THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 10, 1994 TAG: 9412090032
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
It would be unfortunate if your report on the genetic predisposition to obesity weakened readers' resolve to follow a prudent diet. According to the report, Rockefeller University researchers found that obesity is frequently associated with the malfunction of a gene that signals when the body has enough fat.
Obesity is a life-threatening condition that has become prevalent in our country. According to one estimate, some 30 percent of Americans exceed their ideal body weight by more than 20 percent. Obesity elevates substantially the risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer of the breast, uterus and kidneys. It promotes arthritis, interferes with immune response and discourages an active lifestyle.
A 27-year follow-up study of 19,000 middle-aged Harvard University alumni, published last December in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that men in the thinnest 20 percent had a 60 percent lower risk of death from heart disease and a 40 percent lower risk of death from all causes than those in the heaviest 20 percent. These findings were corroborated by the renowned ``Framingham Study'' which estimated a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in risk of premature death for every pound of excess body weight.
Genetic predisposition notwithstanding, obesity and a number of other life-threatening conditions are still inexorably tied to the excessive caloric content of our diets.
We can reduce our caloric intake by following the recommendations of the U.S. surgeon general and other health authorities to replace fat-laden meat, poultry and dairy products in our diet with grains, vegetables and fruits. This plant-based diet contains abundant protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
We have the knowledge to compensate for the occasional failures of our genetic makeup. All we need is the will.
TOM OLIVER
Norfolk, Dec. 1, 1994 by CNB