AMA: Obesity is a disease

ajstacey

So maybe our children DO need gym class, recess, and home economics.. that's were you learn to be active and cook healthy meals!

Agree!

This is the solution to obesity, teaching children to live an active lifestyle and eat healthy. There will always be fast food, junk food & candy in our society. There will also be a comfy couch sitting in front of a TV or video game. We can't prevent the obesity triggers from being around us, but we can educate ourselves to manage them.

I have 2 young girls and don't get me wrong, they do indulge in ice cream or cookies here and there, but they also eat a well balanced diet 95% of the time and are active.

Home economics? What a great idea, I had forgotten about this subject. What a great way to educate kids in school about healthy eating and more importantly, budgeting for healthy eating. As we all know processed foods are typically cheaper, ie)teaching kids to cook their own cheese and macaroni from scratch opposed to buying KD.

UsedToBeHusky

Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.

"Preventative measures and solid treatments" like what? What can possibly be done to stop someone from opening their mouth and shoving food into it? Do you think you can force someone to exercise? Force them to eat healthy? The only thing this is going to do is make the excuses easier. "Oh yeah. I need the scooter to get around on because I have a disease. It's called obesity." Or allow the government to raise taxes on certain foods and/or eliminate foods like they tried to do in NY. It's ridiculous! Fast food isn't the problem. Big Gulps isn't the problem. Junk food isn't the problem! The problem is people not taking responsibility for their own issue. I have a friend who has started going to the gym with my husband and I this week. She is up early and meets us there at 5:30 in the morning to do a 90 minute workout that I came up with for her. Why is she doing this? Because she gained weight and is unhappy with herself and is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Yes obesity is preventative but calling it a "disease" isn't going to make any difference.

I don't know if I necessarily agree here. I do agree that obesity, for the most part, is a personal responsibility. However, an action like this could lead to greater preventative initiatives in schools and places of employment. While it might not be a "disease" per se, that does not mean that the issue should not be acknowledged in some way. While you can't force people to eat better and exercise, you can urge and motivate people to make better choices.

It shouldn't take classifying obesity as a disease for the things you just mentioned to happen. The issue should be acknowledged regardless. Drunken driving isn't labeled a disease, but there are countless campaigns against it. Drunken driving is a poor personal choice, just as is eating unhealthily and not exercising. The only difference is that obesity doesn't directly affect others- but then that lends itself to parents who pass these habits to their children.

The fact that this is now a "disease" is only going to give the obese another reason to not take personal responsibility for their actions.

Those who are obese are going to be glad to hear that it's now a "disease"- something in their minds that they are diagnosed with, rather than a condition that they are directly responsible for. They'll be all and well knowing that it's now a "disease", until they hear from their doctor that the "cure" is diet and exercise. Hold for the enormous influx of insurance-covered stomach surgeries.......... :noway:

Drunk driving might not be a disease, but alcoholism is. And I haven't seen the statistics, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of drunk driving offenses are committed by alcoholics. And while it shouldn't require this extreme to bring about a change in our society, sadly, obesity is an epidemic, and actually, a greater issue plaguing our society than alcoholism. So in my opinion, the action is appropriate.

As far as your points about the negative impact on the healthcare community, I actually completely agree with you. This will cause insurance rates to go up, and there will be an influx of bariatric surgeries. The fight against the obesity epidemic will continue, but perhaps this will help to further preemptive initiatives and the benefits can be seen in the long term.

HeidiCooksSupper

So maybe our children DO need gym class, recess, and home economics.. that's were you learn to be active and cook healthy meals!

EXCELLENT point!!!!

UsedToBeHusky

But, is there an underlying condition that makes it difficult to lose weight, maintain, and easy to gain weight? Are there biochemical abnormalities that go beyond willpower?

If there is, then it is a different disease. Hypothyroidism, PCOS, are already recognized as diseases. Illness-related obesity isn't a disease unto itself. It is a symptom.

k8blujay2

Just a quick question to those that think Obesity shouldn't be classed as a disease as it's a result of the " sufferer's " own actions.
Just to play Devil's Advocate here.
If a person contracts Aids due to a promiscuous lifesyle, unprotected with multiple partners - does that mean HIV / AIDS is no longer a disease?
If a person has Heart Disease caused by a lifetime of eaing unhealthily - does tha mean the Hear Disease is no longer a disease?
If a mother catches Measles looking after her infected child - is the measles no longer a disease?
If a person has Liver Disease caused by too much alocohol - is it not a disease anymore?
If 2 peope gte Lung Cancer 1. a heavy smoker and the other a non-smoker, is 2 suffering from a disease and 1 isn't?
Whether Obesity should be classified as a disease or not is definitely arguable.
But saying something shouldn't be classed as a disease because the sufferer caused it by their own lifestyle choices doesn't really hold any water as a logical argument.

