Obesity is the Norm And You Thought "Half ton bed" Applied Only to Trucks From the "if-it-walks-like-a-duck" department Need proof that we're getting fatter as a nation? I mean, aside from the CDC's warnings and the abundant evidence your own two eyes can gather on any given street corner, or in any given drive-through lane? Well, the ultimate real-world proof that obesity is the norm can be found in more and more hospitals across the country, where beds must now be able to accommodate 600 pounds of flesh. That's the equivalent of 3 merely overweight people! In addition to that, built-in patient lifts (some people call them cranes) that can transfer this kind of weight from a gurney to a bed are being incorporated as well. These devices are being installed to save the backs of the five or six nurses, orderlies, doctors or EMTs it commonly takes to move the largest of patients just a few feet. I've written about this trend before (Daily Dose, 1/30/2004), when I told you about the industry-wide call for reinforced stretchers that can handle more than a quarter-ton of human lard (more than even the burliest pair of paramedics can hoist on their best day, believe me). Apparently, 600 lbs. is the new "gold standard" for patient-supporting medical equipment. Yet now there are hospitals out there (no doubt in the fattest states Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia) who are calling on equipment manufactures to produce beds capable of supporting 1000 POUNDS - half a ton. That's the same as the maximum "bed" payload of a full-size pickup! According to a recent AP article, heavy-duty equipment specialists KCI and SizeWise have all the contracts they can fill for such items, and business for these and other contractors is growing at a rate of up to 20% per year. This is big business at $3 billion per year and counting. That's how you really measure health trends in this country - not by government numbers, but by the strength and growth of the industries that cater to them. According to the latest estimates,
more than 60% of Americans are overweight, higher than 30% are clinically obese, and more than 1 out of every 50 of us is 100 POUNDS HEAVIER than is ideal. How does this kind of thing get started? Keep reading… Whatever happened to giving kids apples for getting good grades? Apparently, this kind of reward is far too quaint and un-cool to be an incentive nowadays, if the standing offer of one of the nation's largest doughnut chains is any indication. According to a Comcast syndicated AP article from last month, North-Carolina-based Krispy Kreme is offering kids a doughnut of their choice free of charge for every A on their report cards. Great, huh? Along with good grades, kids are learning wonderful eating habits! Under the guidelines of the Krispy Kreme rewards plan, even already-hyperactive little overachievers can choose as many as six per grading period from the company's 30 or more varieties of these obesity seeds - some of which contain as many as 350 calories, 43 grams of carbohydrates (yikes!), and up to 27 grams (double yikes) of sugar apiece. School officials in some districts are complaining. That's rich, since the cafeteria lunches served in the vast majority of our public schools aren't much better than doughnuts for our nation's young
people. Sill, it's better than staying silent on the topic, I guess. So what's the solution to giving kids incentives to get good grades? Teach them that achievement is its own gift - and that the only folks who should use food as a reward for good conduct are animal trainers.
Always getting an "A" in reason,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD Sources:
"Glycemic Index and Dietary Fiber and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes" Diabetes Care, Vol. 27, No. 11, 11/27/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
"White Bread Linked to Diabetes" CBS News, 11/5/04, cbsnews.com
"Changes in Whole-Grain, Bran, and Cereal Fiber consumption in Relation to 8-Y Weight Gain Among Men" American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 5, November 2004, ajcn.org
"Wholegrains Strongly Associated With Keeping Weight Off" NutraIngredients.com, 11/8/04, nutraingredients.com | 
