Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Guri Guy]

[maximreality]

[Alyallen]

[Guri Guy]

However, the Mayo clinic said the death rates are no higher for Anorexic people than the average population. It seems to me that means that means that they are living as long as the average person. You can't say the same thing about obese people.

It seems that obesity causes health problems among the very young. The younger pre-pubescent children part is what really scares me. 10 year olds with Diabetes because they are obese is a big problem.

CHICAGO - An eight-member expert panel of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that between 8 and 45 percent of newly diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes are type 2, non-insulin dependent, associated with obesity. The panel included members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The report was published in the March issues of Diabetes Care, a journal of the ADA, and Pediatrics.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Type 1, previously known as insulin dependent diabetes, occurs when the body does not produce any insulin because of a destructive process in the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with obesity and is caused by resistance to insulin as well as the inability of the pancreas to keep up with the increased demand for insulin.

Recent research shows a surge in children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Whereas fewer than 4 percent of childhood diabetes cases in 1990 were type 2, that number has risen to approximately 20 percent, varying from 8 percent to 45 percent, depending on the age of the group studied (type 2 is most frequent in the 10 to 19 year age group in pediatric practice) and the racial/ethnic mix of the group studied. Of the children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, 85 percent are obese.

Most children are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during middle-to-late puberty. Physicians fear that as the childhood population becomes increasingly overweight and less active, more type 2 diabetes may occur in younger pre-pubescent children.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/mardia.htm

Fair enough though. I agree that a lot of Korean women don't know how to eat healthily. Whether they are overweight or underweight.

[nateium]

interesting and sort of related...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction

[gyopogirlfromtexas]

[djsmnc]

A number of people here are blaming rice as a culprit for obesity, but that's not necessarily the case.

I remember when my girlfriend came by my hoose the first time and was surprised to see me stocked with the little instant microwave rice containers found everywhere from your local mom and pop shop to Lotte Mart.

We took a trip to the grocery store later and she bought a bunch of additional grains, beans and legumes and said that that was the way most Koreans eat rice at home. I said "...but I've seen them eat white rice at home" but she said that when she was growing up (in Seoul, mind you), that her family and friends' families also made it like that.

I think with the mixture of brown rice and other assorted goodies, it's a lot healthier, but I can't assume that most Koreans eat rice like that at home based on her claims.

I could see white rice being a sort of "fast food" comparison as it would be cheaper to serve in greater quantities at restaurants. She has always said not to eat so much restaurant food, even at Korean restaurants because it's lacking in nutritional value.


Until recently, most Koreans haven't eaten a lot of processed foods compared to people in other countries either. I don't think they buy a lot of frozen vegetables.

[Smee]

Okay, I'll grant that Koreans are obsessed with appearance. Any idiot can see this from the sun visors, the whitening creams, the plastic surgery, the towns (like mine) with more hair salons and cosmetic shops than convenience stores and restaurants . . . and of course it's terribly small-minded to think this is a Korean problem.

But, and maybe this belongs in the "Say un-PC things" thread, but is Korea's attitude toward body image any worse than the west's? WHat I mean is, people seem to complain a lot about the frankness of Koreans who comment "you're fat" or "you're thin" or "you look tired" or "you have a big nose" or whatever. How is that any worse than what happens back home or among foreigners. Numerous times I've listened to quite overweight western women in Korea complainabout not being able to shop here, or about getting hassled for their size, or whatever. I mean, it's like when a 225 pound westerner walks in we're expected not to notice or say anything. That person becomes the elephant in the corner (pun pretty much intended).

[Jeweltone]

Shopping is brutal in Korea for anyone over a size six, but I know what you mean. I am actually a US size 12-14 (short, so technically slightly overweight) and I have a difficult time shopping here. I susually end up at the "plus" stores, then have everything tailored DOWN to my size. I see some of the women in those stores though, and I bet they have a tough time...

A factor which no one has brought up is bone structure and build. Many Westerners are simply built differently than the typical Korean. Some of my coworkers have been accused of being "fat" but actually were average size (one of them was a former model). We are just built differently.

A Korean friend of mine has also been called fat, but actually, the only thing unusual about her size is that she has a bit more "S-line" than usual (she is also an athlete, so she is in good shape). She blows it off most of the time, but I can see it gets to her sometimes.

I like the Victorian ideal of beauty more. A heavily corseted woman squeezes the excess fat up to the bust and down to the hips, thus creating the much-desired hourglass figure, so they did have a bit more body fat. Women are supposed to have curves and some cushioning... "More cushion for the pushin..."

I think men with a little cushion are sexier also, so maybe it is just personal taste...?

[Julius]

[nateium]

[Zulu]

Perhaps it's all down to tapeworms.

[beachbumNC]

a korean girl said i was "a little bit fat" the other day. i thought it was funny since my grandma is always worried that i don't eat enough. i'm a 5 ft. 10 in. male in good health and weigh 160 pounds. hilarious!

the same girl saw a korean dude in the bar we were in who must have been about six feet even and built like a rugby player. all muscle. she acted like he was grossly, morbidly, disgustingly fat.

oddly enough, she has a little tummy poking out and big boobs and butt for an asian girl.

how strange!

[beachbumNC]

[ca12bon]

Maybe because that's the only thing they have control over?
Think about it, there's no freedom to truely express yourself in Korea,
and the economy has been in a semi-slump for decades, so what are
you going to do? Change the only thing in life that you actuallly have control over, your looks.

Westerners, however, have the privilege of being able to freely express themselves, which means that sometimes they will express themselves not through their outward appearances, but what is inside. I think Koreans have a lot less, because of the culture/society.

In any case, things like this happen all over the world, especially in the
more developed areas, where you'll find young girls spewing up their dinner every night just to lose weight.