ITV.com Americans 'too fat for X-rays'

[SoCalDem]

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=44c7e13c579d05af&ei=RcXHRI2jJKTepgLHnv2TAg&url=http%3A//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml%3Fxml%3D/news/2006/07/26/ufat.xml&cid=1108233885



Americans 'too fat for X-rays'
(Filed: 26/07/2006)

Obese Americans are increasingly missing out on medical treatment because they are too fat to use scanners, X-rays and ultrasounds, according to a new study.


Obesity can cause misdiagnosis, scientists say

Researchers found that the number of patients who had inconclusive diagnostic imaging examinations had doubled over 15 years.

Dr Raul Uppot and his team analysed all the radiology examinations performed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) between 1989 and 2003, looking for records labelled "limited by body habitus" - meaning that the patient's size hampered the quality of the test.

They found that while 0.10 per cent of inconclusive exams were due to patient size in 1989, the figure had climbed to 0.19 per cent by 2003, despite advances in technology.

In many cases patients were too large to fit into scanners, or had so much fat on their body that X-rays proved useless.

snip....

*******************************************************

The doctor interviewed on tv said that equipment makers were starting to make bigger equipment..and that 60% of Americans are now overweight :(.. She referenced a study that shows that MOST of the increase has come within the last 15 years.. :(..

It seems to me that making bigger equipment is the wrong approach.. I would love to see a "food purity" movement to get the "extras" out of food..HFCS should be at the top of the list..

Instead of constantly raising prices on JUST tobacco, perhaps they should be raising the prices on JUNK foods and super-sweet/high-fat`foods. Think of the children who would benefit if soda pop cost $3.00 a can or if a bag of chips cost $10.00..:evilgrin:

"Aversion therapy" is touted as the best way to get people to stop smoking, so why not try it on foods too?

This is a MAJOR health issue.

[Ezlivin]

1. Fat Americans = Security Risk

Who knows what they could smuggle into this country in a fold of fat?

Right now a clutch of skinny Mexicans are probably coming across the border under the man boobs of an American.

[babylonsister]

2. "under the man boobs of an American."

:rofl: :rofl:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. .

Too. Damn. Funny.

:rofl:

[Greeby]

4. Ugh

I suddenly feel a little better about having a bit of belly on me looking at this kid :puke:

[Lindacooks]

5. For God's sake, have a little bit of compassion.

Any child who is that large most likely has a serious medical condition, or is taking meds that increase obesity. Or he could have fat cell hyperplasia, which is a disease where fat cells multiply in addition to growing in size. (For most people, the fat cells you develop in your first year of life stay the same number, just increasing and decreasing in size with caloric intake.)

[WindRavenX]

6. Well, I'm not sure about this:

Any child who is that large most likely has a serious medical condition, or is taking meds that increase obesity

20 years ago, you'd be 100% correct-- there would have to be a pre-existing medical condition for a child to be that morbidly obese. However, today, it really is more likely, sadly, due to lack of physical exercise and poor diet :(

Which isn't to say cruel comments are warrented. Today, it seems cruel comments towards the obese are more accepted, and that needs to stop.

[SoCalDem]

7. Yep.. that poor boy was probably overfed on Enfamil

fed solids as soon as he could swallow without choking. By 2 he was munching on McDonald's fries and shakes..

Parents these days are too busy working all the time, so he may have been daycare-ed, where kids sometimes are kept in one location (very little exercise)..

Overworked, stressed out parents often rely on pizza, drive-thrus on the way home, or prepared fozen foods. These are all loaded with fats & sugars...

He probably gets driven everywhere (parents are afraid to let kids roam around on bikes these days..for good reason)

Overweight children often have few (if any) friends, so his isolation only gets worse..and guess what? food is a "friend" for these kids..

[liontamer]

18. "Overweight children often have few (if any) friends"

i don't think this is true anymore. When I was little there was one "fat kid", but these days about half of any given group of kids looks obese (based on my own observations). Obesity is too common to be isolating anymore.

But you're spot on about everything else.

