Or is it the food industry that sells us food for two dollars which translates into half a pound of fat in our body? Heck, we can even blame the devil for the lack of the will to say no to that sixth piece of black forest and ice-cream we know very well we should not be eating.



Obesity is defined by world Health Organization (WHO) as a multi-factorial disease. Meaning it results from a number of factors. But ultimately, it is agreed that is mainly a poor lifestyle issue. Yet there are studies pointing fingers to our genes, to the underground water, others point to the lack of sleep and the list goes on and on.

The argument based on genetic could be a major one only if we didn't know that in the last year the gene pool has not changed significantly. But our eating habits have. It is also interesting to note that whenever obesity is becoming a problem whether in U.S Australia, U.K or Japan, the same modern lifestyle is always present.

Even in Africa, cities that enjoy modern lifestyle like Jo'burg, in South African, Cairo in Egypt or Nairobi in Kenya, all are showing an increase of obesity. In contrast rural areas that do not have the same modern luxuries overweight people are rare. This is where they eat healthier foods; read close to nature, as opposed to so processed foods that one cannot tell if it is from corn or cocoa. It is where people walk distances and are physically involved rather than seated 80% of their waking hours.

Probably before we blame sleep, specifically the lack of it, genes for pre-disposing us to obesity or the under ground water for its salts we need to identify the more obvious pattern of lifestyle.

Why is it that you will probably never see a "fat" Maasai in the Savannah plains of Kenya yet you will meet with them in the more affluent areas at the country? Why is it that the individuals in the urban centers in Africa are twice the weight as their parents in rural areas?

This probably explains why obesity is a national problem in countries where urban lifestyle is predominant.

I gather that probably we want some one else or something else to take blame for our expanding waists. I further gather that is easier to say someone else or something else did it rather than see how we are contributing to this health menace. Yet it is us it hurts, not the gene, sleep or underground water. It is us who have to deal with heart diseases, diabetes, and hypertension not to mention related costs.

Is it not easier to say we are fat because we did it to ourselves? Will this not make it easier to solve the fat problem by putting it back into our control?