Obesity Greater Health Threat Then Hunger; Cures

WASHINGTON - March 1, 2024 - PRLog -- Obesity now greater risk to global health than hunger, study finds (https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/obesity-now-greater-risk-to-global-health-than-hunger-study-finds/ar-BB1j8mn5), and, as reported (https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/obesity-drugs-will-not-solve-our-billion-person-problem-warns-who-124030100076_1.html),"Effective, popular obesity medications won't be enough to solve a worldwide problem that now affects more than 1 billion people, World Health Organization officials warned."

But we can and should learn from the successes of other countries in fighting back against the epidemic of obesity, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who notes that even Boris Johnson reluctantly came around.

With this move, the UK joins Mexico and a growing number of other countries which are fighting with simple tactics proven to slash obesity at virtually no cost to taxpayers, notes the law professor who helped start a movement to use legal action as a weapon against the U.S.'s second most important public health problem.

In addition to being a major factor in the number of COVID-19 deaths and associated medical care costs, one study has reported that in the U.S. the "total cost of chronic diseases due to obesity and overweight was $1.72 trillion - equivalent to 9.3% of the U.S. gross domestic product [GDP]," although other estimates are somewhat less but still very high.

Also, most of this huge and unnecessary expense caused by obesity is paid by people who are not obese, in the form of higher taxes for unnecessary medical expenses under Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, Veterans and Indian benefits, and other welfare programs, and in grossly inflated health insurance premiums.

A recent study has proven how the U.S. can slash its obesity rate by taking the same simple steps which Chile took four years ago, and which other countries are beginning to follow.

The new policies - which are already being copied in part by Peru, Uruguay, Israel, Brazil, and now Mexico and the UK, as well as other countries other countries - include:

* Raising the tax on sugary soft drinks
* Advertising restrictions on unhealthy foods
* bans on unhealthy food commercials from 6AM to 10PM
* bold front-of-package black-box warning labels
* no more cartoon characters on sugary cereal boxes
* a ban on junk foods available in schools

http://banzhaf.net/   jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com   @profbanzhaf