[sgxnk]

8. you are correct

for the first time in history, the poor are (on average) fatter than the middle or upper class

the CDC estimates that well over 60% of all chronic disease is DIET RELATED

also, in regards to fat cell hyperplasia...

there is growing evidence that even in adults, hyperplasia ALSO occurs in fat cells, given sufficient caloric intake etc. it is not limited to children. while fat cell hyperplasia IS a disease that somebody has no control over, it is also true that excessive eating CAN spur additional #'s of mature adipocytes. so, even in adults, it;'s not just hypertrophy, but ALSO hyperplasia (although to a lesser extent)

i've done a lot of personal training of others, and been training hardcore for most of my life, and i am certain that the VAST majority of obesity we see in modern society is due to poor choices/discipline made by individuals. and it is very sad

windraven IS correct. we are seeing FAR more childhood obesity these days, and i am sorry but evolution cannot account for the change in a matter of TWO friggin generations.

i have also noted visual confirmation of my first point. when i lived and/or worked in the hood, i saw FAR FAR more fat people (even very obese children) than i ever saw in more upper class neighborhoods

[WindRavenX]

11. I'd like to take issue with one of your sentences:

...and i am certain that the VAST majority of obesity we see in modern society is due to poor choices/discipline made by individuals

While you are correct in noting that obeseity is striking the poorest of our society the hardest, I do not believe it is a lack of choice or discipline; it is a lack of access to quality foods and proper education. As a personal trainer, you have, I assume, a great knowledge of proper diet and nutrition-- many people, especially those in poverty, do not have an understanding of even the most basic nutrition.
The other main issue is money-- better food costs more. I'm in college, and I have gained 20 pounds from moving from an organic, veggie diet to a highly refined, high carbohydrate diet simply due to the fact I cannot afford to eat the best food. And I can only exercise 3-4X a week. But both of us know this is bad for us-- I should be exercising everyday, and I should buy better food (and maybe cut down on pot money, lol).

So it comes down to 1)education and 2)access to good food. If we can educate people, they will understand their food choices better. And if we can make GOOD FOOD affordable to all, then we can lessen the obesity epidemic

:hi:

[sgxnk]

13. i totally disagree

but that's ok. i view the locus of control here in the individual. YES, social institution can (and should) promote healthy living, ultimately - in the case of adults, they are the "deciders" (lol) when it comes down to what does and doesn't go down their throats, and more importantly - how much does

i am far from a vegan. i am a militant omnivore :)

however, i also know that IF you want it, you can eat very healthily and very cheaply. but it takes effort and discipline.

the fact that the poor *are* so far, is proof positive that they get WAY too many kilocalories.

and of course LESS kilocalories, even of the same poor food choices, would result in LESS obesity

pot, as i am sure you know, is excellent for increasing appetite. it also makes you laff a lot.

:)

when it comes to the kids, the primary fault is the parents, obviously. but i see/saw again and again in my years in da hood, and many many personal training clients, that the #1 factor - by far - was lack of discipline. consciously making choices they KNOW are bad, but they do it anyway

we have mandatory (and this is good) nutrition labeling, we have WAY WAY more extensive low calorie choices than we had in the past, etc.

fwiw, i eat a little bit differently. i eat 180-240 gms of protein a day.

THAT is expensive. but the average person who does not have special dietary needs can eat very nutritiously for well under $10 a day if they make good choices.

and under $5 if they are diligent

[WindRavenX]

16. but again:

How can someone make the correct choices if they do not know what the right choices are?

That's why education is paramount in making headway in the obesity epidemic-- people MUST make the right dietary and nutritional choices if we are to make progress.

And you're right-- it is possible to eat right and do it cheap. We need to get the word out :hi:

[sgxnk]

21. i agree

but i do see the burden on the individual. social institutions are helpful (churches, civic groups), food co-ops, etc.

but to paraphrase mulder - the info is out there

i just view the burden is on the individual to seek it out

between the internet, cable, libraries, food labeling, etc.

we are INUNDATED

a primary issue is the family breakdown. much fewer families doing the sitdown dinner, etc. (partly out of economics, partly out of high OOW birthrates)

and the best way information is passed - is generationally.

grandma teaches mom (taught me too), then it is passed down, etc.

that;s how i learned my basic staple meals that are cheap and nutritious. your spaghetti, your chicken dishes, your soups, etc.

