There you go. They were better off with the lard-laden tamales...
Posted on 08/02/2003 11:49:34 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
MEXICO CITY -- Squeezed behind the wheel of his bright green Volkswagen Beetle, Ignacio Montealegre gazed down at his protruding belly and succumbed to a moment of nostalgia.
"I used to be slim. But then I got married and had to work so hard, I stopped playing soccer and got fat," said the 230-pound taxi driver. "At the end of the day, I go home, eat quite a lot and go to sleep in front of the television."
Montealegre is a man of his time and a lumbering testament to a major new health challenge facing his country.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, an epidemic of obesity is sweeping Mexico, which is catching up with the United States in terms of the belt sizes of its people.
In the United States, about 64 percent of the adult population is either overweight or obese, according to some studies.
Now, health experts say, obesity has become a problem in many Latin American countries as well, especially in urban areas. Mexico's cities, along with those in Peru and Chile, are among the worst afflicted.
Mexico's rapid urbanization, coupled with other lifestyle changes, has helped unleash the potentially fatal consequences of fat upon a growing proportion of the population, experts say. At the same time, malnutrition continues to haunt poverty-stricken communities in the countryside.
The scale of Mexico's weight problem first emerged two years ago with the publication of a national survey, based on 1999 data, concluding that more than half of the country's adults were overweight. More alarming, the study found that obesity rates had jumped 158 percent in the decade since the previous survey.
"We knew people were getting fatter, but we didn't realize how much," said Pilar Torre, a Mexico City physician and expert on malnutrition. "At first, lots of scientists thought there must be something wrong with the data."
Since then, a flurry of other studies has confirmed that Mexicans are getting bigger and that the majority has become averse to exercise. Health statistics have also indicated that an increasing number of deaths are caused by weight-related illnesses, such as diabetes and coronary disease.
The latest national survey, released by the Health Ministry in June, classified 28 percent of Mexican women as obese and an additional 36 percent as overweight. The study found that 19 percent of Mexican men are obese and that 41 percent more are overweight.
The body mass index, or BMI, is used to determine whether a person is simply overweight or obese. Based on weight and height, a BMI higher than 25 classifies a person as overweight, while one over 30 means he or she is obese.
You don't need to be a mathematician, though, to realize that Mexico has a weight problem. Just observe the Mexico City cop munching tacos on the streets as his extra-large vest strains at the seams. Watch children in a park settling down to lunches of processed breads and candy. Then look at the people lined up at a valet parking stand to avoid walking a few blocks.
"I get so tired. My legs swell, my circulation is bad, and I get out of breath," said Blanca Estrada, a 5-foot, 190-pound secretary attending her first Weight Watchers meeting. "My doctor says that if I don't lose weight, I will definitely get diabetes."
Weight Watchers, along with a myriad of less reputable diet clinics that dish out amphetamines, is enjoying a boom. Weight Watchers says its membership has nearly doubled nationwide in the past three years.
But why is Mexico suffering this fat attack?
"The basic reason is that the country is a little richer, and there is more access to relatively inexpensive, industrially produced food," said Simon Barquera, a federal government nutritionist who worked on the groundbreaking 1999 survey that unveiled the problem.
Mexico's traditional diet, featuring lard-laden tamales, cheesy enchiladas and chocolaty mole, is full of fat, carbohydrates and sugar. But Mexicans today also gobble pizza, value-meal hamburgers and deep-fried chicken at U.S.-style fast-food restaurants that have become fixtures in most cities. Sales of packaged snacks and soda have skyrocketed.
Even in remote jungle villages, it often seems easier to find a bag of potato chips than a banana.
Rapid urbanization, experts say, has made things worse.
Motorized transportation and modern communications have decreased physical movement during the working day. Slouching on the couch in front of a TV has become a dominant leisure activity. Government experts estimate that only 13 percent of Mexico's adult population exercises regularly.
"When I was young, we used to play sports on the fields near my home," said Miguel Angel Alvarez, a jocular, 290-pound security guard standing watch in a Mexico City shopping mall. But urban sprawl has consumed those green spaces, he said, leaving no room for his own children to play.
"That's why my son already has a waistline like mine," Alvarez said.
Some nutritionists pin some of the blame for the trend on genetics. Ethnic groups that evolved in areas periodically plagued by famines, these scientists theorize, developed efficient ways to store fat during times of plenty. Now, that genetic overcompensation may be a factor that is causing people to put on pounds.
Torre, the malnutrition expert, believes a predisposition to weight gain may be enhanced in people who experienced malnutrition as children. Poor farmers who have migrated to Mexican cities or the United States, he said, "seem particularly vulnerable to getting very fat."
"Both evolutionary factors and experiences earlier in life probably contribute," Torre said.
Experts say that recognizing Mexico's weight problem is a key step toward solving it. Many applaud the government's decision to include the goal of combating obesity in its 2001-2006 public health program but say the low-profile actions taken so far, such as limited educational programs, don't go far enough.
Barquera, the government nutritionist, warns that Mexico's obesity problem will only grow worse unless the country develops a more concerted anti-fat campaign.
"That is the tendency," Barquera said. "That is where we are headed."
Moderation in all things should be taught, just as in the "Just say no" campaign.
I don't want some know-nothing telling me what diet is proper for me and taxing things they deem unhealthy. History has shown they don't know everything, far from it. Many people have found that fat isn't bad, it's the processed foods inc. carbs and sugars. I don't want lobbyists and lawyers dictating my diet.
No kidding. It's something you have control over but lawyers want their pay-day and politicians want to put a campaign donation gun to the heads of those in the food industry.
If I had access to Mexican food all the time I'd be up to 230 too. Love it!
There you go. They were better off with the lard-laden tamales...
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