Citation
(2009), "Supersize vs superskinny", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 39 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2009.01739eab.007
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Supersize vs superskinny
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 39, Issue 5.
It comes as no surprise that a third of us would rather go under the knife to combat a weight problem than eat healthily when technology has provided us with quick results for various problems in most aspects of life. Recent Hoodia Mint polls mirror the latest findings from the NHS, which suggest surgical operations such as stomach stapling and gastric bypasses have shot up by 40 per cent in just one year.
The number of people ending up in hospital because of weight-related health problems is also on the increase, with more than 5,000 people admitted in 2007/2008. The figure represents a 30 per cent rise on the previous year, and a massive 700 per cent increase over a decade. And according to the report, twice as many obese women are admitted to hospital than men, with most likely to be middle-aged.
Experts are understandably worried about the huge strain obesity is putting on the NHS, with some suggesting the obesity time-bomb could bankrupt the health service as more people are diagnosed with weight-related illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Diet and exercise
One of the reasons why so many people working in the health industry are shocked at these latest findings is that, according to NHS guidance, surgery should always be a last resort for weight problems, with diet and exercise recommended as the best way to lose weight. But according to the report, only 27 per cent of men, 31 per cent of women and 21 per cent of children are eating healthily by getting five portions of fruit and veg a day.
NHS guidelines also recommend diet and exercise before the prescription of weight-loss drugs. However, according to the report, the number of prescriptions written for weight-loss drugs such as silbutramine, an appetite suppressor, and orlistat, which prevents the body absorbing fat, have risen by 16 per cent, with 1.23 million prescriptions written during 2007/2008.
The use of prescription weight-loss drugs has increased despite the drugs' legendary side effects, which include unpleasant gastrointestinal problems such as severe diarrhoea, as well as increased blood pressure.
Hoodia Mint is a hoodia supplement. Each mint contains 1000 mg of pure, refined hoodia gordonii. The mints are also sweetened with xylitol, a natural, low-calorie alternative to sugar. The supplement is also suitable for vegetarians.