France's obesity crisis: All those croissants really do add up, after all
Filed under: Healthcare
When the bestselling book French Women Don't Get Fat came out in 2004, it was yet another occasion to begrudge Gallic females, who could always say oui to pâté, brie, and crème brûlée without ever having to get their Hermès skirts altered. It didn't help that the book's author, Mireille Guiliano, was then CEO of Clicquot (as in the champagne Veuve Clicquot) and was herself fabulously thin -- and wealthy.But was the book a hoax? A new report shows that the French are really getting fatter, just like the rest of us. Some 26% of French women are now considered overweight, and 15.1% are clinically obese, reports the survey, conducted by WPP's (WPPGY) market-research arm TNS Sofres Healthcare and Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche (RHHBY). Of French men, a whopping 38.5% are overweight, and 13.9% are obese. "We are going to continue to see obesity increase," study researcher Marie-Aline Charles told Le Monde. "It's like a steamship that's been launched and can't quickly be stopped."
Quelle Horreur!
In a country that has prided itself on good health and good eating -- and mocked the boorish American lifestyle of eating on the run -- the news has been hard to digest. "The French Won't Stop Getting Fatter," screamed Le Monde's headline; rival Le Figaro warned of the "The Worrying Growth of Obesity in France."
Obesity is associated with a wide range of serious conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Charles blames the same factors that have made waistlines bulge in the U.S. and elsewhere: The French are exercising less, eating more fast food, and landing more service jobs where time is spent sitting at a desk rather than driving a tractor or working an assembly line. "It is imperative that we change the environment and continue to spread prevention messages that encourage less sedentary lifestyles and a more balanced diet," Charles tells Le Monde.
The Rich Get Thinner
The good news for France is that its obesity level is where the U.S.'s was in the 1970s. In the U.S., about 26.4% of the population is now considered obese -- defined as a body mass index of more than 30. But France is catching up, with the average French person packing on nearly 7 pounds over the past 12 years, the survey says.
Overall, some 6.5 million French, 14.5% of the population, are now obese. The rate is higher, 22%, among those earning less than 900 euros ($1,343) a month. Among those who made more than 5,301 euros ($7,910) a month, the rate was just 6%. The survey found regional differences, too: the north of France, known for its rich, heavy food, reported a 20.5% rate, and the east, 17%. In the Paris area, renowned for its concentration of three-star Michelin restaurants, the rate was 16.6%.
The study casts some aspersions on the "French Paradox" -- the myth that the French could consume a diet rich in saturated fats while avoiding coronary heart disease. But the French are straying from the very dietary habits that made them the envy of the world: eating small portions, eating lots of veggies, drinking in moderation, and avoiding snacking.
Sarkozy Orders a Report
Nutritionist Mitzi Dulan, co-author of the All-Pro Diet, says the French have long been able to indulge in creamy, rich foods because of skimpy portion sizes. But more measured eating habits have gone by the wayside, Dulan says. "I would imagine that with this weight gain, they have increased their portion sizes, and people aren't as active," Dulan says. "We all need to eat less and move more. There's no magic to it."
Of course, France isn't the only country struggling with a new obesity problem. Some 45% of men and 32% of women in China are expected to be overweight (with a body mass index between 25 and 30) by 2010, according to the World Health Organization. And in India, by next year, some 20% of men and 18% of women are expected to weigh too much, the report says.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked aides to prepare a report on obesity prevention, to be delivered Dec. 15. Meantime, the phones at WeightWatchers (WTW) France must be ringing off the hook.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-13-2009 @ 9:11PM
smith8570 said...
I am 5'4 125 lbs. not fat, when I was in Italy I was and looked fat to the other women there. So it depends on what you call obesity. Maybe you would consider my size 4 obese..Stop trying to make up for the lazy fat american women whom mostly chose to be that way. Most women DO NOT HAVE HEALTH issue that cause them to carry that fat around. By the way I have health issue and take 10mg predinsone daily and can still control what I eat..and my size.. It is a choice...
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11-14-2009 @ 2:34PM
njgirlxxxx said...
5'4" and 125lbs. I truly doubt your a size 4
11-14-2009 @ 9:52PM
Hattie Crabtree said...
I read once that the average American woman is 5'4" and weighs 160.Most women being 5'4" should weigh 110 to 115.
11-14-2009 @ 10:41PM
Gin said...
I am your height and weight, but I clearly hold my weight in different areas. You must carry your fat in your brain! You are quite judgemental and nasty!
11-15-2009 @ 12:25PM
John said...
It doesn't really "depend" on anything. The article says obesity is defined by a Body Mass Index of 30 or more, and overweight is a Body Mass Index of 25 to 30.
11-13-2009 @ 9:28PM
OOO-LA-LA said...
I though the revelation was that they indeed do not bathe, nasty skanks.
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11-14-2009 @ 12:14AM
kk said...
me too, me too!! Even thin is nasty when unbathed!