Obesity is to heart disease as a promiscuous lifestyles are to STD/I's... just because the end result is a disease doesn't mean the means is the disease, it's just a root of the problem that could have been dealt with to delay or avoid the disease all together. We don't consider promiscuous lifestyles as a disease, nor do we consider drinking too much, smoking, or any of those behaviors you listed as disease... addictions perhaps, but not diseases. Obesity is just the outward appearance of ones addiction to food and avoidance to movement. So if we are going off your logic, why don't we call promisicuous lifestyles a disease or taking care of your sick child a disease (which one would hope that the mother and child both had recieved the MMR vaccine to avoid the measles in the first place, but that is a different beast all together)... or any of the other behaviors you listed as a disease.... we don't.

lfschaper

While it may help some, I think it creates an excuse for many more.

krazyforyou

Disease??? More of a lack of personal responsibility.

UsedToBeHusky

As a clinical person in research and therapy in the health industry...it is for some for a variety of reasons. It is treatable, but to lump all into one single category is not the correct path.

Please respect those who do have health and physical issues as well as other mental health reasons. Mercy triumphs over judgement. Yes, for some, it is a disease. For others it is a choice.

Ignorance is not bliss.

This is the best post in this entire thread! :drinker:

fbmandy55

I *kitten* you not. I saw a comment on a news article about this yesterday and it made me want to gag.

This obese woman said, " About time! Now if these pills don't make me lose weight then gastric bypass here I come!" :explode:

Welcome to a world of fat people learning they have a disease, not a control issue.

ldrosophila

I keep seeing a lot of great now all the fatties are going to use their obesity as a disease as an excuse.

So if a doctor told you today you had diabetes, kidney failure, or celiacs you would say, "well it's just a disease I'm not going to do anything about it " I bet you wouldnt I bet you would start adhering to the diet prescriptions of your disease.

I am morbidly obese, and I more than believe that obesity is a disease. The only one morbidly obese in the family is myself. Where did that come from? What mix of genes, environment, and self responsibility played into that? I know that due my addiction to food, family history of addiction, my own hyperinsulinemia, and propensity to hypertension that I have to adhere to a diet prescription to manage this diseases or I will die an early death. Obesity will never go away for me. I will always be obese, my adipose cells will always be programmed to expand and multiply no matter how much weight I lose. Food will always hold more power over me than others. I will forever have to monitor and measure my food and exercise if I want to manage this disease. I have a life time where I can't ever eat "normal."

So you may not think it is a disease, and that's your own bias. However, the millions who battle it every day might tend to disagree.

MG_Fit

Drunk driving might not be a disease, but alcoholism is. And I haven't seen the statistics, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of drunk driving offenses are committed by alcoholics. And while it shouldn't require this extreme to bring about a change in our society, sadly, obesity is an epidemic, and actually, a greater issue plaguing our society than alcoholism. So in my opinion, the action is appropriate.

As far as your points about the negative impact on the healthcare community, I actually completely agree with you. This will cause insurance rates to go up, and there will be an influx of bariatric surgeries. The fight against the obesity epidemic will continue, but perhaps this will help to further preemptive initiatives and the benefits can be seen in the long term.

I'm willing to bet drunk driving is not alcoholics, but binge drinkers and weekenders.

UsedToBeHusky

Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.

"Preventative measures and solid treatments" like what? What can possibly be done to stop someone from opening their mouth and shoving food into it? Do you think you can force someone to exercise? Force them to eat healthy? The only thing this is going to do is make the excuses easier. "Oh yeah. I need the scooter to get around on because I have a disease. It's called obesity." Or allow the government to raise taxes on certain foods and/or eliminate foods like they tried to do in NY. It's ridiculous! Fast food isn't the problem. Big Gulps isn't the problem. Junk food isn't the problem! The problem is people not taking responsibility for their own issue. I have a friend who has started going to the gym with my husband and I this week. She is up early and meets us there at 5:30 in the morning to do a 90 minute workout that I came up with for her. Why is she doing this? Because she gained weight and is unhappy with herself and is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Yes obesity is preventative but calling it a "disease" isn't going to make any difference.

