digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

More Americans too fat for X-rays and other scans

today.reuters.com — More and more obese people are unable to get full medical care because they are either too big to fit into scanners, or their fat is too dense for X-rays or sound waves to penetrate, radiologists reported on Tuesday.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • viclopez, on 10/12/2007, -8/+45i just roflcopt'rd when i read this.
    i would also fall under this category ^_^
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -6/+38Means you're out of touch with YTMND.
    • OMGWTFROFLMAO, on 10/12/2007, -5/+72roflcopter is kind of like lollerskating/lollerblading or a blt with extra lmao or roflwaffles
      or zomg
    • BlazeQ, on 10/12/2007, -3/+46In its natural habitat, the roflcoptr is reported to fly around its domain laughing much like the Hyena. Once captured and domesticated, it is used by unusual individuals who can't laugh themselves, thereby confusing the heck out normal people...
    • SmeRndmGy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+33It means his fingers are too fat to use the keyboard properly.
    • rastan, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13@TheAlphaOne

      Traitor! We have a spy in our midst!
    • mozzer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18L33T is the new Ebonics
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -31/+5Keep that nerd ***** on battle.net please.
    • h0kiez, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6@masamunecyrus:

      Good call. Why have any personal responsibility at all. Clearly these people are just naturally insanely fat, and even if that weren't the case, the overeating and other behavior that causes them to be so huge is engrained in their DNA and is in no way their fault. The "naturally fat" phenomenon must be why the US as a whole is much fatter than most all other nations.
    • afeitarse, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16@BDWong

      You do realize that you're on digg.com, right? Like, on the internet? I think you went up the wrong tube or something.
    • TheBigBrother, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Maybe this visual aid will assist in defining "roflcoptr'd"
      http://www.funfreepages.com/games/roflcopter_attack.php
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -26/+3So you can be an idiot all you want simply because you're on the internet? Makes sense... the tougher, stronger kids can't throw you in a dumpster here can they, kid?

      P.S. By clicking -digg to someone making fun of that nerd *****, you're only proclaiming how worthless you are.
    • HoboMaster, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9"P.S. By clicking -digg to someone making fun of that nerd *****, you're only proclaiming how worthless you are."

      I love how making some stupid "Oh, I know you're going to -digg me" addendum makes people think their stupid comments won't get buried. It pretty much guaranteed that your comment is going to be buried, regardless of its other content.
    • Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"Well calling someone a nerd on a website is guaranteeing you will get modded down, because you will offend 95% of the people that visit it."

      Those 95% (ridiculous statistic, by the way) probably know they are a nerd and don't care either way. I sure don't.
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -12/+0Was my point not valid?

      I know it'll get buried because making fun of nerds like you offends so many people on here. I wonder why that's so...?

      @Daveecee: Why are you bothering to reply then?
    • HoboMaster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I've seen plenty of anti-nerd stuff modded up. As long as it's actually funny or interesting, it'll usually get modded up. Nerds are a surprisingly self-deprecating group. But somthing that's "OMG, nerds are stupid, lol" is going to get buried because it's stupid, not because it's making fun of nerds.
    • Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Why are you bothering to reply then?"

      It's called "being an informant."

      Also bored at work.
    • afeitarse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10@BDWong

      I like how idiots on digg follow a formula:

      "blah blah blah (something totally illogical and trollish) and digging me down will just prove me right"

      No, actually, digging you down means you just said something totally illogical and trollish.
    • HoboMaster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@TheAlphaOne: Cause those of us who are nerds find it funny.
    • Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"I still don't understand why the parent of this thread has 19+ diggs..."

      It's probably to spite you.
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -9/+0Why don't you, I don't know, do something productive for your employer then?
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -10/+0Exactly.
    • Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"Why don't you, I don't know, do something productive for your employer then?"

      Have you not heard of a lunch break? I'd hate to have YOUR job... That is, assuming you have one.
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -8/+0Usually when I take a lunch break, I actually eat lunch. But fair enough, I assume you'll stop posting in a half hour then?
    • Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Usually when I take a lunch break, I actually eat lunch."

      Just because I'm a fast eater doesn't mean I should have to sacrifice the rest of my break.
    • theoallardyce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1When you're too big to fit in a medical scanner, thats natures way of giving a subtle life tip.
    • defectDS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You gotta admit, BDWong and TheAlphaone's last 2 comments were both true and kinda funny! ^^;
  • dpk87, on 10/12/2007, -2/+62natural selection.
    • supanaturalhigh, on 10/12/2007, -5/+28I concur... people that big don't need to be helped in the first place. They need to help themselves lose the weight before they should expect others to do it for them.
    • darkzealot89, on 10/12/2007, -2/+39Agreed... but how akward would it be if...

      Radiologist: We seem to have a slight problem with your CAT Scan...
      Patient: What?
      Radiologist: You dont fit into the machine...

      =D
    • CoffeeCup, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11How embarrassing. This reminds me of when I was at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Lab and one of the Russian astronauts was unable to fit in the extra large space suit because he was too fat. He must have been eating too much fast food in the good old US of A. I remember his "team" being really embarrassed and upset about it since he couldn't train until he lost the weight.
    • kkubasik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Agreed. We've removed almost every limiting factor from society, but at least we still have this =/.


