Technology Has Made The World Fat

(from Tech Crunch)

by GREGORY FERENSTEIN

Dinengdeng nga uggot ken sabong ti kabatiti, uggot ti paria, nalaokan iti narnar (nagasagas a tukmem).

The world has paid for the luxury of Angry Birds with its health and looks: a new report finds a strong link between technological advancement and expanding waistlines. According to economic think tank, The Milken Institute, a country the size of America will add 4.2 million Spanx-wearing citizens for a 10% growth in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). “The main culprit is the knowledge-based society,” states the report, “more processed foods, a greater amount of ‘screen’ time (watching TV, using computers, playing video games, etc.), decreased energy expenditure, and/or higher consumption of snack foods have all played a role.”

Around the world, obesity rates have shot up higher than the population’s blood sugar. China’s has more than doubled (2.5 to 5.7) in 6 years; India’s has almost tripled (0.7 in 1998 to 1.9 in 2008). But, that doesn’t hold a bacon-flavored candle to American exceptionalism: the U.S. is the Burger King of global obesity at a whopping 33.8% of the population.

The economic and human toll is astronomical. 2.8 million adults die each year from Obesity and weight-related diseases. It accounted for $147 billion in medical costs (or 10% of total spending).

The impact of technological advancement, however, is an average effect. The slender French are only mildly affected by iPhones and Xbox’s because they eat much smaller portions (even though they eat a higher proportion of fats).

Over the past 15 years, consumption has been supersized by 150-250 calories a day, and 300 calories in the U.S. Calorie consumption was dramatically more predictive of obesity than information technology investment. Controlling for calories, exercise, and type of consumption (booze, fat, veggies), Milken estimates about a 1.4 percent increase in obesity for every 10 percent increase in the share of the economy invested in ICT.

Exercise as simple as walking can make a big difference in reducing obesity. But, why stop there? Be ambitious. Go for a six-pack and have your whole business join a CrossFit gym. Or, you can just always order the growing line of mainstream Spanx-wear from the comfort of your well-worn chair.

***

Avoid obesity, eat more vegetables the Ilokano way!

Dinengdeng a saluyot, uggot ken sabong ti kabatiti, nalaokan iti narnar ken gamet.

Ensalada nga uggot ti kamote.

Kinilaw a pako.

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Home-cooked meals add to life expectancy

From time to time, as a respite, I'll be featuring some "guest" articles here, like this one about home-cooked meals, relevant to our quest for a more healthy lifestyle.

Dinengdeng a marunggay being cooked at home.
(click on photo for a larger view) 

Tucking into a home-cooked meal up to five times a week could add years to your life, according to new research.

The study, recently published in Public Health Nutrition by researchers from Monash University, the National Defense Medical Centre, Taiwan and the National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, found that people who cooked at home at least five times a week were 47 per cent more likely to still be alive after 10 years.

The ten-year study looked at the cooking habits of Taiwanese living independently aged over 65 years. Of the participants, 31 per cent reportedly prepared meals at home at least five times per week, 17 per cent cooked no more than twice a week, 9 per cent cooked at home three to five times per week, while the remainder (43 per cent) reported that they never cooked at home.

Authentic home-cooked dinengdeng: string beans, lima/broad beans, pigeon peas, marunggay, and grilled bangus.
(click on photo for a larger view) 

When researchers followed up ten years later, they found of the surviving participants that frequent cooking was a significant factor in their health and long life.

Lead author, Emeritus Professor Mark Wahlqvist from Monash University’s Asia Pacific Health and Nutrition Centre at the Monash Asia Institute, said those who cooked more often had a better diet.

“We found those that cooked more frequently had a better sense of nutritional knowledge than those who didn’t,” Emeritus Professor Wahlqvist said.

Authentic home-cooked dinengdeng:
alukon, langka, marungay, kabatiti, sabong-karabasa, patani.
Photo by James V. Felipe
(click on photo for a larger view) 

“Cooking is an activity that requires both good mental and physical health. Besides the health benefits the actual cooked meal provides, there are other physiological benefits obtained from its production, purchase, preparation and eating, especially with others.”

The researchers found that dietary diversity was also associated with greater survival rates amongst the participants.

“We found that those who cooked more frequently had a better diet and more favourable nutrient densities,” Emeritus Professor Wahlqvist said. "It is therefore possible that cooking is related to longevity through food choice and quality.”

Authentic home-cooked chicken tinola with paria leaves.
Photo by Gina Bumatay Cayanan.
(click on photo for a larger view) 

Nutrient density is the ratio of nutrient content (in grams) to the total energy content (in kilocalories or joules).

The results also indicated women lived longer than men when there was a need to cook for a spouse, suggesting that women are more likely to find physiological health benefits from the pleasure in cooking for others.


(Source: http://www.monash.edu.au/news/show/home-cooked-meals-add-to-life-expectancy)

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