I don't know if I necessarily agree here. I do agree that obesity, for the most part, is a personal responsibility. However, an action like this could lead to greater preventative initiatives in schools and places of employment. While it might not be a "disease" per se, that does not mean that the issue should not be acknowledged in some way. While you can't force people to eat better and exercise, you can urge and motivate people to make better choices.

Which is what schools are trying to do now. They are trying to eliminate things like soda and chips and make healthier options available for children but it's met with opposition by people deeming it not 'fair' that the school interfere with things like that.

As for employment: How and why is it an employers responsibility to educate their employees on healthy choices? Sure they could implement some kind of an incentive to lose weight but it's not their responsibility. Again it is putting the burden on someone else to take care of. I get that not everyone knows what is healthy and nutritious but with all the information out there about what is good for you what's not etc. you can't really play dumb any more. Yes, junk food and fast food is affordable but there are grocery stores that have produce and healthy food reasonably priced. I go to my local Price Rite for fruits and produce because it's a lot cheaper per lb than my normal grocery store.

Good nutrition goes beyond fruits and veggies. As previously stated, vegetarians can become obese. And generally, the ignorant aren't aware how uneducated they are. It is not the employer's responsibility, however, companies that offer these campaigns have decreased insurance premiums. I'm not saying that anyone should be responsible for another's choices. All I am saying is that you can't fight ignorance without creating the opportunity to educate. That is what I see the AMA doing by classifying obesity as a disease, they are making it possible for more education to be made available so that the obesity epidemic can be stimied in the long run.

Sure, there are obese people right now that need to get up and move. But you all keep harping on about how the individual has made those choices. Great! But societies issues aren't solved overnight. They are solved over generations. How do you keep future generations from becoming obese? Make education about good choices available now.

Dragonwolf

Doctors want to be able to bill insurance companies for drugs and surgeries related to obesity. That's what this is all about. It's a money game. It's about making sure that people can get WLS for vanity's sake when there are no other indications.

It's just about billing. It's not a statement about the nature of obesity and it shouldn't be portrayed as such. This isn't about care. It's about payment.

All that being said, the OTHER reason people become obese, other than the "lifestyle" reason everyone is so focused on, is medication.

My friend is a social worker and she has a 12 year old client who just put on 60 pounds in a very short amount of time based on a change in medication; this girl looks like she is going to burst out of her skin. She has not changed her lifestyle. The medication is putting the weight on her. This happened once before, when her meds were changed. As soon as the meds were adjusted, the weight fell right off of her. It's not always "laziness." Perhaps now that her obesity will be considered a disease, the doctors will have to find another alternative for her treatment that does not induce it. Just a thought.

And I tend to think that a little bit of stigma is probably a good thing...

Why? Being fat is awful. Why do think it is necessary to further stigmatize fat people? I agree with whoever said we should pay our own way, & shouldn't have our health care subsidized by skinny people, but other people's fat shouldn't be any of your business.

Thank you, both of you. Being overweight is hard enough without dealing with other people's judgement. You don't know the details of how a person got to the weight they did, or whether they're genuinely trying to lose the weight. There are a ton of medications that are known to cause weight gain, and others that can disrupt the systems that control weight in such a way that weight loss is nearly impossible.

The stigma needs to be firmly planted on the behavior. Smoking is stigmatized. Drunk driving is stigmatized. What's wrong with stigmatizing other bad behavior?

Because it's not "bad behavior" for all of us. I've fought with two of my doctors for over a year (and am now awaiting my appointment at a third, who might actually listen to me) regarding my weight, because they've written me off as "just not exercising/eating right" despite the fact that I have three years of MFP logs that demonstrate otherwise. Thanks to the stigma, though, both of my current doctors have ignored my personal and family medical history of endocrinological problems that have directly interfered with my ability to lose weight (as evidenced by a positive response to certain medication a few years ago). All I've wanted are for one of them to run a couple of blood tests, but they're set in their judgement that I must just not be doing it right.

I don't necessarily agree that it's a disease. I agree with the person who said that it's better classified as a symptom of some kind of larger problem. However, I also don't agree with the idea that people who are overweight should be stigmatized by others, especially when they're trying to seek help.

