Question:
Will the discrimination never end?????????
I realize that certain medical conditions can result in the impairment of individuals over time. We know that oxygen deprivation can cause mental impairment, etc. But I have to tell you - this article posted on AOL / WebMD really got me going. It's not bad enough that it's been whispered behind our backs that we're stupid because we're fat.....now they're coming out and announcing it to the world. I feel like writing AOL and WebMD and telling them to jump in the lake. Am I the only one who feels this way? Here's the artice................................ Obesity May Hamper Men's Brain Power By Jennifer Warner WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 March 5, 2003 -- Obesity isn't only harmful to men's health, it may also affect their brains. A new study suggests that being overweight can actually increase the risk of mental decline in men, making it more difficult for their brains to function at peak levels over time. Researchers say it's the first major study to show that obesity alone might decrease brain power. Previous research has already shown that conditions commonly associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, can reduce brain power. "We were a little bit surprised when saw the data," says researcher Merrill Elias, MPH, PhD, research professor of epidemiology in mathematics and statistics at Boston University. "The results indicated that persons who are chronically obese have a higher risk of [lowered mental ability] -- all other things being equal." The study, published in the February issue of the International Journal of Obesity, found that obesity works independently -- as well as in conjunction with other risk factors -- to cause a decline in thinking ability, especially memory and learning. Researchers say the results are especially disturbing in light of statistics that show the U.S. is facing an "epidemic of obesity" among both adults and children. According to the CDC, nearly 20% of American adults -- about 40 million -- are obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight in proportion to height) of 30 or above. For example, a 5-foot 8-inch adult weighing more than 196 pounds would be considered obese according to the BMI scale. In the study, researchers analyzed information gathered from 551 men and 872 women over an 18-year period during the Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948, and looked at how obesity and high blood pressure affected scores on mental performance tests over time. They found that obesity and high blood pressure -- both alone and in combination -- had a negative effect on brain power in men but not in women. Researchers say men may be more vulnerable because they tend to accumulate fat in their midsection rather than in other parts of the body. Previous studies have shown that this type of apple-shaped fat distribution carries a much higher degree of health risks than the pear-shaped fat distribution commonly found in women. The study didn't examine possible explanations for the decline in mental ability associated with obesity, but Elias says several factors might play a role. For example, the study participants may have suffered from heart disease risk factors that were undetectable 50 years ago, which were not accounted for by the study. But he also says that other social and psychological factors associated with obesity and overeating, such as depression and anxiety, may have also affected the decline in brain function found by the study. Other experts say that obesity may damage brain function by making it harder for blood to reach the brain, similar to high blood pressure and heart disease. "I would think obesity would work through the same heart disease mechanisms, recalling that obesity is now a major modifiable risk factor for heart disease," says Charles Billington, MD, associate director of the Minnesota Obesity Center. Billington says there has been very little information on the link between obesity and mental ability, but the results are not at all surprising considering the strong association between obesity and other chronic illnesses, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. "Those who value their [brain power] would interpret this data as a very strong reason to maintain a normal weight," Billington tells WebMD. "I have a high desire to maintain my ability to think well as I get older, and I would assume others would feel the same." SOURCES: International Journal of Obesity, February 2003. "Obesity Trends," CDC web site. Merrill Elias, MPH, PhD, research professor of epidemiology in mathematics and statistics, Boston University. Charles Billington, MD, associate director, Minnesota Obesity Center. — ronascott (posted on March 8, 2003)
March 7, 2003
The article states for "MEN". So why do you take offence?
Anyway, there could be something to it. As a man, I certainly do not take
offence to it. I know obesity certainly added to my depression and who
knows what else. ;)
— Danmark
March 7, 2003
I take no offense, doesn't this give us another comorbid? I think so. We
need all we can get for the insurance companies. Besides, the insurance
companies think this anyway, I bet they are surprized when we fight so
hard...Rona, it just must have hit you wrong...I understand but try to look
at it in a different light.
— Barbara S.
March 7, 2003
I agree witht the other posters. It sounds like an actual medical study and
the part about the blood not circulating to the brain properly makes sense.
It would be descriminitory if people use the study to exclude the obese
from a job, etc... What if it is another co-morbidity? It may halp some men
down the line. They included a lot of other conditions besides the weight
and said that they were surprised by the results.
— Carol S.
March 7, 2003
I'm with the other posters on this one. Medicine is driven by research,
research, research. This study may become one more instrument to bolster
the argument for WLS.
— ZaZa F.
March 7, 2003
A good article to hold onto if you need to write an appeal, especially if
you are a guy! "Being overweight could impair my ability to do the
best at my job." This is very helpful!
— koogy
March 8, 2003
The Framingham Heart Study is a well reknowned, widely respected ongoing
scientific body of research. My take on the data is in keeping with
everyone else's opinion here. While not all science is
"value-free", I believe the research cited in this article, is
meant not as a judgement of the obese, but as a warning about the real
risks that being obese brings with it.
— rebalspirit
March 8, 2003
With your intro, I thought it was going to state that our stupidity caused
us to become obese. Now, I would take offense to THAT. But, if it's our
obesity is actually lessening our brain power, then I take it as another
reason to have surgery. No offense taken. Shelley
— Shelley.
March 8, 2003
I'm going to have to agree with the other posters on this one.
As a scientist, I can tell you that this is genuine research and
sounds to me like a beneficial study. If no one questioned things like
this, no matter how "offensive" it may seem, nothing new would
ever get discovered.
— Brittany C.
March 8, 2003
While I agree that the study is intended to be helpful, and encourage
people to not become overweight, when reading the sentence about not
wanting to lose brain function, and saying that he'd think others would
feel the same way, I can understand why you might be offended, you could
infer from his statement that he thinks people who are obese don't care
about having full brain function....also, it would have been a better, more
complete study if they had seen if weight loss restored brain function or
if it was not reversible....just my thoughts.
— Kelly B.
March 10, 2003
Yes, Dr Billington does not sound too intelligent in making the remark he
made. As for the rest of the article, do you have doubts that obesity can
affect blood flow and brain function?
Perhaps I'm missing something in this.
— Diane S.
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