    • SmeRndmGy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20Exactly. I saw the fattest person I have ever seen yesterday. She was walking out of Arby's with 4 bags of food. People who are that fat should not be eating fast food. Needless to say, I don't think she will be reproducing any time soon.
    • Misanthrope, on 10/12/2007, -14/+13That's awesome! A russian was too fat, and you assume he got fat from being the states. You know, there are fat people outside the USA. I know it's hard to imagine, but non-americans can have flaws as well. I'll get a chair for you, you're probably about to faint.
    • Grimdotdotdot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18darkzealot89: How about:
      Radiologist: We seem to have a slight problem with your CAT Scan...
      Patient: What?
      Radiologist: We can't get the last fat bastard *out* of the machine...
    • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -19/+7@supanaturalhigh:

      On the contrary, people that big have true medical problems. Most overweight and obese people don't do anything differently than anyone else who is skinny, their body is just naturally fatter; however if they diet and exercise, they can lose the weight. The truely obese people, on the other hand, can't help it. They're naturally gigantic, due to any number of metabolic or gastro-intestinal, or even genetic problems.

      People need to just realize that just because someone's fat doesn't mean that they're worthless or lazy or gluttons. The simple fact is that people are naturally skinnier or fatter, and it takes a lot more effort for fat people to be skinny. For instance, someone who's 120 lbs may exercise 1 hour a day to stay at 120 lbs, but someone at 220 lbs may have to exercise 3 horus a day just to stay the same weight. There are many different factors and most people overlook that.
    • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6Also, American food in general is very unhealthy, so someone of another country could be very skinny until they come over here. A good example of this is Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

      Here's a picture of him when he lived in Japan:
      http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-06-23/screens_tveye-1.jpg

      This is a picture of him now, after he's lived in America for many years (on the right):
      http://www.theoaklandpress.com/images/photos4.23/7377_512.jpg
    • redalert, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13@masamunecyrus
      Scott Adams actually talked about something like this in his blog
      "et me be clear that I do not approve of making fun of overweight people. Those that mock the hefty are delusional because they believe in the superstition of will power. They believe that some people have a lot of this non-existent will-power substance whereas overweight people have less of it.

      I believe that will power is an illusion. Overweight people simply get more enjoyment from food than thin people do, at least relative to their other pleasure options. If I liked food more than I like playing tennis, I’d be the size of a house. Will power never enters into it.

      You can see my theory play out with kids. Kids have no will power, yet many of them are skinny. The skinny ones get so little pleasure from non-candy food that they prefer starving and playing with a friend to eating. It’s a chore to make them eat. The overweight kids are the opposite. They also have no will power – just like every other kid – but for some reason they get more pleasure from food. It’s the same for adults. Some are passionate about food; some just see it as fuel."
    • h0kiez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6 @masamunecyrus:

      Good call. Why have any personal responsibility at all. Clearly these people are just naturally insanely fat, and even if that weren't the case, the overeating and other behavior that causes them to be so huge is engrained in their DNA and is in no way their fault. The "naturally fat" phenomenon must be why the US as a whole is much fatter than most all other nations.
    • pkulak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10@masamunecyrus

      Yea, I don't buy it. Obesity has doubled in adults (and I bet even more in children) in the last twenty years. Are you telling me that our genes have changed in one generation? Or maybe people are just lazier and eating ***** food now.
    • Tiabin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@masamunecyrus: The japanese guy is a little bit of a bad example since he's wearing baggy clothing. But your argument on that makes sense.

      However, I have to agree and disagree... I agree American food is less healthy. That's a given. However, I disagree about all obese people eating and doing the same things. In fact, most truly obese people I've met consume HUGE amounts of absolutely terrible junkfood. While there are some people that seem to consume normal quantities of food and still stay pretty thick, this is most certainly an issue of quantity vs. quality. In these cases I can almost always find a number of things in their diet they are NOT doing correctly.

      Probably one of the biggest culprits is transfats. They're everywhere, and people are constantly eating them in their processed foods and fast food. Second is sugar. Sugar is bad. Avoid it if you have weight issues (or in general -- I no longer have any kind of weight problem, but I still never touch the stuff). Third is... well, most people just arn't getting the right nutrients. You're supposed to eat vegetables every day -- do you? Things like vegetables can speed up your metabolism. There's also a few other tricks of the trade.... Coconut oil is supposed to be great for speeding up the metabolism as well.
    • qwickone, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10@mesa

      "Most overweight and obese people don't do anything differently than anyone else who is skinny, their body is just naturally fatter"

      Ok, excuse the pun, but that's a big fat LIE! most overweight/obese people eat unhealthy food and feel bad about being fat which makes them eat more food because they think it makes them feel better. And I saw the figure once that says less than 2% of people actually have medical problems that result in obesity. And as for genetics, if your parents are fat, youre more likely to be fat, so guess what, you have to work a little harder than others. So if youre not in that 2% of people with actual medical conditions, maybe you'll never be a size 2, but healthy diet and normal workout (meaning cardio 3-4 times a week, 20-40 min a day), means you have no excuse for being bigger than a size 8.
    • afeitarse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@masamunecyrus

      Ok, so in one message you say that it's not fat people's fault that they're fat because of genetics. Then, in the next breath, you go and diss the US for having crappy food that makes people fat. Whawhwhat? If you're going to make an argument, don't refute yourself in the next post.

