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what is so much worse about obesity from smoking (sans second-hand smoke factors)?
Did you not read the article? Obese people consume a disproportionate amount of our resources. It's like asking what's wrong with single-occupant giant-ass SUVs.
Uh, I hate smoking. My issue was one of a public relations one, not actual impact. Smoking has a few defenders but they are hardly as a shrill and ridiculous in my experience as people who defend obesity or the obese. They actually act as if they are victims, or spin ridiculous yarns about how it isn't their fault. Most smokers in my experience may be cagey about their ability to smoke but don't pretend its not bad and they are not just addicted. You don't have smoking groups like fat groups in this article. We're expected to accomodate and not discourage obesity, while its perfectly fine to shit on smokers and kick them out of restaurants and bars. Its true its harder to legislate, but the double-standard irritates me.
Darth Wong wrote:That's not to say I'm a defender of smoking, but obesity does have its own particular environmental impact, and it's a fairly large one (ha ha .. sorry).
If anything, obesity might be worse overall (hard sell versus the deleterious effects of second-hand smoke against innocent bystanders, but the sheer number of obese people and their consumption of resources stands out too), but are they ever more sanctimonious.
"You know what the problem with Hollywood is. They make shit. Unbelievable. Unremarkable. Shit." - Gabriel Shear, Swordfish
"This statement, in its utterly clueless hubristic stupidity, cannot be improved upon. I merely quote it in admiration of its perfection." - Garibaldi in reply to an incredibly stupid post.
The Fifth Illuminatus Primus | Warsie | Skeptical Empiricist | Florida Gator | Sustainability Advocate | LibertarianSocialist |
Illuminatus Primus wrote:If anything, obesity might be worse overall (hard sell versus the deleterious effects of second-hand smoke against innocent bystanders, but the sheer number of obese people and their consumption of resources stands out too), but are they ever more sanctimonious.
That's true; fat advocacy groups use the word "bigotry" to describe any action which discriminates against fat people, no matter how justified it is. For example, fat people on airplanes who can't fit into their assigned seat, and who expect the airline to give them extra room without paying for it. Or the fat woman who couldn't fit behind her steering wheel in the car, and sued the police department for discrimination when they charged her for driving in an unsafe manner by sitting to the side and using her left foot to operate the gas and brake pedals.
It's also downright shameful how many people with handicapped permits on their cars are just fat. That's the problem with classifying morbid obesity as a disability.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Illuminatus Primus wrote:
Uh, I hate smoking. My issue was one of a public relations one, not actual impact. Smoking has a few defenders but they are hardly as a shrill and ridiculous in my experience as people who defend obesity or the obese. They actually act as if they are victims, or spin ridiculous yarns about how it isn't their fault. Most smokers in my experience may be cagey about their ability to smoke but don't pretend its not bad and they are not just addicted. You don't have smoking groups like fat groups in this article. We're expected to accomodate and not discourage obesity, while its perfectly fine to shit on smokers and kick them out of restaurants and bars. Its true its harder to legislate, but the double-standard irritates me.
There are legitimate medical conditions that can lead to obesity, unlike smoking. So it's not really a double-standard. But you do have to wonder how many people claiming medical problems are legitimately suffering from them and how many are lying for sympathy points so they can shovel responsibility off of themselves.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
Uh? Almost all? And regardless you can't gain fat unless you are consuming more energy than you use.
"You know what the problem with Hollywood is. They make shit. Unbelievable. Unremarkable. Shit." - Gabriel Shear, Swordfish
"This statement, in its utterly clueless hubristic stupidity, cannot be improved upon. I merely quote it in admiration of its perfection." - Garibaldi in reply to an incredibly stupid post.
The Fifth Illuminatus Primus | Warsie | Skeptical Empiricist | Florida Gator | Sustainability Advocate | LibertarianSocialist |
Why is it that we cannot do much to affect obesity? Or the opposite situation for that matter...I'm one of the skinny ones who can eat 5000 calories a day and wonder where the hell it went?
Why is metabolism such a bastard to modify?
You have to realize that most Christian "moral values" behaviour is not really about "protecting" anyone; it's about their desire to send a continual stream of messages of condemnation towards people whose existence offends them. - Darth Wong alias Mike Wong
"There is nothing wrong with being ignorant. However, there is something very wrong with not choosing to exchange ignorance for knowledge when the opportunity presents itself."
Darth Wong wrote:
That's true; fat advocacy groups use the word "bigotry" to describe any action which discriminates against fat people, no matter how justified it is. For example, fat people on airplanes who can't fit into their assigned seat, and who expect the airline to give them extra room without paying for it. Or the fat woman who couldn't fit behind her steering wheel in the car, and sued the police department for discrimination when they charged her for driving in an unsafe manner by sitting to the side and using her left foot to operate the gas and brake pedals.