but clearly, the fact that obesity is such a problem shows that $$$ is not the issue, since it is cheaper to eat LESS, ceteris paribus

the discipline comes into shopping as well. not shopping based on what yer inner voice says, or your growling stomach, but loading up when staples are on sale - rice, wheat, tuna fish, POWDERED milk, etc.

i also saw over and over again with clients, how they ToTALLY underestimated how much they were actually eating (until they took a detailed log i required them to do). the same cognitive dissonance that allows somebody to look into the mirror as they get fatter and deny it, is the same thing that allows them to justify their eating habits and convince themselves that they are fat because it's just their "genetics" and not the 3800kcals a day of junk

but people need to take responsibility for their own obesity and DO something about it. unless they want the health and other problems associated with same

i do think one of the +;s of socialized medicine would be more careful, involved monitoring and feedback, although most MD's are so woefully ignorant of nutrition science, it is to laff

[conflictgirl]

19. You left out one thing

You said:
however, i also know that IF you want it, you can eat very healthily and very cheaply. but it takes effort and discipline.

You left out one crucial factor: time. Eating healthily and cheaply is possible, but it does take quite a bit more time. I know from experience, because I've done it. I can feed my family of five very healthy food for about $60 a week and have done so, but it took a lot more time to prepare meals. People who may be working multiple jobs (especially if any of those jobs are in retail type places, where the hours are especially irregular) are not likely to have the time to spend an hour preparing each meal.

Another thing is that most of these people do know that what they're eating is bad, but they have no idea what to make instead. To be honest, I had the same problem. I spent my teenage years living on processed and fast food, and once I was out on my own, my taste buds were accustomed to that and more importantly, I had no idea what I was supposed to be eating instead. I read more books than I can count about how to have a healthy diet, and most of the examples of healthier diets given were very expensive. For example, a plain grilled chicken breast with two sides of vegetables is about four times the cost per serving as spaghetti and canned marinara. Lean protein is especially expensive.

I have sort of stumbled upon healthier eating choices over the years, but it's taken me 10+ years to unlearn my old eating habits and get some better ideas about what I *should* be eating. And when my time is especially limited, like when I have exams or a writing deadline, that's when my eating choices are the worst.

Telling people what NOT to eat is a lot less helpful than telling them what they *should* be eating instead and how to prepare it.

[sgxnk]

24. actually

i touched on the time subject in my other post, but it important

and obviously easier in a two parent family, especially with one parent a stay at home, to be able to prepare meals

but lets not forget the average kid watches over 4 hrs of teevee a day (blech) plenty of time in there to prepare meals, IF they so desire

if you are disciplined, you can still eat quick, cheap, and nutritious, but it often isn't tasty :(

one of my staple snacks is : can of tuna fish (right outa the can), glass of water with "greens powder" in it (lots of phytonutrients, etc) and some raw brocolli

prep time: 1 minute

:)

[SoCalDem]

29. tell your doctor about the tuna.. (mercury, y'know)

it's sad, but lots of things are "not all that good for us"..even if it seems like it..

women of childbearing age are cautioned about fish because of the pollution (especially tuna)

[sgxnk]

31. thanks

i get pretty extensive bloodtesting twice a year, and that includes the heavy metals, etc.

[conflictgirl]

30. How much is the greens powder?

I might need to get some for myself, if it's not too expensive.

[sgxnk]

32. i will check into that. and send u a PM

[sgxnk]

33. also- champion juicer

i bought one of these things, and it frigging ROCKS

it is one of those auger juicers, and will juice friggin anything

you can freeze bananas and run it through the auger and make like a banana custard

these things are a great way to get your vegetable quotient when on the go.

you can go to farmer's market or outlet place and get cheap vegetables in bulk.

then juice away

[sgxnk]

44. it's called Greens First

made by Doctors for Nutrition

[Lindacooks]

14. Yes, it is education, good food, and exercise. But there are many other

factors too. If anyone is seriously depressed, there's a good chance they will be overweight, because depression is a debilitating disease that undermines your will to accomplish anything.

Most, if not all, fat people are in a lot of emotional pain. And the answer, while I wish it could be, isn't as simple as 'diet and exercise'. This is a complex world and people are complex organisms.

This kid could have started out as mildly overweight. Then his peers start making fun of him, and he's ostracized. Things keep building, and food is his main, or only, comfort, and as he becomes more depressed and isolated, he goes into a spiral. You can't just say 'eat less and exercise more' in a situation like that - you also have to treat the many problems associated with it.

