Summary:Obesity is a rising epidemic in America. Currently, 60 percent of adults and 13 percent of children are overweight or obese. The panelists′ approaches to correcting this rising public health issue differed, but all agreed that improving the health of the American population needs to be addressed. Solutions to obesity from weight loss drinks to diet pills could not substitute for a healthy diet, they maintained. Two approaches to dieting discussed in the session were a low fat, complex carbohydrate diet, in which the consumption of fiber rich foods is encouraged, and the popular Atkins diet, a high-protein, controlled carbohydrate diet. Both diets claim to help people lose weight, prevent disease such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and improve overall health.
The problem is that the current population is consuming more fat and simple carbohydrates than ever before. Dean Ornish, M.D. believes that by switching from simple to complex carbohydrates people will be able to eat more without gaining weight. Simple carbohydrates contain less fiber and are more easily absorbed, which promotes the production of large amounts of insulin. By consuming more vegetables and whole grains the body becomes fuller faster one can avoid fats that contain nine calories per gram compared to the four calories per gram found in carbohydrates. Advocates of this type of diet criticize the Atkins diet for a number of reasons that include side effects such as constipation, halitosis, headaches and hair loss. Another main point of criticism was that meat contains no dietary fiber and a high protein diet does not help increase blood circulation. High fiber diets claim to improve overall health and have been proven to prevent and mitigate the effects of heart disease and diabetes.
The Atkins Diet, favored by Stuart Trager, M.D., advocates the restriction of all carbohydrates and an increased consumption of protein. The diet is meant to provide a means in which people suffering from obesity can modify their diet practically, safely, and effectively. The appeal of the Atkins diet is that it promotes the consumption of protein and fat and still allows people to lose weight and lower triglyceride levels. Critics argue that a number of things such as smoking can cause weight loss but might not necessarily improve health. Dr. Trager explained that the Atkins diet was a an alternative to intensive lifestyle change and a tool to help battle obesity.
Both diets have proven to be effective in weight loss, and only further research will substantiate the advantages and disadvantages of the two.
David Heber, M.D. pointed out that it is the responsibility of business leaders to provide incentives for improving the health of the people who work for them. By increasing the overall health of Americans, less money will have to be spent on the medical problems associated with obesity and more money can be invested into the economy. Creating a healthy work force would benefit all aspects of our culture and would greatly benefit our economy.
Miochi Kushi advocated a macrobiotic diet, with occasional consumption of animal protein. He focused on an overall approach to health that included attention not only to what one eats, but to maintaining a less stressful lifestyle and living in a nontoxic environment.
What direction our eating habits will take in the future is uncertain, but that they must change is unquestionable. In order to improve the health of Americans, the entire culture must shift gears and take some of the social pressure to indulge away from the individual.
