The planet seems to be weighing more. It is not due to rocks becoming heavier or workers pouring more concrete in cities. Humans are weighing more. Not only are there more humans on this planet, but their body weight keeps increasing. This situation is happening in more countries than other countries. Just to pick on the United States, it is hard to believe that at least 70% of people between the ages of 35 and 64 are either overweight or obese. Even if we were going to count out some overweight people due to the issues of the Body Mass Index (BMI) bias such as people who have more muscle, it is impressive that close to 40% of people between the ages of 45 and 64 are considered obese.
Percent of adults aged 18 years and older who have obesity or are overweight
Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
While special diets, lifestyle changes, and most recently anti-obesity drugs aim to reduce the number of overweight and obese people, the probable root cause of these figures are not addressed. Being on the heavier side – putting aside any type of body looks acceptance trends in the consumer mass market, may not only undermine longevity, but also the quality of life.
What do we mean?
Just try to carry your additional unwanted weight in a backpack all day and all night. Can you picture yourself wearing a 20-pound backpack with no breaks? Poor joints! Extra body weight may contribute to osteoarthritis (OA), which is considered a condition that affects the quality of life and longevity.
Don’t get it? Then, spend some time looking at old photographs, movies, and television shows from the 1940s and 1950s and pay attention to the characters and their weight. While some people indeed may show themselves to be a little bit overweight, it has most to do with their body type.
By the way, what is your body type? Find out here.
At the end, if someone enjoys eating unhealthy food, being sedentary, or not caring about their weight, it is their choice. Maybe they prefer to get to 65 full lived years the way they want instead of reaching 80 years with potential health risk factors leading to cancer, diabetes, or other conditions that impair their quality of life. Or even worse, they may not be aware of or ignore the impact of obesity on their longevity.
As hard as it sounds, it is their longevity. They rule their longevity and it will shape their quality of life.
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