      Yes, some people have genetic tendancies to get fatter than other people. Some of them even have conditions (thyroid, etc.) that cause them to be fatter much easier. But a lot of people who are fat are that way mostly because of a crappy diet and lack of exercise. As for the US, we're not the only people in the world with fast food. We do (especially in some places) have great, healthy food, if people choose to eat it. This myth that people eat so heathily in other countries is just that...a myth. I was in Spain and all those folk eat is bread and ham...veggies are the devil over there.
    • Traddles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2actually qwickone this whole thing depends on your definition of "overweight". If you mean being at ones "optimal weight" (notice the quotes), then it is quite possible that YOU are wrong. I have big bones and a big build (literally). At my last physical the doctor told me that based on the "optimal weight" concept I should be about 190 lb. He continued that if I weighed that much I would be unhealthy. "optimal weight" is based off the concept that everybody of height x, weight y, and gender z, should weigh *this* much, which might be about right for the average person, but could be totally off. So it is possible that FAR more people than you realize are technically "overweight" which would screw up the statistics
    • defectDS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Radiologist 1: We seem to have a slight problem with the CAT Machine...
      Radiologist 2: What?
      Radiologist 1: The magnetic field from the patient's gravitational pull broke it.
      Radiologist 2: roflwaffles.
  • buddylee415, on 10/12/2007, -3/+30You need to stop eating if an x-ray can't scan you. Just my thought.
    • texpundit, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22Does this mean that paranoid people will stop wearing tinfoil hats and start wearing fat people hats?

      >.>
    • BlazeQ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18That means that the obese poulation could be perfect terrorists. Deep within the recesses, one could hide all sorts of objects and an x-ray machine could never pick them up...
    • FenderGeek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@BlazeQ

      That's both an incredibly funny and profoundly disturbing thought. I'm gonna go read a technical manual now and try to force that image out of my head...
    • Nightfall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8More like exercise and eat better. It doesn't hurt to have ice cream, IN MODERATION. Same goes for fast food. The problem is that Americans aren't exercising enough. They want their cake and to eat it to.
    • suldar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Well, the problem is so obvious. We need better X-ray machines.
    • afeitarse, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3@Nightfall

      How come the fat people argument always settles on the US? Did you know that China has an increasing obesity problem? Did you know that *gasp* there are gluttons outside of the US? Anywhere where there is a prosperous economy with an excess of money, there are going to be people eating too much. Get over yourselves.
    • jmhacc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1maybe china has a growing obesity problem because they are becoming industrialized like us. the great evil here is the free market and capitalism. people choose fast food restaurants most often for two reasons because they are cheap and fast(duh). If i need to hurry to get back to my job so i can assemble 1000$ worth of products per hour and only get paid 7$ an hour I am going to have to choose the cheap alternative unless i want to spend my entire mornings pay on my lunch. If i want to go to a healthy restaurant it is probably going to take too long and my break is only a half an hour and ill get fired or it will cost too much. Sure as you could say I could pack a healthy lunch with carrot sticks and such but i am so tired and my job makes me hate my life so much that i am just not motivated to do so.

      And to everybody fighting over whether or not the obesity debate should focus on america, it should. just like the pollution debate should. America with its incredibly poor foresight is bound to make all the mistakes first.

      I shouldnt have even started typing this because there is too much more that i want to say but i have to go work :#
  • denjin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Yeah, I had some X-Rays (well upper GI)and a CT scan lately. They really aren't meant to hold -too- big of a person on the first one (since it moves you all over), and then you can only be so big around on the CT scan.

    I had the opposite problem where they used a CT scan for something that won't really work (if you don't have a lot of intra-abdominal fat it is hard to see some things) if you're too thin.
    • bleonard, on 10/12/2007, -9/+5Don't be ashamed to live here; these people should be ashamed of their weight. Make comments towards fat people so they're embarassed and more self conscious. Nothing will encourage them to lose weight more than some good old fashioned "HAHA, you're too fat to ______"
    • darkzealot89, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20@bleonard

      Yo mama is so fat, X-Rays can't get through her!
  • afex, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20if the paper turns clear, its your window to weight gain!



    ...seriously though i'm ashamed to live here.
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10Wait dad, fish sandwich?
    • wicked9, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4gotta love the simpsons.
    • dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I was going to say, this whole thing sounds like a simpson's sketch. Remember when Hibbert slapped homer on the stomach to see how long it would take for the fat to stop going, and then canceled the rest of his appointments?
  • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -10/+11Their fat is too dense for X-rays? That doesn't make any sense at all. Anyone in a medical field want to verify the validity of that claim?
    • Sirocco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15The minimum amount of radiation should be used during exposure, and most machines now have hard coded limits. Thus, if a person has too much fat for the machine to penetrate, the picture won't turn out. On those machines you can't crank up the exposure to compensate.

      Also, many machines have weight limits, 300lbs is quite normal here in the US.
    • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6That would explain it. Thanks!
    • Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Why is the parent being modded down? It was an honest question. Not everybody here is a medical practitioner with knowledge of radiation and X-Rays.
    • dootisterhans, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I think this is a valid question. I don't think it is the density of the fat that causes the problem, that is probably pretty constant. It is the thickness of the fat that would cause a problem.
  • taylorhayward, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18Obese is the new fat.
    • No1nose, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Very true. 350 lbs is the new 250 lbs for men about 6 feet tall.
  • KnightMareInc, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3"With 64 percent of the U.S. population either overweight or obese, the problem is worsening, but it represents a business opportunity for equipment makers and hospitals, said Dr. Raul Uppot, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital."

    BMI is *****.
    • texpundit, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9"With 64 percent of the U.S. population either overweight or obese, the problem is worsening, but it represents a business opportunity for equipment makers and hospitals, said Dr. Raul Uppot, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital."

      The biggest problem with the whole "the US population is getting fatter!' schpiel is that just a couple years ago, the Powers That Be decided to lower the standards for what constitutes "obese". So, all of a sudden, we went from 40-something % of the population being obese to 60-something %...overnight...magically. Instantly, the media started droning on about the "epidemic of obesity". Gotta love how people manipulate the "truth" into whatever they want.

