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Is Obesity a 'Winnable Battle' for Mesa County?

by KREX News Room
by John Dias

Story Created: Sep 28, 2012 at 8:36 AM MDT

Story Updated: Sep 28, 2012 at 9:33 AM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- The battle of the bulge has been a hot topic for years. In Mesa County, the health department has even identified obesity as one of its winnable battles. However, a recent health report reveals it won't be an easy fight.

According to Trust for America’s Health, if Coloradans continue their current unhealthy eating habits, almost half of all adults will be obese by 2030.

"We see this growing at an alarming rate, but it's really not surprising, when you look back at what has happened the past couple of decades," said Dr. J. Robert Gershon of Family and Sports Medicine. “I don't think people understand what these refined sugars and carbohydrates do, and really it's just simple chemistry.”

Dr. Gershon says all the years of unhealthy eating habits are catching up to us. This could pose a problem for the Mesa County Health Department, which is trying to tackle the local obesity issue.

“In Mesa County, the obesity rate is 23 percent compared to the state’s average of 20 percent,” said Karen Martsolf of the Mesa County Health Department.

The department has an obesity task force made up of members from the health care community; officials hope they can address this problem.

"They’ve really come together to try and tackle these issues of obesity and figure out ways that we can help members of our community,” said Martsolf. “They are really trying to move those numbers in the other direction."

Dr. Gershon believes the crisis could be solved at home, and adds that folks should stay away from foods with high sugars and fat, and eat more protein.

He says in the end it will stimulate less insulin production and start burning fat for fuel.

“If people really knew how easy it was to change things, you don’t have to starve to lose weight because that's why diets never work,” said Dr. Gershon. “It’s a simple discipline repeated every day and making good choices over time.”

Along with obesity, unintended pregnancy and suicide are two other health issues the department has deemed as "winnable battles."

For more information on the study, click here.

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Disgusted said on Friday, Sep 28 at 12:24 PM

After seeing the bang-up job the local Healthcare/Marxism complex has done on both teenage pregnancy and suicide, one can only conclude that we are doomed. But it will give the Healthcare/Marxism complex a supposedly valid excuse to discriminate against people based upon their B.M.I. Ain't socialism grand?!

MAM said on Friday, Sep 28 at 11:34 AM

Grab a cart in the Supermarket parking lot and roll it into the store. We cannot legislate it but we can be a good example.

Anonymous said on Friday, Sep 28 at 11:30 AM

Instead of placing blame, we need to develop new habits to loose weight. Buy fresh food, park further away in the parking lot, take your kids to the real park instead of Mc Crack play land, think of eating healthy as an investment towards your health instead of an impossible feat. Demand better food selection's in your local store's!

Anonymous said on Friday, Sep 28 at 10:07 AM

If you choose to be a lardass and croak from it who cares? We dont need the muslim and mooooshell dictating what we eat

Doug said on Friday, Sep 28 at 8:46 AM

Wondered how Colorado could be called one of the skinniest States.At Walmart people are too lazy to push a shopping cart across to a cart rack and put it away..

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