What would the economical ramifications be if no Americans were overweight, or at least those that were a minute portion of the population? Well here are some numbers that are pretty eye opening.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/In … reFat.aspx
I've only summarized the article. You can read the remainder of it here.MSN Money wrote:
In the United States today, 66% of adults are overweight. Almost 33% of adults are obese, and 4.7% are morbidly obese, or more than 100 pounds overweight. But . . .
What if nobody in America were fat?
We'd save billions of dollars in gas. Airlines would double their profits. A dearth of diabetes and other diseases would save billions of dollars more -- and put thousands of doctors on the street. McDonald's would sell not Big Macs but little steamed chicken snacks -- or watch its profits melt away. Productivity would rise, potentially creating tens of thousands more jobs or higher wages all around.
Add up the savings up on health, food, clothing and efficiencies, and you could buy a professional home gym for every U.S. household -- or hand each $4,270 in cash.
$487 billion in gas, sweat and stretch pants
Yes, it sounds a little wild, but the implications of a leaner, meaner country add up to a weighty $487 billion. That's almost 3.5% of gross domestic product, no small sum.
* MSN Health: Tools to help you lose weight
Mind you, only 1.8% of that is new growth. The rest is a radical shift in resources, away from the needs of our bigger citizens to . . . well, whatever we and our overlords would spend these extra billions on.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/In … reFat.aspx
Last edited by Agent_Dung_Bomb (2008-04-30 07:02:58)