It's also downright shameful how many people with handicapped permits on their cars are just fat. That's the problem with classifying morbid obesity as a disability.
what I can't figure is how people let themselves get that fat in the first place.
I'll admit. I'm in piss poor shape. I'm at least 15 pounds overweight, and I don't exercise anywhere near as much as I should. I prefer playing video games or reading to doing outdoor activities, and I probably eat too much. I present this picture to give you a proper frame of reference when I say I can't imagine the kind of lifestyle that leads people to become so overweight that they can't fit in a goddamn airplane seat, or even the drivers seat of their fucking car. It boggles the mind.
And this is why you don't watch anything produced by Ronald D. Moore after he had his brain surgically removed and replaced with a bag of elephant semen.-Gramzamber, on why Caprica sucks
Justforfun000 wrote:Why is it that we cannot do much to affect obesity?
We can. For most people it's a matter of eating less and exercising more. . .but I hear alot of fat people are lazy.
I hear skinny people exercise and drive companies to make bikes and skate boards and jet skies, snow boards, dirt bikes and ATVs and other such recreational products. I also hear pro athletes attract giant droves of people to watch them exercise and play games and they have to drive and use unnecessary resources. I wonder what the specialized athletic wear industries resource usage is.
It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it. Blank Yellow (NSFW)
havokeff wrote:
I hear skinny people exercise and drive companies to make bikes and skate boards and jet skies, snow boards, dirt bikes and ATVs and other such recreational products. I also hear pro athletes attract giant droves of people to watch them exercise and play games and they have to drive and use unnecessary resources. I wonder what the specialized athletic wear industries resource usage is.
Clearly you've never heard of sarcasm before.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
havokeff wrote:
I hear skinny people exercise and drive companies to make bikes and skate boards and jet skies, snow boards, dirt bikes and ATVs and other such recreational products. I also hear pro athletes attract giant droves of people to watch them exercise and play games and they have to drive and use unnecessary resources. I wonder what the specialized athletic wear industries resource usage is.
Clearly you've never heard of sarcasm before.
Apparently, neither have you.
It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it. Blank Yellow (NSFW)
Illuminatus Primus wrote:Uh? Almost all? And regardless you can't gain fat unless you are consuming more energy than you use.
I posted a thread about this matter a month or so ago, apparently there are some rare conditions that pretty much makes it impossible to keep anything like a normal weight, but of course 99.9% of todays fat-asses do not suffer from any of those conditions.
I think the article pointing out how obese people consume 18% more calories than average people is pretty stupid; endurance athletes consume much more than that (during the peak of road cycling season I need between 4k-5k calories a day to maintain weight).
The best part of being a mad scientist is never having to ask yourself, "Should I really be doing this?"
"Liberals tend to clump together in places where they can avoid reality and diversity of opinion, like big cities, especially in the east and west coast and college towns." --nettadave2006
"Googles methods are a secret black box and some left leaning folks sit on it's board. I've noticed an imbalance when I search certain other topics related to Obama or other hot button topics, especially in the first page or two of results given.."--nettadave2006
raptor3x wrote:I think the article pointing out how obese people consume 18% more calories than average people is pretty stupid; endurance athletes consume much more than that (during the peak of road cycling season I need between 4k-5k calories a day to maintain weight).
How many endurance athletes are there to morbidly obese though? If it weren't for just the sheer number of obese people I doubt it'd even be a blip on anyone's radar. (Of course, this is ignoring the fact that obesity is directly harmful to your health and generally seen as a bad thing, with endurance athletes not suffering any of the same problems the grotesquely-fat are).
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
* 19 January 2008
* Gary Taubes
* Magazine issue 2639
FOR the past century, the advice to the overweight and obese has remained remarkably consistent: consume fewer calories than you expend and you will lose weight. This prescription seems eminently reasonable. The only problem is that it doesn't seem to work. Neither eating less nor moving more reverses the course of obesity in any but the rarest cases.
This contradiction has given us a catalogue of clinical literature almost mind-boggling in its internal inconsistency. "Dietary therapy remains the cornerstone of [obesity] treatment and the reduction of energy intake continues to be the basis of successful weight reduction programs," observes The Handbook of Obesity, a textbook edited by George Bray, Claude Bouchard and W. P. T. James, three of the most respected names in obesity research, and first published in 1998. It then goes on to acknowledge that the results of such therapy "are known to be poor and ...
You have to realize that most Christian "moral values" behaviour is not really about "protecting" anyone; it's about their desire to send a continual stream of messages of condemnation towards people whose existence offends them. - Darth Wong alias Mike Wong
"There is nothing wrong with being ignorant. However, there is something very wrong with not choosing to exchange ignorance for knowledge when the opportunity presents itself."
