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20 ‘aukake2012
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NAtivE HAwAiiAN » NEws | fEAturEs | EvENts
Hurrah! Health report shows progress By claire Ku‘uleilani Hughes, dr. PH., r.d.
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recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report on the nation’s food consumption shows progress toward desired changes. And, nutrition experts are noting the health status improvements in the U.S. The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s recent newsletter highlighted some of the changes. A dramatic decrease occurred in soda consumption. After 50 years of increases in U.S. soda consumption, a 24 percent decline occurred
within the last decade. Pepsi consumption is down 39 percent and Coke is down 23 percent. Soda has nearly disappeared in schools and student soda consumption has “plummeted,” the newsletter said. The drop in soda consumption is paralleled by a 14 percent decrease in U.S. sugar and high-fructose corn syrup consumption. However, there are still many sweet and fatty foods to constantly tempt us. Obesity rates are leveling off in both adults and children. This may be related to the decline in sugary drinks. However, excess weight
After a half century of increases in U.S. soda consumption, a 24 percent decline occurred within the last decade.
continues to be a huge threat, as two out of three adults and one of three children in the U.S. are overweight. Consumption of foods containing trans fat has declined by two-thirds in just over a decade. Trans-fat information is now included for consumers on food labels’ nutrition facts. In addition, there are local and state laws that ban the use of partially hydrogenated oil, the primary source of artificial trans fat, from restaurants. Health experts think this change has probably prevented thousands of fatal heart attacks each year. Prominent food companies like Bumble Bee and Walmart have cut the sodium (salt) in some of their foods. However, more change is needed
to prevent high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes that such
products cause. The decline in artificial trans fat, the use of drugs to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and the reduction of cigarette smoking help to explain why heart attack death rates fell by 28 percent between 1997 to 2007. But the doubling of obesity rates since 1980 will surely slow… or reverse… that progress. As a nation, we are changing our food choices. Americans have cut back on sugar and soda. Much of the shortening used has been replaced with oil. Americans have switched to lower-fat milk and chicken has replaced much of the beef in meals. Clearly, the messages to make these changes have been heard and heeded. What we don’t know is how Hawai‘i residents fare in the changes. Without question, as Americans, our most daunting task is losing weight. Weight control requires
constant vigilance when purchasing food and managing its consumption. Extra weight increases the chances of diabetes, heart attack and stroke, as well as the risk of several cancers. Being severely overweight is clearly linked to breast cancer in postmenopausal women, cancer of the esophagus, and cancers of the colon, rectum, uterus, kidney and pancreas. There is growing evidence that being severely overweight is linked to cancers of the gallbladder, liver, cervix and ovary, along with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma and aggressive prostate cancer. To prevent cancer, staying lean is key, and therefore, if you are overweight, it’s important to lose weight in the battle against cancer. Many of us have personal health objectives to handle. Ask your physician to help you set priorities and reasonable goals to measure progress toward better health. Make a list of the things you will do to meet your priorities, then start! And, keep moving toward the goals. “Just Do It!” It’s for you.
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