      With that said...if you're too fat to fit into a CAT scanner or xrays will not penetrate your ass... stop eating so damned much, exercise, or get something for your thyroid.
    • zane411, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4So wait. They're not going to do anything about the obesity. They're going to make devices that can penetrate the fat...because it generates revenue. That is capitalism at its finest.
    • JDoggqx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Those "new machines" aren't going to give me a lethal dose of X-Rays after they scan my underweight self, are they?
  • Zanneth, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2I lolled. Digg for the funny title!
  • AlmostEvil, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18Too fat for x-rays? Do they eat lead or something?

    Hmm, sounds like a good way to stop Superman using his x-ray vision from finding you if you're a badguy. Hide in a group of fat people.
  • Thinkcage, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7"their fat is too dense for X-rays or sound waves to penetrate"

    That line is gold!
  • andywirtanen, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I have a different problem: I am too tall. For example, I have to pull up a chair and sit uncomfortably for the panoramic radiograph at my dentist's office. The radiograph was design for somebody simply to walk up to it and stand.

    At least the X-rays work for me though.

    Big, tall, & short hospitals and dental care coming in the future?
    • collywolly, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Don't start your whining with us, and your "I am so dissadvantaged being tall". I hear that crap all the time from a tall friend. There have been studies done that show that taller people have significant advantages in life, and are more likely to be promoted than shorter people with equal skills. And in cinemas and concerts, there is certainly no disadvantage.

      Well I just smile comfortably when I am on an aircraft / bus with more than enough legroom for my short arse.

      The majority of fatties have no one but themselves to blame however, and I have even less sympathy for them.....(especially as my taxes are paying for their heathcare here in the UK).

      :)
    • mamluk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Yes, people who are tall do get some advantages, but this applies usually to people who are under 6'5, after that, they are too tall for many people's comfort and this counteracts the advantages they might get.


    • CedEx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0@ mamluk:

      People taller than 6'5" should work on their basketball "skillz" if they are to be respected for being THAT tall.
    • tek1024, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@CedEx

      Being 6'6", you wouldn't believe how much I hear "so did/do you play basketball?" That misconception gets old so quick! I'm a liberal arts student with a penchant for coding and writing, dammit! (Though I did high jump in high school :-] ) LOL
  • nailz420, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Yo momma so fat, even X-Rays can't penetrate her!
  • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Xray can't scan fatties eh... what are they eating, lead?
  • Captbob007, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14I'm surprised there haven't been any stories yet about some really fat person dying and then their family sues the hospital or provider or whatever that they were being discriminated against by:

    a) the hospital for not having equipment that could properly image their insides
    b) the manufacturers for not making such equipment
    c) something else that's completely frivolous

    God Bless America, where nobody is responsible for their own actions!
  • halvertos, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6weird, robin from howard stern just announced this story as it came onto the DIGG frontpage. HEY NOW!
    • bleonard, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I heard her say then while reading this article too!
  • ictoan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Er, I think the reason why Americans are growing fatter and fatter is because we rely on cars too much. For example, most people in Asian countries usually just ride bike or walk to places they want to go so they get a lot of exercise while we just sit inside a moving car.

    Though this probably have to do w/ space and population issue too... since Asian countries have much higher population density per area so a lot of things are clustered together so cars are not necessary. A supermarket could be about a five minute walk in those countries whereas a supermarket in American would take abou an hr to walk there.
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18NO, WE EAT TOO MUCH. PERIOD.
    • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5kevin45- In general, you are probably right. But you can eat all you want and as long as you have an active lifestyle you will not become grafted to your couch.
    • tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5You're right. The US has masses of land, so places could be built far apart, the plan being you just drive wherever you want to go. In other countries, such as in Europe, many cities and towns are ancient and were built before long-range transport could even be imagined. Buildings had to be closer together so people could get to them. Also, space is more limited, again meaning things have to be close together.

      However, the convenience culture in the US doesn't help. You have drive through food. Drive through pharmacies. Drive through banks. You could live in your car without ever having to get out. Exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym. Just park outside and walk in... there, 200 steps easily!

      I've been to VA several times in the past couple of years though, and it's apparent that new developments are taking the concept of things being close together. You can walk around the mini-town to do your shopping, go out to eat etc. without needing a car... a much better idea!
    • NoNom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"new developments are taking the concept of things being close together. You can walk around the mini-town to do your shopping, go out to eat etc. without needing a car... a much better idea!"

      They're designed like that so people will spend more money not for any type of health reason.

      People are of tired of feeling lucky if they get home within an hour of leaving work. Housing corps are aware of that and see it as an opportunity to rake in money.
  • OMGWTFROFLMAO, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22yo momma so fat she went to the doctor for the xray and the doctor told that fat bitch she needed an XXL-RAY!!!
    • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11"Sir I'm sorry, you're just too large for the machine."

