Netflix, Spotify, And Uber Are Making You Fat, New Survey Finds

The corporate architects of America’s modern economy, otherwise known as “the gig economy,” have unleashed the sharing economy popularized by Uber and Airbnb, and the subscription economy pioneered by Netflix and Spotify. These oligarchic capitalists intend to transform participants in this system into temporary workers trapped in low wage/skill, part-time service-sector employment with no career prospects, insurmountable debt loads and no financial security.

And lots of fat.

It has now been nine years since America’s modern economy clawed out of the Great Recession through an unprecedented monetary injection from global Central Banks, leaving the current economic expansion or whatever you want to call it, poised to become the second longest on record this quarter.

However, SocGen recently spoiled the party warning of late-cycle volatility bursts “in credit, dispersion and cross-asset volatility as the equity/bond correlation itself becomes more volatile.” We must also note that, residing on the upper end of the s-curve in terms of a late stage in the business cycle, there are some troubling developments in the labor market.

According to a new national survey, the hectic lifestyle associated with the “gig economy” is making Americans overweight.

“The Truth about Weight Loss” is a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Zaluvida, a full-circle life science group, which surveyed 1,000 healthcare professionals and more than 1,000 adults living in the United States.

The results from the Zaluvida Weight Loss Survey reveals “today’s modern lifestyle has made losing weight more difficult than ever before, and that U.S. adults who are trying to do so need a new approach that’s compatible with how we live today.”

The Fast Company, an American business magazine, chimes in and suggests that “Uber and Netflix are making you fat.” The report shows 88% of Americans moved less in this economic cycle due to increased “screen time” and “on-demand services” on smartphones, such as meal delivery, ride-sharing services, or mobile shopping apps.

Caught in a cycle of weight-loss failures and frustrations, many U.S. adults [millennials] stay out of the picture — especially women.

According to the Zaluvida, this has depressing effects: 30 percent of adults in the U.S. said, “their weight keeps them from wanting to be photographed.” Another 40 percent of adults are trying to lose weight, but only 30 percent are confident they will be able to drop the excess fat.

The Fast Company adds,

“Healthcare professionals say options like Seamless and UberEats don’t necessarily offer the same nutritional value as healthy, home-cooked meals. In their defense, 29% of those surveyed say they use on-demand services to accommodate time-strapped schedules. Primary care physicians sympathize, with 77% agreeing it’s harder today than it was for previous generations to stay fit due to busy lifestyles.”

Zaluvida claims that Americans who are participating in today’s modern economy need “a new approach to weight loss.”

What the experts say:

“These findings highlight that while the way we live has changed dramatically over the past 10 to 20 years, our approach to weight loss has not evolved sufficiently to address those changes,” said Dr. Frank Greenway, medical director and professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a press statement. “The results underscore that we need to take a step back and evaluate what weight-loss strategies can best set people up for success given the demands of their daily lives.”

Key findings of the report:

• Approximately eight in 10 healthcare professionals and 62% of U.S. adults believe losing weight is harder today than it was for previous generations because of the busy, modern lifestyle of Americans.
• In fact, approximately seven in 10 healthcare professionals say it’s harder for Americans to lose weight now compared to just 10 years ago.
• The vast majority believe Americans need to take a new approach to weight loss that fits with today’s modern lifestyle.

And so, America’s obesity problem, which recently grew to never before seen proportions – please pardon the pun – continues to get worse as the sharing/subscription economy steamrolls all legacy commerce which in turn has an adverse impact on American biology, while further deteriorating already depressed American productivity. At what point does the modern economy – and the spiraling obesity it leads do- become a national security threat, and how can/will it be resolved?