Americans’ imbalanced eating fueled by tabloid irresponsibility

August 6, 8:22 PMLA Health and Beauty ExaminerSarah Torribio

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The U.S. seems to have a split personality when it comes to weight.

On the one hand, we are in the midst of a much-vaunted obesity epidemic. Sixty-six percent of American adults are obese or overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while the rates of severely obese children have trebled in the last 25 years. (ScienceDaily)

On the other hand, American celebrities—and far too many of our girls and teens—are wasting away in the life-draining pursuit of extreme thinness.

It is estimated that 10 million American women are suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia as well as binge eating. Ninety percent of those with disordered eating are ages 12 to 19, according to an article in HealthDay.

The outbreak of starving and purging—the skeletal cousin of the obesity epidemic—is amply evident in the pages of glossy tabloids like US Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK! and People.

The list of 20-something celebrities who are “scary skinny” is anything but lean. Here are just a few of the shrinking violets: Lindsay Lohan, Nicky Hilton,
Mischa Barton (though she’s been in the spotlight lately for a rapid weight gain, concurrent with what has been reported as a substance-abuse-related breakdown), Kate Bosworth,
and Jessica Stroup.

Neither manifestation of our collective yo-yo diet is healthy.

According to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, obesity can contribute to a slew of medical conditions, including: heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, reproductive problems, gallstones, and metabolic syndrome.

Though our society associates extreme thinness with beauty, being underweight carries its own health risks, among them infertility, osteoporosis, weak immune system, anemia, hair loss, and low muscle mass.

If skinniness is the result of disordered eating, the consequences are even more serious.

Bulimia—a combination of binge eating and subsequent purging via behavior such as self-induced vomiting, laxative use, fasting and excessive exercise—is incredibly hard on the body.

Those with this illness can suffer from any number of complications, including: tooth and gum erosion, oral trauma, swallowing problems stemming from esophagus damage and enlarged glands, reproductive problems, constipation, peptic ulcers, gastric reflux, water retention, abdominal bloat and dehydration.

One of the most serious risks associated with bulimia is electrolyte imbalance, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest and, in some cases, death

Anorexia (starving yourself) can also turn the body upside down. Some of the myriad effects include: fatigue, insomnia, depression, irritability, slowed metabolism, low heart rate, heart disease, kidney damage, bloating and constipation, loss of body heat, anemia, reproductive and hormonal problems, tooth and gum decay, ceased menstruation, hair loss, and water retention.

Again, the greatest risk is death. Anorexia—either through direct starvation or complications—claims 5 to 20 percent of sufferers who receive no treatment.  
 

Mischa Barton has been scary skinny. AP/Joel Ryan

Media-supported imbalance

The statistics tell the story: Too many Americans are engaging in unhealthy eating habits, putting ourselves at risk for serious illness.

If we want to save lives and save on medical bills, we need to shape up.

This kind of wide-scale overhaul not only requires individual action. Every entity or organization with a broad reach has a responsibility to join in the fight to reduce the incidence of obesity and eating disorders.

This movement must include the federal and state governments, a fact they have acknowledged by launching countless efforts to promote healthy eating and lifestyle habits.

One of these endeavors can be found on the Healthfinder site, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There, you’ll find a link that allows visitors to send e-cards to loved ones, reminding them to eat well and to get proactive with preventative care.

Call it my idealistic journalism education, but I think it’s also time for media outlets of every stripe to stop sending mixed and detrimental efforts about how to get fit and look good. After all, one of the core tenets of the Society of Professional Journalist’s code of ethics is to minimize harm.

One of the ways to do this, according to SPJ, is to “show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage.”

In my opinion, the editors of the hugely popular gossip-dishing magazines—which most of us read at home or in the grocery store aisle—are falling short on this tall but important order. Stories and photo spreads scrutinizing the slightest weight gain and lauding dangerous reductions abound. It seems, sometimes, like the tabloids are intent on exacerbating the health and identity crises of their readers.  

One of the most recent assaults on the code of non-harm is OK! magazine’s blithe and breathless coverage of Jessica Simpson’s most recent crash diet. Written in a contrived first person format, the cover shrieks to readers that they will find some truly special secrets within, revealed by Jess herself.  

The headline?

“Jessica Simpson: How I lost 10 pounds in 10 days!” (Note the exclamation point!)

The Mayo Clinic website and other authoritative medical sources recommend that dieters lose no more than a pound or two a week, though, of course, results vary.

On a Mayo site Q & A, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist Dr. Edward R. Laskowski weighs in on why slow and steady wins the race:

“The problem with fast weight loss is that it takes extraordinary efforts in diet and exercise that are usually not sustainable over the long term — and the weight quickly comes back once you stop trying so hard. That's why when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady usually beats out fast weight loss.”

So, if my math is correct, OK! and a sweet but not-necessarily-in-the-know pop star are encouraging readers to lose weight well over three times faster than is recommended by the medical community. That strikes me as downright irresponsible.

This kind of article does not follow the philosophical lifestyle ideal of The Golden Mean, which Aristotle described thusly: “It’s best to rise from life as though from a banquet, neither thirsty nor drunken.”

Yes, many of us need to lose weight, but no, we don’t need to do it in an unhealthful ways.

Come on, U.S., and come on, US Weekly and its peers in the magazine world. Let's try some moderation. Let’s trise from life as if from a banquet—neither starving nor too full.