      "WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN BOUT DONT YOU KNOW WHO I AM? IM THE JUGGERNAAAAUT BITCCCCH"
  • ahhell, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I just got back from the States and I must say that they really have become a nation of obese. It's no wonder considering the food they eat. Everything in the restaurants has either butter or bacon on it. Part of the problem is that food is very cheap and the servings are HUGE.
    I think Morgan Spurlock needs to make some more documentaries about the restaurants.
  • wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I was on a flight from VA a couple of weeks ago. The lady sitting next to me was on her way for a job interview in Tampa. She was interview for a position that was med-surg sale for diabetic surgical stuff (I'm not in the medical field). My comment to her was that at the current rate of America's obesity increase, she would not be hurting for employment in that field. When it comes to health, America is going to be a hurting country. Fad diets are not going to get either. The only way to loose weight is to decrease calorie intake, and increase exercise.
    • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Good point, the obesity epidemic is partially responsible for the sky-rocketing health care prices. If people don't eat healthy they get sick, and we end up footing the bill. All those Gastro-Bypasses have to cost billions a year.
  • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That is funny. Who was it that said it is only a matter of time before the public starts heckling obese people like we do to smokers? Fattening The World up for the slaughter baby, yeah!
    • spjmm0, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3start hecklink? dude. I had 6 percent body fat and because I was 250 lbs people called me fat in college. esycheez you might want to rethink that statement.
    • benhocking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@spjmm0: I'm going to have to call you on that one. Either (a) they were being facetious, or (b) you didn't have 6 percent body fat. I'm 185 lbs, 6'2", and about 14 percent body fat. For you to be 250 lbs and 6 percent body fat, you'd have to be either very, very tall or very, very muscular, or most likely both. Well, unless your skeleton was replaced with adamantium.

      6 percent body fat puts you in the lower end of athletic (i.e., right before you start losing fat from essential organs such as your brain) according to this site:
      http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

      Maybe you meant 16 percent (considered "fit" for men, where "fit" is better than "acceptable")? That's still quite unusual for someone who's 250 pounds, but it is definitely more believable.
  • braingilbreath, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Vets X-Ray large mammals, I say use the same machine.
    • ejectMedia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Agreed. Sure it's embarrassing for these people,. but it should be. Maybe that way they'd lose some weight.

      I mean, I'm not fit in a anyway, but it's not like I can't fit in an x-ray machine. Once you hit that point of the point where you take up an entire sofa, you may want to think about some things.
  • saxman13ga, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4What did we learn today?

    America needs to loose some weight.
  • bmson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17I was in Milan 2days ago, an the showers at the hotel were really small.
    When I was checking out, American couple was complaining in the lobby, that they could not fit in the shower. They had to use the hotel swimming pool :/
  • wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19Let me answer the problem of "too fat for xrays". The articles are a little bit unclear, because (as usual) the writers really don't have much of a clue what they are talking about, and the source article (in Radiology) is in a professional journal, where everybody reading it is assumed to know WTF is going on.

    There are three ways that being really fat can interfere with imaging studies:
    1) Ultrasound. This was referred to in the article. US works by sending waves off a transducer, though the skin, to organs, then getting the echoes of them. If a personan is obese, either a) they are so fat you can't get the transducer where it needs to go (like when doing an echocardiogram) or b) there is so much fat the signal is attenuated so the image quality is degraded to the point where you can't see what you need to.

    2) Interference with technique. Mentioned obliquely. When a person is very obese, they can't inhale very deeply. This prevents getting a good view of the lungs, heart, and structures in the chest, in addition to obscuring anatomy in the neck and elsewhere.

    3) Mechanical issues with the equipment. The standard gantry for a CT scanner when I was a med student (back in the day) was 250 lbs. Then it went to 350 because too many people were overweight, and there are still people too fat for it. Some hospitals have had to get extra large scanners made to accomidate very fat patient populations (like hospitals that specialize in bariatric (stomach stapling) surgery). Over looked at an MRI scanner? You are put inside a magnet that is about a meter or so wide. There are people (lots) who literally cannot fit inside the magnet.
    • Sirocco, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Thank you. Finally someone who knows what they are talking about :)
    • OMGWTFROFLMAO, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4i always thought muscle was more dense than fat (hence weighing more). Is it possible to be too muscular for an xray?
  • JohnCrichton, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13We are not fat, we are just big boned.
  • notbob, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8That was on Scrubs this past season. They had to send the fat guy to the Zoo.
  • prag, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I bet someone will spend (waste) money on plus sized medical scanners in order to solve this "problem". Better yet, someone will sue a hospital because their fat relative died due to lack of access to diagnostics. They'll win a descrimination suit and the hospital (and everyone it serves) will suffer because some fatty can't put down the bonbons. Ponderous...
    • Lanser84, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I bet this WILL actually happen. There is no personal responsibility when some corporate entity can be blamed instead.

      Whether it is one's fault or not, being very overweight comes with many prices to your health...and this is just the latest one.
  • To0n1, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Is it that more Americans are fat? Or that more Sick Americans are fat?

    What about more Americans require Xrays, and that the normal sample size of people who had Xrays taken was disproportionate to the actual distribution of thin/fat people in the population.

    I like my 2nd hypothesis, as it means more fat people are getting active, hurting themselves trying to lose weight. This is a good thing right?

    God... it's too early, I'm having Stats class flashbacks...
    • Brokenrhino, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Or maybe your hypothesis needs to be revised. It might be disproportionate because fat people are more prone to injury when they fall, due to excess weight and/or they are more likely to fall do to instability of excess weight.
  • kyleblind, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I work in radiology and large patients are at a MAJOR disadvantage because their x-rays (this includes CT scans as well) are nothing but grey due to all their extra tissue. This is going to become more of a problem in the comming years because I don't see America getting thin any time soon. *If you are reading this please go eat a salad, it's for your own good*
  • missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6Okay, the word is "lose," not "loose." I don't want to hear another person who can't tell the difference say, "Oh, fat people need to lose weight." Maybe stupid people need to read a book.

