Bigger Not Always Better

Evidently, McDonald’s isn’t the only establishment where customers ask for “super-size.” According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times (January 13), hospitals are now making requests for bigger beds, double-wide wheel chairs, thigh-sized blood pressure cuffs and weight scales that could pass for loading docks. Citing statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the article stated that 64 percent of American adults are now overweight—and nearly one third of that figure is comprised of people who are obese.

As it happens, obese people are frequent visitors to hospitals. According to the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, last year U.S. hospitals performed 120,000 gastric bypass surgeries, three times the amount from just two years ago.

These trends add weight to what should otherwise be obvious: Obesity significantly increases your chances of sickness and disease.