Registry was established in Georgia. Several studies using such
patients focus on obesity as a factor in patient subgroups with the
possible assumption that obesity is related to lack of exercise.
The first study, "Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with
metabolic syndrome: results from a case-control study in Georgia,"
focused on obesity as a factor in metabolic syndrome. The second
study, "Replication of an empirical approach to delineate the
heterogeneity of chronic unexplained fatigue," looked at
endophenotypes that included obesity as part of the subgroup
characteristics. Dr. Peter Denton White was the senior researcher and
the authors stated, "Similarities to the Wichita findings included the
same four main defining variables of obesity, sleep problems,
depression, and the multiplicity of symptoms." Endophenotype is a
psychiatric concept and a special kind of biomarker. The purpose of
the concept is to divide behavioral symptoms into more stable
phenotypes with a clear genetic connection.
As the report below shows, obesity is quite common in the state of
Georgia and may well be unrelated to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As well
Metabolic Syndrome includes not only obesity as a risk factor, but
also high blood pressure, which would appear to be contradicted by
Orthostatic Intolerance in patients as required by the 2003 Canadian
Consensus Definition. Also, Duffy et al 2011 used spectral coherence,
a computational derivative of spectral analysis of the
electroencephalogram (EEG), to distinguish patients with CFS from
healthy control subjects and not erroneously classify depressed
patients as having CFS as may have been the case in the second study
cited above.
New Report: Georgia is 17th Most Obese State in the Nation
Washington, D.C. July 7, 2011 - Georgia was named the 17th most obese
state in the country, according to the eighth annual F as in Fat: How
Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for
America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Georgia's adult obesity rate is 28.7 percent.
Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did
not decline in any state. Twelve states now have obesity rates over 30
percent. Four years ago, only one state was above 30 percent. Obesity
rates exceed 25 percent in more than two-thirds of states (38 states)
This year, for the first time, report examined how the obesity
epidemic has grown over the past two decades:
Over the past 15 years, seven states have doubled their rate of
obesity. Another 10 states nearly doubled their obesity rate, with
increased of at least 90 percent, and 22 more states saw obesity rates
increase by at least 80 percent
Fifteen years ago, Georgia had an obesity rate of 13.8 percent and was
ranked 34th most obese state in the nation. The obesity rate in
Georgia doubled over the last 15 years.
Since 1995, obesity rates have grown the fastest in Oklahoma, Alabama,
and Tennessee, and have grown the slowest in Washington, D.C.,
Colorado, and Connecticut.
Ten years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 24 percent, and now
43 states have higher obesity rates than the state that was the
highest in 2000.
"Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had
the highest rate in 1995," said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director
of TFAH. "There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain
over the last twenty years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact
obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending."
In addition, for many states, their combined rates for overweight and
obesity, and rates of chronic health problems, such as diabetes and
high blood pressure, have increased dramatically over the past two
decades. For Georgia, long-term trends in rates include:
Fifteen years ago, Georgia had a combined obesity and overweight rate
of 51.3 percent. Ten years ago, it was 57.2 percent. Now, the combined
rate is 65.3 percent.
Diabetes rates have doubled in ten states including Georgia in the
past 15 years. In 1995, Georgia had a diabetes rate of 4.2 percent.
Now the diabetes rate is 9.7 percent.
Fifteen years ago, Georgia had a hypertension rate of 20.5 percent.
Now, the rate is 29.5 percent.
Racial and ethnic minority adults, and those with less education or
who make less money, continue to have the highest overall obesity
rates:
Adult obesity rates in Georgia were 38.1 percent for Blacks.
Nationally, obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in 15 states,
35 percent in 35 states, and 30 percent in 42 states and D.C.
Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were 32.7 percent in Georgia.
National Latino obesity rates were above 35 percent in four states
(Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas) and at 30
percent and above in 23 states.
Meanwhile, rates of adult obesity for Whites topped 30 percent in just
four states (Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and
no state had a rate higher than 32.1 percent. The rates of adult
obesity for Whites were 25.6 percent in Georgia.
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