    Yes, obesity can affect the country because it (and along with a number of other factors, believe me) can increase the cost of healthcare. Guess what? Fat people pay more for health insurance. Just like smokers and people with chronic health conditions.

    I see a lot of people who normally want to be allowed to live their lives as they see fit preaching to other people that they need to stop smoking, or lose weight. Some fatty walking down the street doesn't hurt you at all. When you hold the belief that people "shouldn't" be fat, you're not any better than the people who say you "shouldn't" have sex until you get married or "should" wear your seatbelt.

    You're not the boss of anyone.
    • marcME222, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5At least speaking for myself, I have NO problems with people choosing to live their lives as the please -- their diet, smoking habits, etc. The problem here is that plain and simple (with extra 'duh' factor) is that being overweight is just plain unhealthy, and people shouldn't get in the habit of defending their fat. Yes, it's true that in some cases, losing weight is out of the individual's control -- but in most cases it is not.

      ... and PS, are you stupid? Yes, in most cases, people SHOULD NOT be fat and Yes, you SHOULD WEAR your damn seatbelt. It is not a BELIEF that these are bad things -- it has been proven so.

      Now, as for the sex till marriage part... well two out of three isn't so bad.
    • tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4What an odd argument.

      Having a large percentage of your population overweight is bad for the country as a whole. Productivity declines. Tax income declines. That's just two issues. There are others.

      Having sex before marriage affects no-one. But yes, you should wear a seatbelt, without fail. If you're going to get into a car, you have a responsibility for safety. And before you say anything, you not wearing a seatbelt affects far many more people than just your selfish self.
    • missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2"At least speaking for myself, I have NO problems with people choosing to live their lives as the please -- their diet, smoking habits, etc. The problem here is that plain and simple (with extra 'duh' factor) is that being overweight is just plain unhealthy, and people shouldn't get in the habit of defending their fat."

      Wait a minute, you have NO problems with people choosing to live their lives as they please, but...people shouldn't get in the habit of defending their fat. That sounds a whole lot like, "Eh, they can do as they please. As long as they're not fat." If people end up insanely fat because of their own choices, I say let them. It's their problem. You cross the line when you tell people what they can and can't do with their own bodies.

      Should you wear your seatbelt? Generally, yes. Is it necessary or even right for someone to tell me to do so, or legislate that I have to do so? Not a snowball's chance in hell.

      "Having a large percentage of your population overweight is bad for the country as a whole. Productivity declines. Tax income declines. That's just two issues. There are others." How? Do you have figures for this?

      The only safety that's assured by me wearing a seatbelt is my own. As a conscious adult, I have the choice to put my life at risk, and state legislature crosses the line when it says I have to wear it or get a ticket. If I end up all over the pavement, it might affect my immediate family and friends, but it doesn't affect the rest of the world. If you say that it does have some impact, why don't we just legislate against other bad habit? No smoking, ever. No one can eat sugary or fatty foods. Legally mandate an hour of exercise every day for everyone. All those things sound ridiculous because they are. We're conscious human beings. We can figure this stuff out on our own.
    • tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Your arguments render me virtually speechless. Conservative Americans scare me in their selfishness.
    • marcME222, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3My problem and general objection with the whole being overweight is that it is creating a norm, implying to people that it is okay to be overweight, when in reality it is unhealthy to be so. (Especially to the kids.) I could easily apply this argument to seatbelts.

      So missfibbles, widen your scope -- this has nothing to do with the individual and their rights; I have not contradicted myself in the slightest bit. This is a global problem, and you should adjust your thinking accordingly.
    • spurtle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"The only safety that's assured by me wearing a seat belt is my own."

      Not necessarily. If you're sitting in the back seat, you gonna go flying forward and cracking the skull of the person in front of you. Even in a side impact you may go flying into the person next to you, break the person's jaw, or even kill the person with a blow to the temple. There was a video where a SUV got into an accident and rolled over. The driver went flying out of the window, about 20 feet from the vehicle. Would suck for someone who had an ass land on him because said ass didn't wear his seat belt. So no, it's not only your safety that is assured.
    • Traddles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2hmmm, while I do agree that overweight/obese people need to get off the couch in general (i.e. I'm not defending them), it is an interesting point. When it comes to abortion "it's the woman's body so it's her right to choose. The father has no say in the matter because it is not his body"..... So, dad doesn't get to have his baby because of the "rights to do to her body as she pleases" but then for obesity "you do not have the right to eat crap and never get off your couch because it hurts the medical business".... slight hypocrisy here?
    • JMartin13, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Congratulations, tizz, youre the first person to bring politics into this.
    • benhocking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Also, if you're the driver, you're more likely to retain some control over your vehicle if you have your seat belt on. From:
      http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/pgs46thru47.htm
      "If you were struck from the side, the impact could push you back and forth across the seat. Belts and straps keep you in a better position to control the car."
    • missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I am pro-choice, not in favor of morality legislation, in favor of welfare but want it reformed, and support gay marriage. Not exactly a Conservative American. Get your labels straight.

      Any argument sounds good as long as you're thinking of the children. I'm not saying being overweight is good for you--it's absolutely not. You put yourself at a much higher risk for pretty much everything in your body to give out, but that's your choice. Obviously, if you're significantly overweight or obese, you're setting a bad example for the children, but that's just too bad. Teach your kids to eat decent food and to go run around, and teach them a little tolerance. Feeding your kids nothing but junk food is one thing, but if I want to get to 300 pounds that's up to me.

