In two weeks, FORA.tv and Intelligence Squared U.S. are presenting a debate about obesity, Is it the Government’s Responsibility to Fix America’s Obesity Epidemic? On one side, libertarian John Stossel and writer Paul Campos, author of The Obesity Myth, will argue that Uncle Sam should not insert itself into what is a personal-responsibility and health issue. Presenting the other side will be a former surgeon general and a health expert.
The debate takes on added significance thanks to a recent report out of Louisiana State University. The study looked at what happens when individuals eat a diet high in protein vs. one packed with fat and carbohydrates. As reported in Atlantic.com, Why the Obesity Epidemic Could Be Much Worse Than We Think, both camps of people gained weight, but the former group (high protein) gained that weight in muscle mass while the latter did not. Like an idling engine, this muscle mass burns calories even when a person is at rest.
Two people can weigh the same weight, but one person can have good muscle mass and the other can have bad body fat. The implications aren’t good. Americans are known for eating a diet high in fat and carbohydrates, which means the obesity problem is worse than we first thought. We are way overweight, not with idling muscle mass, but stalled-out body fat.
Photo courtesy of Spree2010