11-13-2009 @ 9:25PM
jaguar6cy said...
Finally we have a president and congress that will see the obvious need for big government regulation in this area. Obama will have no problem regulating and controlling the eating habits of all citizens. He will have no problem directing the DHS to establish maximum weight standards. The tens of thousands of new government employees will now have something to do as they supervise scales in every restaurant to weigh each patron and issue eating passes to those who meet acceptable weight levels.
Government regulation is needed immediately because overweight citizens will cost the Nat Health Care program too much money. This is government regulation we all can agree is necessary immediately as part of Nat Health Care.
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11-14-2009 @ 7:25PM
Al tam said...
Any excuse for an angle!!!
11-15-2009 @ 4:05AM
scharabo said...
The US military already maintains weight standards. If overweight you are helped to lose it. If you don't you can be subject to discharge.
This dates back to at least the mid-60s when there was a 'fat boy' program aboard ship for those overweight.
11-16-2009 @ 12:44AM
CheriVNB said...
jaguar6cy
While your post was done in jest, I want to say that I will allow my "Fat Ass" to be regualted if the Nation Health Care is also going to force Doctors to call out drug abusers. Not just illicit drugs but all the pill poppers who have nothing really wrong with them and are draining resources that could be used for the poor and costing taxpayers money. We also need to get rid of all pets as they are too costly and medical resources are diverted to their health via medicines and supplies. All those VETS could be retrained to care for people. We just can't let the average person choose how to run their life because clearly they will make mistakes and the government run by people won't...
If you express unsolicited "concern" for an individual, you are told to mind your own business. But if you group people or get a group together who groups people then it is ok and you can say the most OUTRAGEOUS things and some poeple will agree and even dumber people will take action.
Check your prejudices, "fat" is the new underclass. You are being conditioned to think VERY negatively about fat people. Ever ask yourself why?
Why these "News" stories are even written and no references to verifiable studies are made? I am 47 and have never seen the government so involved or trying to be involved in people PERSONAL lives.
The good news is Life is long and government intervention will make it seem even longer. : ) Yes we can!
11-13-2009 @ 9:43PM
JakeO said...
Let's face it, the electronic age is wiping humans off the planet. The more we sit on our fat asses looking at screens, pushing teeney buttons with our thumbs and not even dialing a rotary phone, we'll continue to amass the results of unbridled calories run amok in our bodies. What percentage of the people in the "civilized" world actually exercise or work hard at anything physical? The "savages" in the third world will gradually learn that just by following their diet regimes, they will overtake us within a generation. Fat and slothful does not make for defensive security. So lets all stuff ourselves untill some healthy, lean and lithe brown or black folk overrun us with impunity.
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11-15-2009 @ 10:03AM
Kath said...
You haven't seen the "brown & black" people I have.....lithe & lean???? Hardly!! What it comes down to is putting less in you mouth and moving your a$$! Don't make excuses for the way you look , do something about it.
11-15-2009 @ 11:57PM
Hattie Crabtree said...
Its not the only thing that is making people fat.Schools have cut out P.E.Many school districts no longer have after school programs but many are starting to change the fatty school menus and not have soda machines in the halls.Many parents work and kids are told to stay inside and not play outside.Many kids live in bad areas and its safer to watch TV or play on the puter.Many mothers have to work nowdays,its not the 1950's anymore.
11-13-2009 @ 9:44PM
ZN said...
Weight is a state of mind & people who get FAT have problems with their attitude & anger dealings that leads them to eat lik they think and how they behave. A FAT person doesn't look at quality but quantity. Like their personality is they put more anger and crazed discipline into another person's actions and do not see the same for themselves in food distrabution.
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11-13-2009 @ 10:57PM
S Garey said...
The only reason that French women are getting fat is the growing amount of McDonald's in France. Where McDonald's goes, so goes the fat!
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11-14-2009 @ 12:54AM
Andie said...
Oh, PLEASE. McDonald's doesn't FORCE you to eat there. The only ones that are to blame here are the people eating there.
11-14-2009 @ 2:50AM
Gustavo Bungholio said...
There is no such thing as a hot-but-fat woman. Any woman who has thunder thighs, blubber buns, and jiggly upper arms is a rock-solid turn off. She's just hideous. You can dress her up is the best clothes, do her hair just right, and let her drive a Bentley convertible, but when she steps out of that car and waddles towards you, you can't help but shrivel up. Sure, you may hang around for a ride in the Bentley but you're thinking about someone else. Not only that, fat women snore.
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11-18-2009 @ 9:17AM
Lynn said...
Gustavo,
They have a pill for your shriveling. Big or small women do not like that.
I cried because I was not skinny until I met a man who had no class.
11-14-2009 @ 10:36PM
gin said...
Your comments only prove that you are a disgusting pig regardless of your waist size! I am sure your blame anything on your shriveled member!