Empowered Health Course · Lesson 2 · 2:32
What's happening with obesity in North America? Why are we suffering with it? When we look at large populations, body mass index was fairly steady and then, around 1970, it began to climb. We see this upturn in body weight across society — both sexes, different ethnicities, different socioeconomic groups, all ages. It rose almost as if it were synchronized.
There wasn't a big change in our genetics; there was a change in our environment. And it wasn't a mass, synchronized change in our willpower, our morals, or our character. Those are misunderstandings of the cause of obesity. Something else is going on, and that's definitely not it.
I remember standing outside with my wife and my father-in-law, looking up at some birds circling in the sky. My wife and I were trying to figure out what kind they were, and my father-in-law — who's from Newfoundland and naturally funny — said, "Well, we know it's not a duck." So: we know obesity isn't about character flaws or moral failings. It just doesn't make sense.
This transcript has been lightly edited from the video for readability. For the complete experience, please watch the video above.