And as I said before, we don't know this child's medical history, so judging him on his appearance is irresponsible.

[WindRavenX]

15. but when you look at things even a generation ago...

...the #1 factor is still diet and exercise. Of course there are other variables and situations-- but the vast *majority* of childhood obesity is the result of a sedatary lifestyle and poor nutrition.

[sgxnk]

28. there *is*

a feedback loop effect there.

depression = lower T = higher cortisol (often when coupled with stress) = more fat (and catabolic state) etc. = more depression, etc.

but in general, exercise and healthier food will improve mood, improve self esteem, raise T, lower cortisol, etc.

there really is (in the VAST majority of obesity cases) no underlying reason why the obesity can't be cured through SELF ACTION (eat less, exercize more)

[Lindacooks]

35. And everybody misses my point.

That there are millions of serious reasons for not being able to SELF ACT.

But I guess it's the human condition to judge, especially when we know nothing about the other person.

[sgxnk]

42. of course

but in the VAST majority of cases, fat people are fat because of their own personal choices and actions

just because there are a SMALL %age of clinically obese people who have serious medical conditions that make obesity nearly inevitable (thyroid issues come to mind), it does not follow that most (let alone all) clinically obese people are just victims of fate, or have no ability to self act

i am of the belief that actions often have consequences.

i also know, based on my experience as a personal trainer, and as an individual who has trained many other people that being fat is, in the VAST majority of cases, a matter of eating more calories than you burn

it IS that simple

that's not a moral judgment. it's a biological reality

[theboss]

9. That kid needs to run his ass around the block a few times

Yes, there are cases of obesity where the person has no control over the situation. But my father's been an elementary principal for 30 years, and I have probably been in his school once a year for the last 25 years.

And there are more fat kids now than ever before.

[Lindacooks]

10. And that's an excuse for being cruel?

Something is going on, and medical professionals don't even know what it is. As I said before, you don't know this child's medical history, so using a 'throw up' icon to describe him is disgusting.

[WindRavenX]

12. no, medical professionals DO know what's going on

I need to repeat that this does NOT make cruelty ok, but please do understand that most medical professionals have made it perfectly clear that it is a sedatary lifestyle combined with an excessive caloric intake that is responsible for most cases of childhood obesity and type II (aquired) diabeties.

Under no circumstances does this make name-calling or cruelty acceptable--period.

[SmokingJacket]

25. Obese children have lower quality-of-life scores than children

undergoing chemotherapy. Allowing a child to become so terribly obese -- barring the possibility of a medical condition -- is the height of cruelty, imho.

It's a constant battle to feed kids properly in this country, but it's about the most important thing you can do for you kid after loving them.

I'm an incredibly unpopular snack-bringer at my kids' school, because I won't bring junk food. Sorry!

[WindRavenX]

27. you sound like my mom

My mom never gave us sugar or chips at soccer games or softball games-- I always hated that, but now that I'm older, I'm happy she did :D

[SoCalDem]

34. I was a meanie too.. raised three thin boys.

We entertained a lot, so I was always making veggie/dip platters. When my boys were small I would tell them "Leave the platter alone, it;s for the party".(winkWink).. They would cruise in and out of the kitchen, "sneaking" bits of carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, celery..and thinking I didn;t see them or notice that the dip bowl was lower than when I put the platter on the counter :evilgrin:

and I grew a garden with them each having their own rows of stuff. they loved do eat THEIR carrots, beans, watermelons, etc.

We drank unsweetened iced tea (they were a bit "fidgety" now that I think of it :evilgrin:..)
chips were served with a sandwich..not as a snack

I was very "into" Make-A-Mix when they were little, so I made my own mixes, sans preservatives etc.
My youngest two never had babyfood at all.. I don;t cook with salt, so I just used my food processor to mix what we ate into whatever consistency they could eat..

No food allergies..no chubby kids.. (my mother in law thought we were starving them)..She once said to me ..you have to feed them more.. you can see their ribs..