My opinion on it being classified as a disease is that there isn't a way for the individual to treat it on their own, without medical intervention. (surgery, medication, treatments) Morbidly obsese people that are seeking weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass or lapband usually have to go through a diet period to ensure they can eat at normal, healthy levels after the surgery is complete. How is it that these individuals can lose 60 lbs for example, ON THEIR OWN, so they qualify for the surgery, but they can't continue down that path for successful weight loss?

Weight loss isn't required for gastric bypass. All that's generally required is a BMI over 40, or a BMI over about 35 plus some other severe medical issue.

Gastric bypass is generally used as a last resort, when sustainable diet and exercise plans haven't worked for some reason. It's a highly invasive procedure with a rather high risk of complications (like "shred your stomach if you don't follow the recovery diet" type of complications). It's often chosen because the person's current condition is actually worse than the potential complications. (See here, for a good amount of information on gastric bypass and what it actually means for a person - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass/MY00825 )

The diet that they're on after the surgery, however, is generally quite a bit more extreme than most people do under most circumstances. They often don't (or can't) eat a lot of carbs and/or fat, and, depending on the surgery, they may only be able to eat an ounce at a time, because their stomach physically can't hold any more (compared to the average stomach capacity of 3 pints).

The people that don't have gastric bypass, but successfully lose weight under a doctor's supervision often can't continue down that particular path, because that path isn't sustainable. Many of the doctor supervised diets are designed specifically for rapid weight loss. The diets make the "Biggest Loser" diet look sustainable and reasonable, in many cases. Sustainable diets often don't work due to things like medications, and they have to resort to the extreme, even if they aren't sustainable.

UsedToBeHusky

Drunk driving might not be a disease, but alcoholism is. And I haven't seen the statistics, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of drunk driving offenses are committed by alcoholics. And while it shouldn't require this extreme to bring about a change in our society, sadly, obesity is an epidemic, and actually, a greater issue plaguing our society than alcoholism. So in my opinion, the action is appropriate.

As far as your points about the negative impact on the healthcare community, I actually completely agree with you. This will cause insurance rates to go up, and there will be an influx of bariatric surgeries. The fight against the obesity epidemic will continue, but perhaps this will help to further preemptive initiatives and the benefits can be seen in the long term.

I'm willing to bet drunk driving is not alcoholics, but binge drinkers and weekenders.

Find the stats! But I understood alcoholism to be defined as the compulsion to drink on a consistent basis. You don't have to drink every day to be an alcoholic. However, if you have the compulsion to drink at regular intervals... let's just say every weekend... then you might be an alcoholic.

romanticRECK

Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.

"Preventative measures and solid treatments" like what? What can possibly be done to stop someone from opening their mouth and shoving food into it? Do you think you can force someone to exercise? Force them to eat healthy? The only thing this is going to do is make the excuses easier. "Oh yeah. I need the scooter to get around on because I have a disease. It's called obesity." Or allow the government to raise taxes on certain foods and/or eliminate foods like they tried to do in NY. It's ridiculous! Fast food isn't the problem. Big Gulps isn't the problem. Junk food isn't the problem! The problem is people not taking responsibility for their own issue. I have a friend who has started going to the gym with my husband and I this week. She is up early and meets us there at 5:30 in the morning to do a 90 minute workout that I came up with for her. Why is she doing this? Because she gained weight and is unhappy with herself and is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Yes obesity is preventative but calling it a "disease" isn't going to make any difference.

If it was as simple as will power and motivation then you wouldn't have a 95% failure rate and increased mortality rate. So what people are dying! Hey that's your own fault fatty for driving around in your scooter. These attitudes are archaic. It reminds me of our old attitudes toward alcoholism, depression, and female hysterics, and schizophrenia. I'm so glad that some of you are so much more knowledgeable than a professional association of physicians.

Preventative measures could mean more emphasis in the schools on nutrition and physical education. When a person reaches a certain BMI the government pays for either health education classes, gym membership, and/or WLS. More research on the causes of obesity, why the recidivism is so high, and more effective means of prevention and treatment. I dont have all the answers, but I think it's time we appropriate classify obesity as a disease because millions are dying.

