from: "Jacquelyn Brown" <[log in to unmask]>

FYI.  The link takes you to the press release cut/pasted below and the
actual report.

http://www.frac.org/html/news/071403hungerandObesity.htm

EMERGING LINKS BETWEEN HUNGER AND OBESITY REQUIRE ATTENTION

FOR MANY HOUSEHOLDS, LACK OF MONEY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BOTH HUNGER AND =
OBESITY

July 14, 2003 -A joint analysis released by the Center on Hunger and
Poverty
at Brandeis University and the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
shows how hunger and obesity not only pose separate and distinct health
risks,
but also can co-exist in the same household.

The apparent paradox of expanding waistlines and persistent hunger and
food insecurity in America is driven in part by the economics of buying
food.
Households without money to buy enough food first change their purchasing
and eating habits - relying on cheaper, high calorie foods over more
expensive, nutrient-rich foods - before they cut back on the amount of
food.

In order to cope with limited money for food and to stave off hunger,
families try to maximize caloric intake for each dollar spent, which can
lead to over consumption of calories and a less healthful diet.

Research among low-income families shows that mothers first sacrifice
their own nutrition by restricting their food intake during periods of food
insufficiency in order to protect their children from hunger. The resulting
chronic ups and downs in food intake can contribute, over the long run,
to obesity among low-income women.

Dr. J. Larry Brown, Executive Director of the Center on Hunger and
Poverty, reported: "A growing body of research shows that hunger and
obesity pose
a dual threat for some people. We need to better understand this
relationship if our nation is to grapple with these parallel threats to the

well-being of Americans. We particularly need to avoid damaging policy
prescriptions
that assume hunger and obesity cannot co-exist."

FRAC and the Center call for a reform agenda to address both hunger and
obesity.

"An agenda that seriously tackles hunger and obesity among the poor must
address their common roots. Those roots include food insecurity and the
impact of poverty. One answer is increased access to income supports and
nutrition programs so that more families have sufficient resources to
obtain healthier diets," added James Weill, President of the Food Research
and
Action Center.

Jacquelyn A. Brown, MPH
Program Officer
Consumer Health Foundation
1400 16th Street, NW, Ste. 710
Washington, DC  20036
202.939.3393 phone
202.939.3391 fax

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