Climate Change Could Bring Rising Obesity Rates
More than two-thirds of adults in the USA are overweight people. And this rate may increase with time due to climate changes, warns scientists.
Research conducted by Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia outlined how climate change and obesity are linked together. Researchers stated that greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels have increased rapidly over seventy years.
What Researches Say About Climate Change And Obesity Rates?
Researchers compared two groups of populations: the first category was a mix of normal weight and body types, and the second group had 40% overweight individuals. The scientists documented that the overweight population would require 19% more food energy and greater consumption of fossil fuel-burning transportation. More food consumption would lead to an increase in food production that would raise carbon dioxide gas emissions.
It is also noted that people may become less physically active because of the increase in global temperature. Less physical movement means less burning of excess fat, eventually putting people at increased risk of being obese.
In short, the study authors concluded three groups of reasons for greenhouse gas emissions due to obesity; emissions due to increased transportation, energy requirements in relation to the body mass, and emissions caused due to increased food production.
Not only does obesity affect the environment, but also untreated obesity harms the health of the individuals who have it.
The study authors documented that one of the health consequences of being obese or overweight is a higher cancer risk.
The review recently published in the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research stated several reasons for obesity associated with more likely to develop cancer, including an increase in insulin levels that can put obese people at higher risk for colon, kidney, prostate, and endometrial cancer.
In females, fat tissue can release estrogens that can stimulate endometrial, breast, and ovarian cancer.
Dr. Christian Koch, director of the Fox Chase Cancer Center’s section of endocrinology, and colleagues wrote that obesity is associated with the risk of various malignancies, including breast and endometrial cancers, cancer of the esophagus, gastric cardia, colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, thyroid gland, and multiple myeloma.
>> Dr. Koch informed in a Fox Chase news release that in terms of diet, “what we need to go back to is ‘less is more to address the problem.
>> He further added that it is better to have an excellent quality product that would cost more but is healthier rather than something that is lower quality, cheaper, and less healthy.
Dr. Koch interrelated all the risks that are climate change, obesity, cancer, and other health issues and said that such problems require more attention as all are linked to each other and have an effect on one another. So bringing a positive change to one problem would lead to a positive way in others as well.
Dr. Koch said that we know there is a bidirectional relationship between climate change and obesity. He further continued that means strategies that improve the health of each individual can also have an effect on the planet.
Another study showed that obese individuals release 20 percent more carbon dioxide than healthy-weight people. So, maintaining a healthy BMI is not beneficial for the person itself but also for the environment as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