"When a person reaches a certain BMI the government pays for either health education classes, gym membership, and/or WLS. More research on the causes of obesity, why the recidivism is so high, and more effective means of prevention and treatment. "

Why should I have to pay for education classes, gym memberships, etc just because a person doesn't know how to make good choices when it comes to food and exercise? People forget that "We the people" are the government, not the stupid politicians in office. We are the ones that pay for things, not them. People need to stop relying on the government and start taking responsibility for our own actions. Millions of people aren't dying because of obesity. People are dying because of the diseases that come with being overweight. Many of these "diseases" can be prevented just by losing weight. You can't make people do anything they don't want to do. It doesn't matter what the government does. Is the government gonna throw someone in jail because they're overweight and don't want to go to the gym? No, because that would be ridiculous. There are many, many programs and tools out there(for free) that can help you lose weight and keep it off and aren't government controlled. It's up to the person to make that decision, not the government. Calling it a disease is just another excuse for being fat and lazy.

Dragonwolf

Is obesity contagious? If so, I think I caught it from my friends. Damn them!

In all seriousness, I can see vague arguments for obesity being a disease. But I didn't get this way because I developed something or contracted it. I thought, "Hey, I really like fried chicken. Let's have some of that!" Many of our eating habits are linked with the way we think. So please explain to me why anorexia nervosa is a mental illness/eating disorder and obesity is a disease.

Not all diseases are contagious. Also, medical definitions change over time (see also: homosexuality, autism). It may happen in the future that obesity is relabeled as a disorder. They probably chose disease over disorder due in part to the differences in treatment standards (mental health treatment for insurance is often sorely lacking), as well as subtleties in the differences between "disease" and "disorder".

http://sirensong.sireninteractive.com/health-20/disease-versus-disorder-what’s-in-a-word/

Dragonwolf

"When a person reaches a certain BMI the government pays for either health education classes, gym membership, and/or WLS. More research on the causes of obesity, why the recidivism is so high, and more effective means of prevention and treatment. "

Why should I have to pay for education classes, gym memberships, etc just because a person doesn't know how to make good choices when it comes to food and exercise? People forget that "We the people" are the government, not the stupid politicians in office. We are the ones that pay for things, not them. People need to stop relying on the government and start taking responsibility for our own actions. Millions of people aren't dying because of obesity. People are dying because of the diseases that come with being overweight. Many of these "diseases" can be prevented just by losing weight. You can't make people do anything they don't want to do. It doesn't matter what the government does. Is the government gonna throw someone in jail because they're overweight and don't want to go to the gym? No, because that would be ridiculous. There are many, many programs and tools out there(for free) that can help you lose weight and keep it off and aren't government controlled. It's up to the person to make that decision, not the government. Calling it a disease is just another excuse for being fat and lazy.

And what about those of us who have gone through the programs and still can't lose weight, likely due to an underlying medical condition, but the doctors refuse to test for it, because they've decided "you're fat because you're lazy and eat too much, and you're just not trying hard enough/doing the right things"?

While I agree that paying for gym memberships is questionable, calling obesity a disease isn't necessarily just another excuse for being fat and lazy.

JustJennie1

Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.


"Preventative measures and solid treatments" like what? What can possibly be done to stop someone from opening their mouth and shoving food into it? Do you think you can force someone to exercise? Force them to eat healthy? The only thing this is going to do is make the excuses easier. "Oh yeah. I need the scooter to get around on because I have a disease. It's called obesity." Or allow the government to raise taxes on certain foods and/or eliminate foods like they tried to do in NY. It's ridiculous! Fast food isn't the problem. Big Gulps isn't the problem. Junk food isn't the problem! The problem is people not taking responsibility for their own issue. I have a friend who has started going to the gym with my husband and I this week. She is up early and meets us there at 5:30 in the morning to do a 90 minute workout that I came up with for her. Why is she doing this? Because she gained weight and is unhappy with herself and is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Yes obesity is preventative but calling it a "disease" isn't going to make any difference.

If it was as simple as will power and motivation then you wouldn't have a 95% failure rate and increased mortality rate. So what people are dying! Hey that's your own fault fatty for driving around in your scooter. These attitudes are archaic. It reminds me of our old attitudes toward alcoholism, depression, and female hysterics, and schizophrenia. I'm so glad that some of you are so much more knowledgeable than a professional association of physicians.

