Fat places $2tn burden on world economy, says McKinsey report

[taco.vidal]

Thoughts on solutions? A sugar tax as a quick start to a solution?
If being overweight or obese and lower ones quality of life, worsening ones health, and shortening ones life expectancy isnt getting soemone motivated then maybe taxes hitting the pocketbook will. Taxes and fees. Dont like the route of insurance premiums but taxes like on alcohol and tobacco.


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireSto...llion-27046619

Fat is becoming a weighty economic issue. Almost a third of the world’s population is overweight or obese, levying an economic cost that rivals that of armed conflict or smoking, according to research by McKinsey consultants.

The strain on healthcare budgets is set to mount because unless current trends are curbed, half the global adult population will be overweight in 15 years’ time. In a 150-page report, published on Thursday, the consultants put the global annual cost of obesity at $2tn – equivalent to 2.8 per cent of the world’s economic output.

[Nehkara]

I think a better global distribution of food would be a good start... it's ridiculous that so many people are overweight when there are also so many people starving.

BTW, I am one of the bad people who are fat... but I'm working on it.

[saillias]

"The strain on healthcare budgets is set to mount because unless current trends are curbed, half the global adult population will be overweight in 15 years’ time."

Can't read the article, but how is this study defining "overweight?" Are they using BMI? Because if they are, their prediction is bunk.

[troutman]

If people are not overweight and live longer, won't that also put extra burdens on healthcare budgets?

[Traditional_Ale]

I can eat whatever I want and never ever gain a pound. So I make up for it by drinking and smoking.

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by troutman

If people are not overweight and live longer, won't that also put extra burdens on healthcare budgets?

Well you are healthier if you are not overweight, thus not having to go to the doctor more for complicated #### like a lot do when they're overweight...

[troutman]

Originally Posted by skudr248

Well you are healthier if you are not overweight, thus not having to go to the doctor more for complicated #### like a lot do when they're overweight...

What if you are in a care facility for 10 years or more?

[taco.vidal]

I changed the link in the article to one that should be viewable.

[CaptainCrunch]

What if instead of a tax we build fat farms and force fat people to go there and run on treadmills 24 hours a day that are attached to giant generating stations.

We could help them becoming healthier and take care of our energy needs and the good news is there would be no tax requirements.

We could feed them pretty cheaply by giving them finely condensed protein paste and the bodies of people who can't survive the dramatic treadmill process.

That's right people, we can feed them people, who are high in all of the essential food requirements and go well with red and white wine.

[Simon96Taco]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

What if instead of a tax we build fat farms and force fat people to go there and run on treadmills 24 hours a day that are attached to giant generating stations.

We could help them becoming healthier and take care of our energy needs and the good news is there would be no tax requirements.

We could feed them pretty cheaply by giving them finely condensed protein paste and the bodies of people who can't survive the dramatic treadmill process.

That's right people, we can feed them people, who are high in all of the essential food requirements and go well with red and white wine.

I like where you're going with this. Let me run with this a bit further, and suggest that maybe we do the same thing with prisoners. Instead of getting their exercise out in the yard, the prisoners get on treadmills that are hooked up to generators. In fact, why not change the judicial system so that people get penalized in terms of megawatts rather than years.

Not only would they be busy generating power for all the law abiding citizens, but they'd probably spend so much time on the treadmill (trying to get to their target megawatts/release date sooner) that they would be too tired to cause riots, stab other inmates/guards, attempt escape, etc).

Oh, and just to stay on topic, they wouldn't be fat either.

Win-win-win.

[Muta]

Well, one thing that has to happen is that healthy, organic foods have to become cheaper than sugar-rich crap food. Until that happens people will just buy their $1 burger from McDonalds, and one for each member of their family too.

[WhiteTiger]

Yeah, I don't see the metric they are defining "obesity" by, so I'm not too impressed by this article.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

What if instead of a tax we build fat farms and force fat people to go there and run on treadmills 24 hours a day that are attached to giant generating stations.

We could help them becoming healthier and take care of our energy needs and the good news is there would be no tax requirements.

We could feed them pretty cheaply by giving them finely condensed protein paste and the bodies of people who can't survive the dramatic treadmill process.

That's right people, we can feed them people, who are high in all of the essential food requirements and go well with red and white wine.

Only problem is we would be removing 30% of our workforce to go to fat camp. We would be freezing the world economy with your solution

NEXT!

[Coys1882]

Obesity is a serious problem in our society and it's a real tragedy to see overweight parents teaching their kids really bad habits. I'm not a "fat shamer" in any way - I'm all for people being comfortable with their bodies and the campaigns which accompany that; but that doesn't mean we should excuse or overlook being unhealthy because you're now comfy with being 'fat'.

I've coached my son's soccer since he was a toddler and he's currently in MUSC u10. Every single year we've had a boy on the team who's overweight. I don't mean a little chubby, I'm talking that they have man-boobs (boy-boobs?) It's horrible to see because the parents are culpable for this and it will only worsen as it becomes more socially acceptable to be overweight because the people who speak out about it seem to be instantly labelled as bullys.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Muta

Well, one thing that has to happen is that healthy, organic foods have to become cheaper than sugar-rich crap food. Until that happens people will just buy their $1 burger from McDonalds, and one for each member of their family too.

It's not just that Muta - it's that kids are rolling around drinking the largest slurpees and chocolate milk instead of water on the bench during sports. Some choices are easy but aren't being made.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

What if instead of a tax we build fat farms and force fat people to go there and run on treadmills 24 hours a day that are attached to giant generating stations.

We could help them becoming healthier and take care of our energy needs and the good news is there would be no tax requirements.

We could feed them pretty cheaply by giving them finely condensed protein paste and the bodies of people who can't survive the dramatic treadmill process.

That's right people, we can feed them people, who are high in all of the essential food requirements and go well with red and white wine.

That is the exact plot of an episode of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror. If you haven't seen it yet you'll love it.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Two bags of Lays, 3,000 calories of food energy, $6.
A bag of apples I just bought that had 5 apples, 500 calories of food energy: $5

Now it's not as simple as saying it's all about the cost of food, but it is a major factor. Worst part is many of the crappiest foods for you get government subsidies (in the US in particular). You can't honestly expect people to make smart, healthy food choices when how much they have to spend on food is such a major factor.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

It's not just that Muta - it's that kids are rolling around drinking the largest slurpees and chocolate milk instead of water on the bench during sports. Some choices are easy but aren't being made.

That is true. When I played competitive sports as a kid, we either drank water or ate oranges at half. Are they now eating chocolate and slurpees? My coaches would have hit us for that.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Muta

Well, one thing that has to happen is that healthy, organic foods have to become cheaper than sugar-rich crap food. Until that happens people will just buy their $1 burger from McDonalds, and one for each member of their family too.

Can we get rid of the word organic and go with unrefined foods have to become cheaper. Because orgranic fruit snacks, crackers, and potato chips are just as bad as their non organic counter parts.

In fact one thing that would help would be to ban any type of health claims on food packaging. No more low sodium, low fat, sugar free, fat free, heart healthy etc on food. Just simple ingredient and nutrtional info. This would force people to choose based on real info and not marketing claims.

[Muta]

Well, organic implies the removal of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals, irradiation, solvents and chemical food additives from the growth and processing process, so I'm not sure how that isn't a good thing.

Agree with you on the packaging, however. low sodium, low fat, sugar free claims should all go.