Granny used to fatten Uncle Ferd up so's he wouldn't have to go to war...
Too Fat to Fight: Military Threatened by Childhood Obesity
15 Oct 2017 | Even the kids in America's fittest state are too fat to fight their nation's wars, a pro-military nonprofit argues in a new study.
The military has long bemoaned America's tubby youth, and the Council for a Strong America says Colorado is part of the problem, with more than 27 percent of the state's children categorized as overweight. "Low levels of physical activity and the obesity epidemic are contributing to an unprecedented readiness problem for our armed forces," the nonprofit said. Those extra candy bars compound a complex problem for military recruiting. Between other health issues, criminal records and other troubles from facial tattoos to drug habits, a full 70 percent of Colorado teens are ineligible for military service. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Terrance McWilliams said extra pounds are of special concern because weight can cost lives on the battlefield. "It gets extremely dangerous when you can't keep up with the rest of the pack," said McWilliams, the former top enlisted soldier at Fort Carson. "You are putting your fellow comrades at greater risk." Strong America's lament might sound familiar. The nonprofit has been citing the issue for years as a danger to America's national security.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 17 percent of America's kids are overweight. But the military has a tougher standard. A 6-foot teenage recruit is expected to weigh less than 184 pounds by military standards, when most medical charts would let him have 12 more pounds of cheeseburgers. M. Michael Cooke, Strong America's state director, said the nonprofit sees the goal of slimmer kids as more than a military imperative. "It does render those kids unfit to fight but there are many other reasons to combat childhood obesity," she said. Cooke said fat children face health challenges for a lifetime, costing society. But as the Army aims to bring in 80,000 recruits in the next year, having too many obese teens is troubling for the military. In a news release, Army Recruiting Command's Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow said it met 2017 targets by bringing in 69,000 recruits, but hitting the goal came at a cost. "The command achieved its mission by the use of enlistment bonuses for as much as $40,000, with an average bonus of $12,800 for 33,000 recipients to attract the best-quality candidates for service," the command said.
Troops exercise to keep fit because "weight can cost lives on the battlefield," according to retired Command Sgt. Maj. Terrance McWilliams.
To help the military get more fit recruits, Strong America wants state-mandated physical education classes in public schools, more bicycle lanes and boosts to programs that provide healthy food to the poor. Cooke said while Colorado is known for having the leanest adult population in America, that hasn't translated to thinner kids. "We are one of three states in the nation that doesn't mandate physical education," she said. Strong America is broken into several wings, aimed at fighting crime, boosting the military and keeping children in school. The charity, backed by nonprofit giants including the Gates Foundation, plans on taking the obesity issue to the Colorado General Assembly next year. Cooke said she hopes to push lawmakers into policies that lead to healthier kids. Most of what the group wants, she said, can be accomplished for little tax money. "It remains an important message and we haven't solved the problem," Cooke said. Retired Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, who headed U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, said the nonprofit is on the right track. He said families have a big role to play, too.
Renuart said parents need to turn off the television and send kids outside more. They also need to keep an eye on what their kids eat, he said. "It requires parents be participants and leaders in their children's activity and eating lifestyles," Renuart said. Another option remains for the military: Allowing more fat recruits into the ranks. McWilliams said that would be a dangerous move. "When you have people who aren't physically fit, it degrades the accomplishment of the mission." The Army tried easing standards at the height of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including allowing heavier troops. McWilliams said that caused a nightmare for commanders preparing their units for combat overseas. "When you do introduce that rigorous physical activity to some of them, that's when you discover the serious health issues that went undiagnosed," he said. The whole problem of military readiness, though, shares a common thread Cooke asserts. "You need to make an investment in children in their younger years."
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2...d-obesity.html
Peter1469 (10-18-2017)
Obesity Robs the Tongue of Taste Buds - in Mice...
Study: Obesity Robs the Tongue of Taste Buds in Mice
March 20, 2018 - Packing on pounds seems to dull people's sense of taste, and puzzled researchers turned to mice to figure out why: Obesity, they found, can rob the tongue of taste buds.
If Tuesday's findings pan out, "this could be a whole new kind of target in treating obesity," said Cornell University food scientist Robin Dando, whose lab led the research. "People don't really look at the taste bud, but it's so fundamental." Diet, exercise and genetics are among many factors that play a role in obesity. But taste preferences influence dietary choices, and some earlier studies have suggested that obese people often taste flavors with less intensity than lean people. The theory, still unproven, is that people might make up for weakened taste by turning to higher-calorie foods or generally eating more. Dando's team took a closer look at taste buds, those clusters of cells on the tongue that help perceive the five tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. They turned to lab mice, feeding them a high-fat diet that caused rapid weight gain — and then counting the taste buds in a spot on the tongue that's normally packed with them.
Two people walk down a street in New York, July 13, 2015. A new study in mice shows that obese mice had fewer taste buds than lean mice
The obese mice wound up with 25 percent fewer taste buds than lean mice that were fed a normal diet, the researchers reported in the journal PLOS Biology. Taste buds constantly regenerate as the 50 to 100 cells inside them mature, die off and are replaced by new ones. Taste bud cells have an average lifespan of about 10 days, and turnover of the entire taste bud takes about four weeks, explained Dando, who directs the Cornell Sensory Evaluation Facility. Both sides of that cycle were affected in the obese mice, as regular cell death sped up and resupply dropped.
Role of inflammation
Could fatty food be responsible? No, the researchers found mice genetically resistant to obesity chowed down yet didn't lose taste buds. The remaining suspect: the chronic inflammation that obesity triggers throughout the body. Dando's team examined a common inflammatory molecule called TNF-alpha. Mice bred to be genetically incapable of making that molecule got fat but also didn't lose taste buds. However, injecting that molecule directly into the tongues of lean mice resulted in faster die-off of taste bud cells, the researchers reported.
The study "does underscore the relationship between taste sensitivity and weight," said Dr. John Morton, a Stanford University bariatric surgeon who wasn't involved in the new work. "It's another reason why it's hard to lose weight." Several years ago, Morton gave his own patients taste tests before and after stomach-shrinking surgery, and found taste perception improved as the pounds dropped. Whatever the role of taste buds, Morton advises patients to eat mindfully — appreciating the sight and smell, and slowing down to chew 30 times before they swallow. "You get satisfaction from food in ways other than volume," he said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/obesity-ro...y/4307538.html