The only problem I had with my skinniest one was buying pants.. I had to buy his pants from Sears.. bless them.. they had super-slims :)

he's now 32, and has a 30' waist (which he's had since his teens). he eats ALL the time, but has the metabolism of a hummingbird:)

[w8liftinglady]

17. 2 things about this - one personal,and one professional.

first of all,it is true that most scanners go up to about 400 pounds.as they upgrade equipment,they have made adaptations that accomodate for larger sizes,so that hopefully this will not be an issue.

second-i will be having gastric bypass surgery on 08/14.I am fortunate that my insurance covers this.I have been on a diet since I was 12 years old-I am now 46.i have been subjected to all the cruel things said here-and many more.I have resorted to pills,bulemia,anorexia to conquer my weight-all with very poor results.I work out 5 days a week,and have won several powerlifting trophies.I have lost and gained several thousand pounds in my life.Why?I don't know.When you look at the fat chick in the grocery store-try to look beyond that and see a person.The judgemental attitudes in this post are reminiscent of the attitudes expressed towards others with outwardly visable "differences" in the past.I guess everyone can hate a fat chick-liberals and neo-cons alike.

[SoCalDem]

22. Wow.. that's great.. I bet you are excited for the day to come

If I were younger, I think I would seriously consider it too.. at 57, I guess I'll just have to live with it.

the thing that makes me mad is that for my WHOLE life I always had a flat stomach, but once menopause hit, I went from being a pear to being an apple :( I even went to a doctor to see if there was some other reason why , within 2 years, NONE of my pants would button, even though they fit everywhere else..)

Her advice.. eat sawdust.. (well not really, but it might as well have been ). No matter how little I eat, I cannot get rid of the "buddha belly".. that's what she called it :cry:

It killed me to finally give away all my beloved jeans...jeans that I had worn for YEARS, and had just gotten them all comfy... and now, no matter what I wear, I am uncomfortable..all the time.. Mother Nature kicked me in the belly :(

[w8liftinglady]

23. I am hoping to finally be at peace.it is a daily(uphill) struggle

[Lindacooks]

36. Thank you.

I'm so sorry you've had to suffer like that. I hope your surgery is successful. And that's my point too - look beyond the outward appearance of a person.

I think that's just too hard to do for some people.

[w8liftinglady]

37. Thank YOU,Linda...some people just need a target to enhance their

own self-esteem.if by attacking people like me,it helped them,I guess it's ok.I will never be one of them.

[Lindacooks]

38. Yep, me too.

[MaryRN]

40. hugs and kisses to you both....

Linda and "Lady," -

been following along the posts and the one thing that is not debatable here is that no one deserves to be demeaned in any way, regardless of the origin of their physical issues. Kinda makes us look like we could fit right in with the cruelty that the "cons" are so at home with and I know we can do better than that.

I'm wishing you the absolute best as you deserve - cy later at Mike's place!

:hug:

[w8liftinglady]

41. Mary-you could be my nurse anytime-cya at mike's place

[liontamer]

20. Obesity can also be caused by a virus

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/07/28/fat.virus.ap/index.html

part of the reason we have an obesity epidemic, is because it really is an epidemic. Viral exposure, combined with the inherently unhealthy lifestyle that many have, is creating a huge problem that we need to work to fix. Now if only Bush would increase funding to the NIH so that researchers could actually work on it.

[Deja Q]

26. Well, stop them from going to mcdonalds.

I've seen enough grotesque cases -- a 6 year old should NOT have a gut the same size as a grown 34 year old male adult. Neither should the 34 year old, but I'm working on that and I've always been underdeveloped musclarly anyway... (you can imagine the fun I didn't have in gym class...)

The only way a child, who is growing and has a naturally fast metabolism, can get so damn porky with a big gut is eating too much.

That idiot mother should be ashamed. SIX.

I cried for the girl. But given the way of the world, there are three reasons to cry for her.

[foreigncorrespondent]

39. Raising the price of junk food...

...won't help everyone.

There are people out there who do have medical conditions which contribute to their weight. I know I am one of them. I might not be as large as some, and I certainly don't eat near as much as some of very small people I know, yet there are people out there who accuse me of eating too much junk all the time. Those people obviously think they know me quite well. I am tired of hearing it.

[ileus]

43. Turn up the Kv and Mas....

Larger CT and MRI.....C-arms that aren't big enough. Tables only rated for 350#....ect.