Worldwide health and Fitness Trends?

It seems that the US is a trendsetter on a more global scale than we imagined when it comes to health and fitness trends? And that’s not necessarily a good thing in this case. Recent research has indicated that many Asian and Pacific Rim countries are beginning to show signs of ill health due to poorer eating habits and lack of exercise, particularly in countries and areas that are considered more “developed”. The incidence of obesity in the above referenced areas has been growing for some time now and a study in the British medical journal Lancet has summarized the findings in this regard.

Much like the United States, Asian countries are not only suffering from an epidemic of obesity but also from the related issues of Type II diabetes. High levels of blood glucose ultimately resulting in diabetes were found to be responsible for nearly one million deaths in a meta-analysis study (a study that combines the results of many previous studies to “pool” results and increase the accuracy of predictions). But there is more. The analysis also found that nearly one-half million people died from heart disease ostensibly generated by high blood glucose levels. Another nearly three-quarter million died of stroke for similar reasons related to high blood glucose levels.

What this shows is that the scourge of diabetes and related diseases is no longer a problem associated with countries such as the United States and the more developed countries of Europe. We are only beginning to see the epidemic nature of diabetes and the related medical costs in our own country and now, with the results of the Lancet study, we are beginning to see and understand that it has become a worldwide challenge that must be faced at the most basic level—that of proper diet and meaningful, regular exercise. It’s nice to be a trendsetter in some things but it appears that many countries are following our lead in terms of poor nutritional choices and a continuing lack of regular exercise. It is time to change our response to this issue in the form of a global as well as a national effort. The answers are simple but the application has been lacking. Let this be a wake-up call to everyone–worldwide.

I’m Dr. Paul Kennedy and that’s the “Be Fit, Stay Fit” Topic of the Week. Good luck with YOUR program. I KNOW you can do it!

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