1 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays and 2 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: Happy Birthday to me fifty three Today HW dedicated Am 3 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: I doing a podcast on my birthday? The alternative explanation 4 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: is how shit is my adminton that I'm doing a 5 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: podcast on my birthday? But hey, whatever one you want 6 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: to go with, we are here today. I want to 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: talk about unintended consequences, and I'm going to talk particularly 8 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 1: about the unintended consequences of the body positivity movement. So, 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: for those who don't know, the body positivity movement is 10 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: kind of the opposite of fat suming, and this movement 11 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: is about celebrating everybody type and everybody ship and it's 12 00:00:54,480 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: undoubtedly played a pretty crucial role in challenging unrealists the 13 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: beauty standards and promoting self love for all body types. However, 14 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: recent studies suggest that there is a potential downside and 15 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: it's pretty big, and that's the unintended encouragement of weight gain, 16 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: which has been now seen and established that people are 17 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: because of this body positivity, they're occurring less so they're 18 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: putting on weight and that is linked to arise in 19 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: health issues, and that includes a concerning increase in certain 20 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: cancers amongst younger people. So a twenty twenty two study 21 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: that was published in the International Journal of Cancer found 22 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: a significant association between weight gain in early adulthood that's 23 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: ages of twenty to thirty five and an increased risk 24 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: of cancers up to ten cancers in individuals under the 25 00:01:56,120 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: age of fifty years. And that really highlights the importance 26 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: of maintaining a healthy weight throughout life and not just 27 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: focusing on body acceptance in and of the moment. And 28 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: we know that for example, I'll give you some statistics 29 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: coorective cancer has increased in people under the age of 30 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: fifty by roughly two percent per year since the nineteen nineties. 31 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 1: And we know that breast cancer in women has also 32 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: increased two percent a year. And then there are also 33 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: increases in young people of pancreatic cancer, uterine cancer, kidney cancer, 34 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: thyroid cancer, and prostate cancer. And a research study of 35 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: forty four and different countries find that more than ten 36 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: types of cancer increased as I said earlier, amongst young 37 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: people under the age of fifty, and it is being 38 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: attributed to lifestyle diseases that cause people to gain weight. 39 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: And that's things such as per diet and lack of 40 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: exercise that are contributing to the cancer risk. And in 41 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: Australia and I are whopping twelve point five million adults 42 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 1: out of a population and I think it's twenty six 43 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: or twenty seven million are now overweight or obese. And 44 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,679 Speaker 1: that's adults, right, so our population includes kids. But we 45 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: got twelve and a half million adults who are overweight 46 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: are overbease, and that is two thirds of the population. 47 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: And not only does that bring an increased cancer burden, 48 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: but we know that there's an increase in a risk 49 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: of whole host of chronic lifestyle diseases. So the ones 50 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: that have been identified and by the CDC and the 51 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: United States is Center for Disease Control where there's overwhelming 52 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: evidence of a contribution, a big contribution or cause of 53 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: overweight and obesity include heart disease, which is the leading 54 00:03:54,320 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: cause of death in most advanced economies, also stroke, type 55 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: two diabetes, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis, as well as all 56 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: of those cancers. And the other thing is the economic impact, 57 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: which is really quite staggering. So a twenty nineteen study 58 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: in the National Institute of Health Journal estimated that the 59 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: annual medical costs associated with overweight and obesity in the 60 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: US is a staggering one hundred and seventy five billion 61 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: dollars a year. And this it's not just the US. 62 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: This burden is felt globally and the healthcare systems in 63 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: countries like Australia, the UK, and many other developed nations 64 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: are struggling under the weight unintended of obesity related illnesses. 65 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: And it has been predicted that in the next twenty 66 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: years the healthcare system is going to cause Western economies 67 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 1: to collapse. So this is a big problem and it's growing. 68 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:03,679 Speaker 1: And the body positivity movement has unintended consequences because people 69 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: are just accepting that they can be of any we 70 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: it and this is actually driving a lack of positive 71 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: lifestyle habits. So I get the tension here, but I 72 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: think there needs to be a little bit of a balance. 73 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: Rather than just saying hey, it's okay to be any 74 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: type of body shit, we should be alerting people to 75 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: the health risk and saying yes, there is a balance 76 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: that has to be played here. We don't all have 77 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: to be skinny, but you do need to be fit, 78 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: so we know that you can be skinny and unfit, 79 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: but you can be fat and fit or overweit and fit, 80 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: and that is really really key because we know that 81 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: people who are overwit but fit actually have a lot 82 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 1: lot less risk of all of these different lifestyless diseases 83 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: and are going to put a much less burden on 84 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,719 Speaker 1: the overall healthcare system which everybody is going to have 85 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: to pay for. So I think that this body positivity, yes, 86 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: it needs to encourage accepting your body for what it is, 87 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: but not just willy nilly and actually saying well, I 88 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: have to try to be fit as well, and I 89 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,359 Speaker 1: should be eating healthy foods because health is really important. 90 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: And yes, not everybody can be skinny, and not everybody 91 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 1: should be skinny, but we still should be having a 92 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: big focus on health and healthy habits, which means good nutrition, 93 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: regular exercise, and overall well being including sleep, hygen and 94 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: all of those things, and obviously not just focusing on 95 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: weight loss. And to bring home that point, we know 96 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: that the guidelines for physical activity in Australia for young people, 97 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: which is kids and teenagers, is sixty minutes a day, 98 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: and only two percent of teenagers actually hit that sixty 99 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: minutes a day. So I think there needs to be 100 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: as well as as having a promotion of body positivity, 101 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: doing it in tandem with saying we really need to 102 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: be much more active, we need to stop eating ultra 103 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: process shit, and yes, the focus shouldn't be on your way, 104 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: but there should be a big focus on actually being 105 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: fit and healthy because it also plays into mental health 106 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: as well. And I haven't even talked about mental health 107 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: uses because that is going to be another podcast. So 108 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: in conclusion, I think the poly positivity movement has been 109 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: a good thing, but it shouldn't come at the expense 110 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: of our health, and we need to have a much 111 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: more nuanced conversation that says, yes, we don't have to 112 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: em for these unrealistic things, but we also shouldn't just 113 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: give up, and we should be really focusing on being 114 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: fit and eating a healthy diet and leading healthy lifestyles 115 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: and because otherwise everybody's going to pay for it, and 116 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: the entire developed nations around the world as well as 117 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: some developing nations are actually going to go bust if 118 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: we don't do something about it. So that's it for 119 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: this week, folks, Catch you next time.