How The Economy Makes Us Fat, If It Matters and What To Do About It
by Eric A. Finkelstein and
Laurie Zuckerman
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Over two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. What's
alarming about this statistic is not just the volume of Americans
who have tipped their scales but the velocity at which they're doing
it. Over the past three decades, the number of obese Americans has
more than doubled. The increase occurred up and down the
socioeconomic spectrum, for all racial and ethnic groups, and, most
dramatically, for America's children.
What's behind the sudden, explosive rise in obesity rates? In a
word, it's economics. Author Eric Finkelstein, a renowned health
economist who has spent much of his career studying the economics of
obesity, with the help of coauthor Laurie Zuckerman, reveals why
America's growing waistline is a by-product of our economic and
technological success. Because of declining food costs, especially
for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, and increasing usage of
technology, which make Americans more sedentary, the environment has
changed in such a way that we're eating more calories and burning
off less.
The issue is not that Americans don't care about their increasing
waistlines quite the opposite, in fact. But the reality is that in
America's (and increasingly the world's) obesity-inducing
environment, the sustained changes in behavior required to lose the
weight and keep it off are simply too difficult and becoming more
difficult all the time. Moreover, generous insurance coverage and
vastly improved medical treatments have lowered the health costs, if
not the monetary costs, of excess weight. So carrying a few extra
pounds is not as bad for one's health as it used to be.
Finkelstein and Zuckerman blend theory, research, and
engaging sometimes hilarious personal anecdotes to break down the
causes and the consequences of America's obesity epidemic. One by
one, they explore the media's claim that obesity is making our
businesses less competitive, pushing good jobs overseas, hurting our
military readiness, increasing our taxes, and helping to bankrupt
the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Along the way, the authors also
reveal how the obesity epidemic has spurred tremendous demand for
all sorts of new products and services, creating a flourishing new
market that they call "The ObesEconomy."
The Fattening of America outlines the issues we must
deal with to confront obesity. The authors explore the role that
business and policymakers play in America's obesity epidemic, and
explain that successful obesity prevention strategies need to do
exactly the opposite of where the economy is taking us. They need to
make it cheaper and easier to be thin not fat. However, because
obesity is a natural by-product of an expanding economy, the authors
question whether or not obesity prevention efforts, even if
successful, would actually leave some individuals worse off.
Reviews
"Eric Finkelstein and Laurie Zuckerman show that our entire
society profits from making people fat and then either keeping them
fat or making them thin again. When you understand how these
powerful forces work, you can do a better job of resisting them and
staying healthy."
--Jack Challem, bestselling author of The Food-Mood Solution
and Stop Prediabetes Now
"Everyone who eats food in America must read this book. It is a
comprehensive guide to how we've become the fattest nation on the
planet and how the food industry, in cahoots with the government,
makes us one of the least healthy nations."
--Fred Pescatore, MD, MPH, CCN, author of The Hamptons Diet
"The authors have done an excellent job talking to mainstream
America about obesity. It brings together all of the latest research
and packages it in a way that is engaging for the average person. I
very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it for anyone
interested in obesity. Well done."
--James O. Hill, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and author of The
Step Diet: Count Steps, Not Calories to Lose Weight and Keep It Off
Forever
"The Fattening of America is an important book for
everyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the
underlying causes behind the obesity epidemic and options for
addressing it."
--Barry Popkin, Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of
Global Nutrition
at the University of North Carolina
Published by John Wiley & Sons
January 2008
hardcover: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 0470124660
ISBN-13: 978-0470124666
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