Americans may reduce the amount they spend on cooking in response to the economic crisis but some experts fear they may gain weight in the process.

Americans may reduce the amount they spend on food in response to the economic crisis but some experts fear they may gain weight in the process.

The specter of “recession pounds” is a concern weighing on health professionals, who point to numerous studies linking obesity and unhealthy eating habits to low incomes.

They fear that as people cut food spending they will cut back on healthy items such as fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and whole grains in favor of cheaper options high in sugar and saturated fats.

“People are going to economize and as they save money on food they will be eating more empty calories or foods high in sugar, saturated fats and refined grains, which are cheaper,” said Adam Drewnowski, director of the Nutrition Sciences Program at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Obesity is a toxic result of a failing economic environment.”

Drewnowski’s own research has highlighted the link between income and obesity. “In Seattle we have found that there are fivefold differences in obesity rates depending on the zip code — the low-income zip codes have a much higher proportion of obese people,” he said.

He added that studies in California suggested that a 10-percent rise in poverty translates into a 6-percent increase in obesity among adults.

The rate of new cases of diabetes soared by about 90 percent in the United States in the past decade, fueled by growing obesity and sedentary lifestyles, US health officials said in October.

Nine of the 10 states with the highest rates of new cases of diabetes were in the South, a region with huge pockets of poverty and glaring income disparities. America already tops the global obesity scales. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one third of US adults — more than 72 million people — and 16 percent of US children are obese.

The unfolding recession could inflate US waistlines further as more and more people fall on hard times and seek cheaper food.

U.S. fast-food giant McDonald’s has a low-priced menu that is high in fat and calories. Chief Executive Jim Skinner said in October that the world’s largest hamburger chain “continues to be recession resistant” after it posted a better-than-expected third-quarter profit, helped by a 7-percent jump in global sales.

But Drewnowski said it was possible to eat in an affordable and healthy way, partly by relying on the basic foods which saw America through the Depression of the 1930s.

“The answer lies in affordable but nutrient-rich foods such as ground beef, beans, milk, nuts, cheese, carrots, potatoes, canned tomatoes, soups and rice,” he said, calling it “a diet for a new Depression.”

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet