A Sign of the Times

I've always enjoyed news items that are referred to as "signs of the time" we are living in; subtly implying they are examples of disintegrating society. Regardless of whether they indicate that, they are usually enjoyable and they do often tend to point to problematic trends in our society today.

Today I'll point you towards one which pointed something new out to me. If you ride public transit like I do, you are familiar with the all-too-frequent "This train is being delayed due to a medical situation..." on some train ahead. I have noticed it happens more frequently in the morning, but never put 2 and 2 together until reading this. It seems that our country's obsession with skinniness is delaying our morning commutes:

In all, Nelson treated five women that morning, all of who fainted or reported feeling weak.

An average of 395 delays per month are caused by sick customers. Only track work and signal troubles triggered more delays.

While flu-symptoms, anxiety attacks, hangovers and heat exhaustion also strike passengers, Nelson said, they pale in comparison to fainting caused by missed meals.

Who knew. Is this a "sign of the times"?