#27 - 27 March 2024
CONTENTS
?? LEAD ARTICLE: The hidden tragedy behind the obesity epidemic
PRODUCTIVITY PACKAGE
?? Introverts hate brainstorming sessions for good reasons. Here’s how to make them better.
?? The ideal number for an effective meeting is …?
?? Parkinson’s Law of Triviality
?? Second helpings - good reading from the web
?? Note to subscribers - an explanation
LEAD ARTICLE
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The hidden tragedy behind the obesity epidemic
I grew up in a time when food was still a luxury. My mother, and most other mothers, reprimanded us for wasting food with the remark that there were millions of children all over the world dying of hunger.
Doomsday prophecies from the Nobel Laureate, Paul Ehrlich and The Club of Rome, in the 1970s, gravely forecast an impending catastrophe where the earth could no longer support an exploding population. Their postulate was that population grew exponentially while food production increased in a slower, linear fashion. The earth was heading towards a crisis caused by the widening gap between supply and demand.
They got it wrong, totally.
Consider this recent headline: "Obesity overtakes hunger as the biggest threat to global health."
One in eight
A study published in the prestigious journal, The Lancet, undertaken by Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation indicates that obesity has surpassed hunger as the top global health hazard. The study showed:
?? Over one billion people -- more than one in eight individuals globally -- were deemed clinically obese.
?? With underweight people falling below 550 million, obesity has become the most common type of malnutrition.
?? Of the obese population, 159 million are youngsters under the age of 18, which is a serious concern.
On the surface, in light of the prophets of gloom, this looks like a backhanded compliment to mankind's ingenuity, but we now know that obesity ranks at the top of the list of conditions that lead to a clutch of common disorders collectively labelled as non-communicable disorders (NCD.)
The hazards of obesity
The links between obesity and various health disorders are well-established by evidence-based research.
Obesity, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having a Body Mass Index of 30 or above (BMI - weight in kg divided by the square of height in metres, expressed as kg/M2.)
Obesity is linked to several health disorders.
? Cardiovascular diseases: Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. Excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, can lead to an increase in the body's cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and blood pressure, all of which are risk factors for CVD.
? Type 2 diabetes: There is a strong link between obesity and type 2 diabetes.
? Cancer: Recent research has found associations between obesity and various types of cancer, including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon. The mechanisms are multifaceted.
? Musculoskeletal disorders: Obesity significantly increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, particularly osteoarthritis. The added weight puts extra pressure on joints such as the knees and hips, leading to wear and tear over time, pain, and decreased mobility.
? Respiratory problems: Obesity can adversely affect lung function and increase the risk of respiratory problems, including asthma and obstructive sleep apnea (breathing difficulties during sleep, which results in reduced oxygen levels and poor sleep quality.)
? Mental health issues: Obesity is linked to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The relationship is bidirectional; obesity can lead to mental health disorders due to social stigma and discrimination, and mental health disorders can lead to obesity as a result of medication side effects or coping mechanisms such as overeating.
There are 2 kinds
One cannot categorise the entire population under one heading. Dissecting it out, there are two kinds of obesity.?
1?? Obesity of the wealthy. Obesity, which is seen in wealthy societies, is one of excess consumption of all types of food. The answer is simply to eat less and be more active. To add to that, the last year has seen the introduction of a group of drugs that can lower body weight without any effort from the person. You can have your cake and eat it too, but at prices that are large.
2?? Obesity of the not-so-wealthy. Obesity that is encountered in developing nations has a completely different complexion: the easy availability of "empty calories."
Why so?
Here’s an explanation that ties the complex elements behind this together:
? Lack of access to nutritious food: A healthy dietary pattern is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.
People in poor countries cannot afford to eat like this. In many poor countries, access to fresh, nutritious food is limited. This situation can be due to a variety of factors, including economic constraints, lack of infrastructure, and in some cases, political issues that affect food distribution.
? Reliance on processed foods: Populations in these areas often rely on cheaper, processed foods that are high in sugars, fats, and starches but low in essential nutrients. These foods are more affordable and have a longer shelf life than fresh produce, making them more accessible to lower-income individuals.
? Empty calories: The term “empty calories” refers to foods and beverages composed primarily of sugar, fats, and oils, providing a high energy content but minimal nutritional value. These calories do not supply the body with the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to function optimally, leading to malnutrition despite an excess of energy intake.
? Energy density and overconsumption: Foods high in empty calories tend to be energy-dense, meaning they pack a large amount of calories into a small volume. This characteristic can easily lead to overconsumption of calories, as these foods do not satisfy hunger as effectively as more nutrient-dense options, leading to a surplus of energy that the body stores as fat.
? Marketing and availability: The unprincipled marketing and availability of cheap, calorie-dense foods are significantly higher in many developing regions. Coupled with subsidies that make these options more economically viable than healthier alternatives, it propels the consumption of foods high in empty calories.
