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Historical overview: Obesity. The problem of obesity is being greatly popularized today. There are a lot of books and internet cites dedicated to this problem and it looks like this problem is going overboard, that there is no stopping to the problems of obesity. What is obesity? Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve of a mammal (such as a human), which is stored in fat, is expanded far beyond usual levels to the point where it causes health stress. Obesity in wild animals is relatively rare, but it is common in domestic animals like barrows and household pets who may be castrated, overfed and under exercised.
A person with a BMI over 25. 0 kg / m 2 is considered overweight; a BMI over 30. 0 kg / m 2 is considered obese. A further threshold at 40. 0 kg / m 2 is identified as urgent morbidity risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research considers a BMI between 18. 5 and 25 to be an ideal target for a healthy individual (although several sources consider a person with a BMI of less than 20 to be underweight). The Belgian statistician created the BMI in the 19 th century Adolphe Quetelet. The cut-off points between categories are occasionally redefined, and may differ from country to country. In June 1998 the NIH brought official US category definitions into line with those used by the WHO, moving the American 'overweight' threshold from BMI 27 to BMI 25.
About 30 m Americans moved from "ideal" weight to being 1 - 10 pounds "overweight" as a result. (2) Was the problem of obesity always such a big issue, and did it play such a big role in the historical times? For definite it will be never known, but a general overview with assumptions can be conducted. The Problems of Obesity in Ancient Greece It is a well known fact that the Greeks were famous for their beauty adoration. This can be largely viewed in the art of that period. The concept of beauty was greatly controversial. It is said in most of the ancient writing that the inner beauty was greatly more admired than the outer one.
Although there were some defined aspects of beauty. Obesity was not very much existent in the Ancient Greece. It is known from the ancient manuscripts that a lot of attention was given to the issues of sport and healthy eating in the society. The basic diet of both Greeks and Romans was strongly, though not exclusively, vegetarian, comprising a variety of cereals, vegetables (green and dried), and fruit (fresh and dried) with wine (diluted with various proportions of water) as the only drink apart from water.
In Greece the commonest meat was that of goats; in Italy it was that of pigs in the form of pork or bacon. Beef might be eaten occasionally after a sacrifice but the cow, like the ox, was a working animal and milk was normally obtained from sheep and goats. Olive oil took the place of butter and soap and was the major source of domestic lighting. Fish (both fresh and salted) and poultry also were featured in the diet of both peoples. (3) These facts show that the diet plan of these Ancient civilizations was not the one that would let a person gain a lot of access weight. The concept of obesity and beauty are greatly connected. We can see the importance of keeping fir, being very important for being liked.
Thus in Ancient Greece they had some ideas of beauty, that emphasized the fact that obesity was not a norm: slight changes in the male ideology of the perfect female body can be seen The Medici Venus was made earlier than the Capitoline, which was made towards the 2 nd century BC, and shows a taller female image with wider shoulders, a less pronounced waist, and a more lush and full figure. However, the Capitoline Venus has, in comparison, rounder and larger breasts. This image of the smaller and slimmer Capitoline Venus with her noticeably larger chest is incongruous to the previously presented ideal of beauty, which is closer to that of the Medici Venus. But in fact, it should seem more familiar to modern society, as it is closer to the current ideal of beauty and body shape in the present world. (3) The Concept of Obesity in the Rubens epoch 18 th century.
While viewing the pictures of Rubens a contemporary person gets scared. The women portrayed in his pictures are not just fat, they are obese (seriously overweight). During this period it was in fashion to be overweight. It was considered a norm to have an enormous double chin and very fat hands. At this time the aspect of health was not regarded as seriously as during the time of the Ancient Greeks. The food of that time was very fattening with a lot high calorie dishes.
It also was considered a norm to stuff oneself, otherwise you wouldnt be able to fit the norms of beauty. In the past the only people who were fat were the wealthy. In the 18 th and 19 th centuries the description a fine figure of a man crops up frequently in fiction. They didnt mean that the squire looked like he had a gym in the stables. No, the phrase meant that the gentleman in question had a belly. He was well fed.
He was, therefore, well-to-do. The preferred physique for women was also well-rounded and plump (witness countless classic works of art). Health for many centuries meant being what we would now regard as overweight. (4) But now a question arises, why the people that are considered overweight now have so many health problems, didnt have any problems in the Medieval times. The study examined the remains of 300 monks from three abbeys (Tower Hill, Merton and Bermondsey) and found plenty of evidence that would have made Mr.
Atkins despair. The monks suffered from a variety of complaints common among the clinically obese: arthritis in knees, hips and fingers and well as evidence of a condition now known as Dish (diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis). Dish is caused by overeating and a rich diet. The evidence is a coating on the spine that looks like dripping candle wax. (4) So obesity was always a big issue. How is it treated now? Obesity in America America is considered now to be one of the countries with the largest number of obese people.
This country faces the problem of becoming completely overweight. Is this fact somehow connected with the fact that it was considered long ago that only the fat are rich? Researchers from the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (Monday et al 2004) reported that approximately 400, 000 US deaths annually were associated with poor diet and little exercise, and that if the trend continued, this would be 500, 000 in 2005, overtaking smoking as the leading cause of death. These statistics are fiercely contested. (1) As it had been mentioned before is obesity really taking astronomical proportions, or is it just another business trick to sell more diet pills?
Despite the millions spent on obesity research and billions spent on quick weight loss diets, Americans are heavier than ever. In fact, 61 percent of American adults are now overweight, up from 45 percent some 20 years ago. What's more children are following in their parents' heavier footsteps. One out of eight school-aged kids is obese, twice the fraction of two decades ago. And, experts estimate that one in four is overweight.
Overweight in this case is defined as having a body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) between 25 and 29. 9 and obese is defined as having a BMI more than 30. (1) Obesity is a very serious health related issue. There are some statistics saying that you are less inclined to find a good job and to find a husband (or a wife) if you are overweight. This is very true, todays associations with beauty and health are not a hanging stomach or a wide bottom. Today in order to be considered fit and healthy you have to have a six-pack and a slim structure. These aspects are not just visually better treated, they are attributes of doing sports and conducting a healthy lifestyle. America is probably the only country in which you can file a suit to court because you charge McDonalds for making you overweight.
Most of the nation doesnt try to find the problem in themselves, in the fact that maybe they enjoy lying down and watching T. V. with a bag of chips more, than taking a walk in the park (not even talking about jogging). Of course, nowadays, after becoming overweight by 60 % if population, US started publicizing the healthy way of life, wouldnt it have been a better idea to start this a couple of years ago, before the problem of obesity got to the proportions epidemics. Bibliography Kendall P. Obesity in America: will it get worse before it gets better?
June 5, 2001 web Obesity web Simopoulos A. P, From the first Olympiad in 776 BC to 393 AD and the concept of positive health web fitness. htm Stringer H. Obesity, Mr.
Atkins and the Fat Friars web
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