      If we're sitting here trying to keep the government from spying on us, because we don't want to be told what to do, why should we go and tell other people what to do? It's okay to make fun of fat people, but not people with glasses or those who prefer computers to sports.
    • lylum, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0@missflibbles

      I would agree with you. However, obese people in group health insurance pay the same premium as everybody else and thus other people pay for their obesity. Same with medicare. If fatties would pay for healthcare out of their own pocket I wouldn't care. Just as I wouldn't care if people not wearing their seatbelt would not cost the society money, but they do.
  • sugardaddy4242, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2If you're to fat to fit into the machine then you've got better problems to worry about.
    • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Better problems? Isn't that an oxymoron?
  • ffttoteof, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I blame fast food. How many households can afford to have one member stay home to take care of buying groceries and having breakfast and dinner made on time, or packing lunches? Hardly any. A home-cooked meal, even if it's fried in butter, is still gonna be healthier than whatever lard-and-corn-syrup-packed stuff McDonalds or Starbucks sells you. (Sure, they have healthy salads and stuff, but they suck. Home-cooked food is possible to be reasonably healthy and tasty. That combination doesn't really exist in fast food.)

    To the Europeans who'll point out that fast food exists over there, too: I live in Europe, and have for the past four years. Sure you have it over here too, but not nearly so convenient and not nearly so widespread. The vast majority of fast food places I've seen in Europe do not have drive-throughs, whereas in the US it's rare to see one without it. I live in a city of 650,000 and there's maybe 5 McDonalds; the city where I grew up in the US had 80,000 and at least 10 McDonalds. As soon as there's somewhere on every corner where you can pick up something cheap and quick for dinner without even having to get out of your car on your way home from work, then come talk to us about Americans being fat because the political borders in which they were born somehow gave them less willpower than other people.
    • MrTea, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I agree

      in this small city, we have 2 McDonalds, 3 Jack in the Box, 2 Carl's Jr.

      You buy cheap food, and that's what you're going to get

      I rarely hear of anyone having a home cooked meal
    • tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2But the thing is, there IS such a thing as healthy fast-food. Because of McDonalds etc., there's this notion that the only food that is quick is unhealthy, and it doesn't have to be that way at all. Even home-cooked food can be very quick (and cheap) to prepare - just as quick (and cheap) as stopping at a drive-through on the way home from work. Most people go shopping weekly or whatever, so it's not much extra effort to buy some stuff that you can use to cook with throughout the week. Perhaps it is to do with education, I don't know.
    • polistud, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Even home-cooked food can be very quick (and cheap) to prepare - just as quick (and cheap) as stopping at a drive-through on the way home from work."

      Even this idea that fast food is 'cheap' is a total myth. If I go to McDonald's and get a hamburger (with a flattened bun, tiny patty, and tons of brown lettuce), some fries, and a drink, I'm out $6. For $6, I could go home and cook myself a damn steak, veggies, and have some wine for the same price.
    • marko_tomas13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I find that as a child, in an immigrant family, with both parents working and studying to retake all of the tests they had already done just because they weren't validated in Canada my mother still made time to cook meals every day. Some were cooked late the night before for the next day and left to heat up for whoever was at home to eat at the time out of my mother, father, and myself. There is always time to make a good meal and it may well end up being cheaper than the junk you can buy (not to mention healthier). We ate out maybe once every 2 months and even then it wasn't always at a fast food joint. I just don't see the appeal of the fast food lifestyle at all nor do I see how it can be seen as rational.
  • TheBigBrother, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Geez, I used to think stuff like this only happened in movies
  • marysuze, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I eat a lot of fast food and I'm thin.

    The image of someone not being able to be scanned because they're too fat is a little disgusting... :P
    • marysuze, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0America needs more Subway-type fast food places, with lower prices also.
    • MrTea, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Subway is my favorite fast food place; unfortunately I don't have the $$ to buy from there when I want. :P
  • seraphzero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2And there's a Wal-Mart ad on the right side. Or maybe that's just what the dice roll got me.

    Maybe I only find that a little ironic because the median weight at Wal-Mart where I'm from seemed to be roughly double that of Target's...
  • mlvassallo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Something this article did not mention was the fact that large people sometimes need a larger and unhealthy contrast dose so there are types of studies that just can't be performed on the patient.

    A majority of "body habitus" cases are canceled before they even reach a Rad for interp.

  • Spike3905, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2We spend our days in one of five ways that can be summarized as SLOTH:

    S = Sleep. No calories burned.

    L = Leisure. Fewer and fewer engage in active leisure time activities, with too many spending time in front of the TV, the computer or the video console.

    O = Occupation. We used to get physical activity on the job. Many jobs are now white collar, requiring little expenditure of energy.

    T = Transportation. People used to walk. Now 75% of trips less than 1 mile are taken by car.

    H = Housework. Household appliances displaced a lot of work a couple of generations ago. Now people don't even rake leaves -- they use one of those loud, polluting leaf blowers.

    You add all of the above to fast food and it's not hard to understand why 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.
    • ictoan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Not sure about sleep because I just read an article reccently about lossing weight through sleeping. But the rest is nice XD
    • Dracker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The "lossing" weight through sleeping article only backed up its claim by saying you're likely to eat more if you're not asleep.
    • missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Uh, no. While sleeping, your hair grows at over double the rate it does while awake. How is it that you wake up hungry and needing to pee? Do these things happen by magic, or did calories possibly provide the fuel for active processes in your body?
    • NoNom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'd have to say the sleep part is subjective. I move around a lot while asleep. I literally wake-up sometimes wondering, "where am I?" because I'm at the other end of the bed, pointed in the opposite direction. I even put a 3' hole in my quilt.

