US Teenagers Using Unhealthy Weight Loss
Methods to Lose Weight
American teenagers are using unhealthy
means to try to control their weight, often inappropriately, according
to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC). Around a third of females and
20 percent of males who were attempting to lose weight were using fasting,
medications or laxatives. Females trying to lose weight were also 40 percent
more likely to smoke than females who were not seeking weight loss. This
was based on data from a 1999 study of 15,349 high school attendees.
Although only 25 percent of the students
were deemed overweight or at serious risk of becoming so, 43 percent were
trying active weight loss and a further 19 percent were working to keep
their weight stable. Some were using exercise and dietary modification;
62 percent of females and 41 percent of males using dieting were using
sensible methods, and 32 percent of such females and 17 percent of males
were using risky techniques such as laxatives, fasting, medications or
vomiting. Only 25 percent of these teens were consuming five or more servings
of fruit and vegetables daily.
Source: Lowry R, et al. J Adolesc Health
2002;31:133-44
[Commentary by J. Birkbeck] It is unfortunate
that the definitions used for overweight and obesity - the top 15 percent
and 5 percent, respectively, of weight for age and gender - are, in our
opinion, quite unsatisfactory. If, for the sake of argument, a majority
of the population have too much (central) body fat for optimum current
and future health, which is the only definition that can be sustained,
this would be much more than the top 15 percent. Overfatness must be measured
in absolute terms, not in relation only to that population. Body mass
index (BMI) may have its shortcomings, but at least it has been shown
in population terms to be a surrogate for risk from overfatness. Recent
observation suggests that more than 15 percent of American teens are too
fat.
Weight Loss & Weight Management
An increase in physical activity is an important part of your weight loss
program. Physical activity improves your muscle/fat ratio - thus raising
metabolism for easier weight loss - and boosts your motivation to maintain
the weight you lose.
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