The Shocking Weight of the Nation

On May 14th and 15th, HBO released a four part documentary called, “Weight of the Nation”, showing the seriousness of obesity in America.

The film was produced and funded by the Institute of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. 

Although the film is about America, there is still growing concern for obesity across the entire world. And this film displays where we are all headed if we don’t make a change.

Watch the Trailer

If you don’t have time to watch long, drawn out film, I will give you my short review of a few key takeaway points for part one of the film.

9 Alarming Statistics

* Overweight children are more likely to have high blood pressure and 77% of the obese children remain obese as adults.
* 7% of children at a healthy weight become obese as adults.
* 1/3 or less of all Americans are able to maintain healthy weight.
* There is not one gene that makes a difference in whether or not you are obese. It is a multitude of genes.
* There is a genetic predisposition to obesity, but it is also caused by the environment and behavior. There is no nature vs. nurture—it is both genes and the environment that make a person overweight or obese.
* Obesity is driving the epidemic of diabetes and rates continue to climb. We haven’t reached the maximum rate yet.
* 13% of all children have fatty liver disease. 38% obese children have fatty liver disease, and this is something we have never seen before.
* The good news is that after 48 hours of proper diet, you can start to reverse fat on the liver.
* Having health complications doesn’t mean you have to be “huge”. Just a “little overweight” can pose health risks.

Ideal Cardiovascular Health Behaviors

* Optimal cholesterol
* Normal blood pressure
* Not having diabetes
* Lean body mass index
* Not being a smoker
* Physical activity
* Healthy diet

The shocking alarm is that less than 1% of Americans have all of these healthy behaviors.

People Aren’t Ignoring Obesity Anymore

We are now in “damage control mode”, and recognizing that there is a weight problem in the nation. We recognize that not only is obesity hurting the health of the nation, but it is affecting the workforce and productivity.

My concern is that this is just another documentary lamenting the obesity and food crisis. My real question is, what are we going to do about it? And how?

Perhaps they will tackle that in parts 2, 3, and 4 of the film.

You can watch Weight of the Nation for free on HBO here.