No longer diseases of the rich, but unaffordable to the poor
Along with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are now rampant in developing countries. In many, communicable diseases and infections are no longer the leaders of the band. NCDs demand life-long monitoring and treatment. Complications arising from them require technology, expertise and expense that is sizeable. The economic burden of NCDs can overwhelm these nations.
The links between obesity and health disorders underscore the importance of addressing obesity as a public health priority. This situation highlights the need for comprehensive food policies that improve access to and affordability of nutritious foods to combat the rising tide of obesity and related health issues in these regions.
#obesity #GlobalHealth #NCD
???????????????????????? - a package of practical suggestions
Introverts hate brainstorming sessions for good reasons. Here’s how to make them better.
Brainstorming does not work as well as claimed. It's a popular choice because of its lack of structure and agenda, which are the very reasons why it often fails. It favours extroverts over introverts.
The downside of brainstorming
? A good start is this quote from Susan Cain in her book, Quiet. “... three explanations for the failure of group brainstorming. The first is?social loafing: in a group, some individuals tend to sit back and let others do the work. The second is?production blocking: only one person can talk or produce an idea at once, while the other group members are forced to sit passively. And the third is evaluation apprehension, meaning the fear of looking stupid in front of one's peers.”
? Brainstorming sessions are democratic, and like democracy, they tend to?favour the loudest voices, not necessarily the best ideas.
? The assumption that collaboration breeds creativity is unfounded. It often breeds conformity instead. It's a perfect bed for?groupthink. Members align their thinking to fit perceived dominant ideas rather than foster genuine innovation. By trying to include everyone, we end up with a diluted consensus.
? Brainstorming often prioritises quantity of ideas over their quality.
? Often, participants come into brainstorming sessions?without adequate preparation or background knowledge?on the topic at hand. This can result in surface-level ideas that lack depth or feasibility.
Introverts hate it.?
The best ideas come from people working alone, usually introverts by nature. For introverts, brainstorming sessions can be akin to a trial by fire. The process privileges extroversion. Introverts find these sessions draining and misaligned with their strengths.
??Better brainstorming
Here are some strategies that can help create a more inclusive environment for introverts and improve the quality of sessions for all.
?? Setting?clear expectations: Clearly communicate the purpose of the brainstorming session and the expectations for participation.
???Preparation time:?Provide the topic(s)?in advance.
???Written contributions:?Individual notes, shared digital documents, or even anonymous submission tools. Jeff Bezos of Amazon insists on this.
???Structured turn-taking:?Implement a format where each participant has a designated time to speak or share ideas.
???Use of technology:?Digital brainstorming tools allow participants to contribute ideas anonymously or with a level of privacy.
???Affirmation and support:?Actively affirm and support contributions from all participants, regardless of their delivery style or volume of ideas.?
???Post-session contributions:?Allow submission of additional ideas after the session has concluded. Some individuals may develop their best ideas upon further reflection.
Brainstorming is a good tool provided, like all tools, we use it with knowledge of its capabilities and limitations.
#brainstorming #introvert
SECOND HELPINGS
Good reading from all over
CONTENTS
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An explanation to subscribers
Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed regular duplication between the weekly newsletter contents and posts or notes. Here's an explanation.
Substack hosts my main website. It can be accessed using https://p-rescription.com , which will redirect to the Substack site at https://p4life.substack.com . I also have an active presence on LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/arjunrajagopalan/ , and my newsletter there is: https://www.dhirubhai.net/newsletters/p-rescription-7127593002511826944/ .?
Understandably, I keep working on strategies to maximise the exposure of my writing. This means I have to devise workarounds for the algorithms that control how my work is shown. I use several methods.
Newsletters are the best method on both platforms, Substack and LinkedIn, to ensure that readers get my work without fail. Every subscriber will get an email newsletter until they unsubscribe.
However, this involves signing up subscribers who have to first be shown my work. I am at the mercy of the "algorithms" for this.
The algorithms, particularly on LinkedIn, are tricky things beyond my direct control. The number of "impressions" I can get on any post is totally random. There is very little correlation between my own evaluation of the piece and the number of people who get to read it. A good number are not subscribers. There are some things you can do to "game the system," but they don't always work.
In an attempt to make my writing visible to a larger audience, I post selections from the newsletter as individual posts.
Hence the duplication. I trust you will understand and support my behaviour
Founder/CEO at Engage.Social
8 个月Arjun, a sorry side effect is that the weight reduction drug lobby has resorted to scare tactics against natural remedies like diet and interval fasting. There was a paper presented at AHA which linked IF to a 91% increase in cardio vascular death. This is a non peer reviewed presentation and the study derived from a poor correlation of asking participants their diet over a 2 day period and tying that to mortality. It has been debunked by many researchers, but still New York Times carried it.