Obese Workers’ Health Care Costs Top Those of Smokers
Smoker health care costs exceeded by obese workers' costs
From: U.S. News HealthDay
Smokers cost employers an additional $1,275 a year, while obese workers cost $1,850 more, study says
FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) — Obese workers have even higher health costs than smokers, a new study finds.
Researchers examined data from more than 30,000 Mayo Clinic employees and retirees who had continuous health insurance from 2001 to 2007.
The analysis revealed that both obesity and smoking were associated with higher health care costs. Average yearly health costs were $1,275 more for smokers than nonsmokers and $1,850 more for obese people than those with normal weight.
Dr. Wilson comments: Unless we understand what we are really treating, there isn’t much hope that we will reduce the health care costs of obesity. Obesity traditionally has been viewed as a simple calorie in/calorie out formula. We now know that’s not how it works.
It is now clear that excessive fructose mainly from sugar and HFCS is the driving force behind insulin resistance and central (beer belly) obesity. When you have insulin resistance from eating too much fructose and then consume high glycemic carbohydrates, especially from grains, your brain is exposed to toxic magnified glucose spikes.
Because nerve cells don’t need insulin for glucose to enter into the cells, high levels of glucose eventually damage the cells, leading to a chronic brain disorder called Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. People with CARB syndrome eventually develop up to 21 brain dysfunction symptoms that can qualify them for a long list of common disorders such as depression, PTSD, ADHD, eating disorders, fibromyalgia, bipolar II, anxiety disorders and other debilitating conditions.
Because the brain plays a key role in auto-regulating fat stores, people with CARB syndrome lose this ability and start to store extra total body fat at any caloric intake. Our waiting rooms are now filled with patients who fit this description—brains that don’t work so well and excessive body fat.
Although people with CARB syndrome who eat more food will tend to store more fat than those who eat less, the amount of food is not the cause of the obesity. That would be sugar, HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates. That’s why when you measure body composition on people with anorexia, they have excessive body fat relative to their lean body mass. Because the definition of obesity is excessive body fat, these thin individuals actually qualify as being obese.
Although it is possible to simply over-eat and gain weight—for example Sumo wrestlers do this, for the majority of people CARB syndrome, not over-eating, is driving their obesity.
WILLIAM L. WILSON, M.D. of MA 10:33AM April 15, 2012