<div><strong>Saundra Lund</strong> <a title="[Vision2020] Draft Ordinance Banning Smoking in Bars" href="mailto:vision2020%40moscow.com?Subject=%5BVision2020%5D%20Draft%20Ordinance%20Banning%20Smoking%20in%20Bars&In-Reply-To=1f0ec0aaa8f65b5a1a10e2ee96d4b9ef.squirrel%40secure.fsr.com" target="_blank">v2020 at ssl.fastmail.fm </a><br>
<i>Wed Jun 24 11:15:40 PDT 2009</i> wrote:</div>
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<div>Let's see . . . obesity is either the #1 or #2 cause of premature death in<br>the US depending on what study you read. </div>
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<div>Can you provide a reference to the study that claims obesity is the number one cause of premature death in the US? I have not found any credible evidence that obesity has overtaken tobacco as the number one cause of premature death, though obesity has increased, especially among children. It would be interesting to look at this study, given it contradicts the Center for Disease Control.</div>
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<div>A 2005 CDC study estimated that approximately 112,000 deaths are associated with obesity<br>each year in the United States, making obesity the second leading contributor to<br>premature death.1</div>
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<div>1. Flegal KM, et al. “Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity.” Journal of the<br>American Medical Association 2005, vol. 293, pp. 1861-1867.</div>
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<div><a style="COLOR: #00c; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/sdtaxes_obesity_factsheet.pdf" target="_blank">http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/sdtaxes_obesity_factsheet.pdf</a>.</div>
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<div><a href="http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:2z2EEXIBFsoJ:cspinet.org/new/pdf/sdtaxes_obesity_factsheet.pdf+obesity+premature+death+rate+2008+cdc+ama&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" target="_blank">http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:2z2EEXIBFsoJ:cspinet.org/new/pdf/sdtaxes_obesity_factsheet.pdf+obesity+premature+death+rate+2008+cdc+ama&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us</a></div>
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<div>If there is a study claiming that obesity is the number one cause of premature death, it is in dramatic disagreement with the unequivocal statement on tobacco as the nations leading killer, from the CDC, in a 2009 report. The 112,000 annual premature deaths figure for obesity given in the study referenced above is dramatically below the 443,000 premature deaths from tobacco use annually, as indicated from the CDC at the two URLs below, in a 2009 report titled "Tobacco Use: Targeting the Nations Leading Killer":</div>
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<p align="center">A<b><font size="3">bout 443,000 U.</font></b>S<b>. Deaths </b>A<b>ttributable </b>E<b>ach Year to </b>C<b>igarette </b>S<b>moking*</b></p><font size="1" face="Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std"><font size="1" face="Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std">
<p align="center">Other Cancers</p>
<p align="center">35,300</p>
<p align="center">Lung Cancer128,900</p>
<p align="center">Stroke</p>
<p align="center">15,900</p></font></font><font size="1">
<p align="center">OtherDiagnoses44,000</p>
<p align="center">ChronicObstructivePulmonary Disease 92,900</p>
<p align="center">Ischemic Heart Disease 126,000</p></font><font size="1">
<p>* Average annual number of deaths, 2000–2004. Source: </p></font><i><font size="1" face="Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std"><font size="1" face="Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std">MMWR </font></font></i><font size="1" face="Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std"><font size="1" face="Helvetica LT Std,Helvetica LT Std">2008;57(45):1226–1228. </font></font></div>
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<div><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/pdf/tobacco.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/pdf/tobacco.pdf</a></div>
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<div><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/osh.htm" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/osh.htm</a></div>
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<div>According to the information at the CDC website below, much chronic disease is associated with four risk factors: smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet and excessive alcohol use. Obesity could be greatly diminished even with a high calorie diet by physical activity. I am an example. When I was a teenager, I ate the "Fast Food Nation" diet: cheeseburgers, milkshakes, french fries, ice cream, in astonishing quantities, yet never became overweight. In fact, I was lean and in great physical shape, due in part to year round long distance running (cross country, track). If the government wanted to legislate a reduction in obesity, especially considering the alarming rise in childhood obesity, which is a risk factor for obesity continuing into adulthood, mandating significant physical activity as a routine for all children in schools could have a great impact.</div>
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<div><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/AAG/pdf/chronic.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/AAG/pdf/chronic.pdf</a><br> </div>
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<div>Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett</div>
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<div><strong>Saundra Lund</strong> <a title="[Vision2020] Draft Ordinance Banning Smoking in Bars" href="mailto:vision2020%40moscow.com?Subject=%5BVision2020%5D%20Draft%20Ordinance%20Banning%20Smoking%20in%20Bars&In-Reply-To=1f0ec0aaa8f65b5a1a10e2ee96d4b9ef.squirrel%40secure.fsr.com">v2020 at ssl.fastmail.fm </a><br>
<i>Wed Jun 24 11:15:40 PDT 2009</i> wrote:</div>
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<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex" class="gmail_quote"><br>So. What's next? What other lawful activities that offend their<br>sensibilities will they want to legislate out of existence?<br>
<br>Let's see . . . obesity is either the #1 or #2 cause of premature death in<br>the US depending on what study you read. Perhaps we should move next to<br>make it illegal to sell or serve high calorie or high fat foods to those who<br>
are obese?<br><br></blockquote></div>