Dear Editor:
Experts at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting Saturday, warned obesity is now joining and even surpassing malnutrition as a dietary concern in some of the farthest reaches of the planet.
A number of extensive, reputable studies published by the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association have shown that obesity is a precursor of disease that account for more than a million premature deaths each year. Among these are heart disease, stroke, cancer, and adult-onset diabetes. Overweight children are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease in later years.
The leading causes of obesity are consumption of fat-laden meat and dairy products and inadequate exercise, particularly during formative childhood years.
Clearly, health hazards associated with being overweight can be prevented. Consumers must learn to replace animal-derived foods with wholesome grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits and to undertake a regular exercise program at the earliest age. Parents must insist that their children’s schools introduce wholesome food choices, and the USDA must stop using the National School Lunch program as a dumping ground for surplus meat and dairy commodities.
Alison Gottlieb