Preventative measures could mean more emphasis in the schools on nutrition and physical education. When a person reaches a certain BMI the government pays for either health education classes, gym membership, and/or WLS. More research on the causes of obesity, why the recidivism is so high, and more effective means of prevention and treatment. I dont have all the answers, but I think it's time we appropriate classify obesity as a disease because millions are dying.

BMI is such a joke! It was just discovered that it's wrong and was overestimating the BMI for healthy people while underestimating it for the obese.

Why should the government pay for the education on how not to be fat? Why should I have to pay for someone to go the gym, go to a nutrition class etc. when all that information is readily available? Do you really think if the government says "Hey Mr. Obese man! I'm going to give you money to go to the gym and also here's a list of classes on nutrition and healthy eating that I want you to attend because you're obese and need to lose weight." that Mr. Obese Man will say "By George you're RIGHT! Lets do this!" If they haven't done it on their own by now they won't. And who is to say that these people don't know how to be healthy. Maybe they just don't want to be healthy.

And besides that it won't be the government paying for it it will be the American people in the way of increased taxes. Calling something a disease isn't going to raise more awareness and make people suddenly want to change. People already know it's a problem but they aren't willing to change.

And yes, it IS their own fault that they are obese. No one is forcing food down their throats. They have all the tools to not be that way. They just choose not to use them.

UsedToBeHusky

Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.

"Preventative measures and solid treatments" like what? What can possibly be done to stop someone from opening their mouth and shoving food into it? Do you think you can force someone to exercise? Force them to eat healthy? The only thing this is going to do is make the excuses easier. "Oh yeah. I need the scooter to get around on because I have a disease. It's called obesity." Or allow the government to raise taxes on certain foods and/or eliminate foods like they tried to do in NY. It's ridiculous! Fast food isn't the problem. Big Gulps isn't the problem. Junk food isn't the problem! The problem is people not taking responsibility for their own issue. I have a friend who has started going to the gym with my husband and I this week. She is up early and meets us there at 5:30 in the morning to do a 90 minute workout that I came up with for her. Why is she doing this? Because she gained weight and is unhappy with herself and is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Yes obesity is preventative but calling it a "disease" isn't going to make any difference.

If it was as simple as will power and motivation then you wouldn't have a 95% failure rate and increased mortality rate. So what people are dying! Hey that's your own fault fatty for driving around in your scooter. These attitudes are archaic. It reminds me of our old attitudes toward alcoholism, depression, and female hysterics, and schizophrenia. I'm so glad that some of you are so much more knowledgeable than a professional association of physicians.

Preventative measures could mean more emphasis in the schools on nutrition and physical education. When a person reaches a certain BMI the government pays for either health education classes, gym membership, and/or WLS. More research on the causes of obesity, why the recidivism is so high, and more effective means of prevention and treatment. I dont have all the answers, but I think it's time we appropriate classify obesity as a disease because millions are dying.

"When a person reaches a certain BMI the government pays for either health education classes, gym membership, and/or WLS. More research on the causes of obesity, why the recidivism is so high, and more effective means of prevention and treatment. "

Why should I have to pay for education classes, gym memberships, etc just because a person doesn't know how to make good choices when it comes to food and exercise? People forget that "We the people" are the government, not the stupid politicians in office. We are the ones that pay for things, not them. People need to stop relying on the government and start taking responsibility for our own actions. Millions of people aren't dying because of obesity. People are dying because of the diseases that come with being overweight. Many of these "diseases" can be prevented just by losing weight. You can't make people do anything they don't want to do. It doesn't matter what the government does. Is the government gonna throw someone in jail because they're overweight and don't want to go to the gym? No, because that would be ridiculous. There are many, many programs and tools out there(for free) that can help you lose weight and keep it off and aren't government controlled. It's up to the person to make that decision, not the government. Calling it a disease is just another excuse for being fat and lazy.

Because you live in this society and you are building a future in this society for your children and grandchildren.

lithezebra

But, is there an underlying condition that makes it difficult to lose weight, maintain, and easy to gain weight? Are there biochemical abnormalities that go beyond willpower?

If there is, then it is a different disease. Hypothyroidism, PCOS, are already recognized as diseases. Illness-related obesity isn't a disease unto itself. It is a symptom.

It's a symptom, however there are a myriad of possible causes, many of them beyond the diseases that you mention, including cortisol dysregulation, sleep disturbances, other forms of hormonal disruption, and changes in gut microbiota. We consider cancer to be a disease, even though there are many different causes and types of cancer.