      I've been the same weight for the past 4 years (150 lbs).
  • antihexe, on 10/12/2007, -20/+3A brief history of Islam.

    -There once was a man named Muhammed(***** be upon him), he was a furry and loved to ***** pigs in the asshole. When he wasn't ***** pigs, he was touching the testicles of young boys.

    -People were eating all of his pigs (Lovers), so he(The ***** false prophet) decided to create a ***** cult and ban the eating of pigs. This caused a surplus in pigs across muslim lands and very happy days for his PENIS.

    -For centuries, dumb as ***** sandniggers have actually believed this pig-***** raghead was some sort of holy prophet. As a result, they continually get ***** owned by Israel/USA and live in constant poverty despite having vast natural resources.

    -Arabs and muslims in general are ***** faggots who legally ban gays but in private ***** their little sons and jack off goats.

    -The Qua'ran is a false text and should be flushed down toilets.

    -Allah (***** be upon him) is a ***** false ***** god that has pig-angels ramming their ***** into his asshole.

    -Nuke Mecca.
    • Highborn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9wow.
    • steevo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6First of all how is that even remotely relevant to the current topic

      secondly spewing crap like that is is just as biggoted, stupid and self centered as you claim they are
    • Traddles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2W...T...F... was that?!

      are you in the wrong article maybe?! and even so..... seriously what was that?!
    • BassCadet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1You just made it worthwhile to read the comments section, thank you.

      Now I know for a fact that there are crazy people on both sides of the Jewish/Arab war.
    • mozzer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1funniest. *****. ever.
      I crying over here, that hate-filled rhetoric was hilarious!

      obviously the wrong thread, and possibly the wrong site.
  • Highborn, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3Some people have serious issues that make them fat, but most don't. They are just fat disgusting pigs that can't control themselves. It is sort of like smoking. If you smoke you get lung cancer and die. It was your choice. Deal with it.

    Sam with fat *****. If you eat nothing but fast food snickers bars and soda then you will be a fat *****. You will have a heart attack and die. Deal with it fat *****.
  • easycheez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Adding to the fast food debate, I love to cook unlike most of my peers. And I spend about $150 a week on fresh food and stuff to cook. At $5 a meal and 3 squares a day it would cost me $105 and I wouldn't have to do dishes! I wouldn't think after paying someone to prepare my food that it would be less expensive then if I made it myself and I think this is the biggest lure of the fast food industry. It is so laden with negative chemicals I can not bring myself to eat it. The only time I subdue my better judgment is on road trips when the cooler is empty. But I know a ton of people who rely on McDonald's $1 Value Meal for their 'sustenance'. It is an addiction of the mind, body, and pocketbook.
  • bluebearr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Just wait a few years. Medical science will solve the problem!
    http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/c80ec6f39986c010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd/3.html
  • PaiTrakt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Haha, i guess this is the start of the extinction of americans. Darwins natural selection, survival of the fittest :)
    • SmeRndmGy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Good thing we also have sexual selection, to eliminate the genes of idiots like you from the gene pool.
    • viclopez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2its also survival of the nerd who gets laid. which obviously isnt you.
  • fishtopher, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@masamunecyrus

    You know, you don't get fat people where there's no food, maybe there's some sort of a link...
  • Semioclast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1An even bigger problem is when they can't fit in the ambulance or on our 500lbs rated stretchers, never mind the 10 medics and firemen they tie up who could be doing better things like helping 9 other sick people (or, in the firefighters' case, washing their trucks). Thanks for the sore back.
  • bluesouljah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I love this part:

    "We noticed over the past couple of years that obesity was playing a role in our ability to see these images clearly," Uppot said in a telephone interview.

    Radiologists have their own term for it when writing up reports: "These images are limited due to body habitus."

    Uh ... yeah ... I think maybe a little too much "body habitus"
  • stooma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2 @darkzealot89: It usually goes more like this...

    Radiologist: "How big is the patient?"
    Referring doc: "485 lbs."
    Radiologist: "The table limit of the CT scanner is 350lbs."
    Referring doc: "Are there any other options?"
    Radiologist: "Supposedly Sea World San Antonio has a large animal scanner. You might want to speak with them. The local Zoo doesn't have one though, I already called them to check."
    Referring doc: "Thanks for your time."


  • viclopez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@nightfall
    "They want their cake and to eat it to."

    then why the ***** would you get cake in the first place?!?! sex?
  • 022A, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Yes, people who are tall do get some advantages, but this applies usually to people who are under 6'5, after that, they are too tall for many people's comfort and this counteracts the advantages they might get."

    As someone who is 6'5"+ I concur. I'd say that 6'2" or 3" is the ideal tall height. Once you get past that, troublesome things start to stack up.

    You start paying a premium for everything you have to interact with from clothes, to your bicycle or car.

    Social situations in public and at work get tough as people are inevitably split between being intimidated, overreacting so as not to feel intimidated, ***** with you in some lame david and goliath attempt, accusing you of ***** with them in some made up school yard bully scenario.

    90% of strangers you meet will ask if you play basketball.
    80% will make that same old stupid-ass "How's the wheather up there?" joke.
    70% will ask how tall you are then immediately tell you you're wrong because "______ is ______ tall and you look _____er than him."

    On the bright side, 80% of women who ask how tall you are digging you and used the question to give you the easiest opener of you life.
  • tychop, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Buy a Wii, & get the exercise you need !!
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 60 of 60 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.