Obesity a disease?

Marla64

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/obesity-disease-doctors-group-says-6C10371394

Whew-- thank God-- I was beginning to think it was MY fault. :noway:

Or part of a deeper agenda to declare it a disease, thus beginning to mandate where and what people eat? It's already begun in New York City-- get ready for national bans on soft drinks, et cetera.

Either way-- ridiculous--

_Zardoz_

By the dictionary definition it is a disease


dis·ease [dih-zeez] Show IPA noun, verb, dis·eased, dis·eas·ing.
noun
1.
a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
2.
any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.
3.
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society: His fascination with executions is a disease.
4.
decomposition of a material under special circumstances: tin disease.

Charlottesometimes23

By the dictionary definition it is a disease


dis·ease [dih-zeez] Show IPA noun, verb, dis·eased, dis·eas·ing.
noun
1.
a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
2.
any abnormal condition in a plant that interferes with its vital physiological processes, caused by pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, unfavorable environmental, genetic, or nutritional factors, etc.
3.
any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society: His fascination with executions is a disease.
4.
decomposition of a material under special circumstances: tin disease.

Numbers 1 and 2 sound pretty good.

I don't see a problem with calling obesity a disease and I certainly don't see a problem with heavy taxes on certain foods. I feel the same way about booze and cigs. User pays...

wild_wild_life

I heard this too. By which of those definitions is it a disease? Nutritional imbalance? Definition 3 seems way too loose, I could even consider my wasting time on MFP and staying up too late a disease . . .

I am concerned that this takes power away from people who are already feeling powerless. Is being dirty because you havent showered in a week a disease? No, it's a direct consequence of your previous activities and can be remedied by your future activities.

ETA: I just read the article. It makes it sound like it was more of a public policy decision than anything else. That I can understand. Will be interesting to see what comes of it.

neanderthin

All people that are clinically obese are diseased is an interesting concept. So basically whatever causes obesity is the cure, which begs the question. What causes obesity?

wild_wild_life

All people that are clinically obese are diseased is an interesting concept. So basically whatever causes obesity is the cure, which begs the question. What causes obesity?

What do you mean that what causes it is the cure? We all know what causes obesity, on a fundamental level.

Bobbie8786

There won't be "national bans" on soft drinks or any other food. You do realize corporations run the world right, and they would hardly allow that.

I've only been on this site for a few weeks but it had looked like it was a haven from the insane hate politics that are everywhere else. Guess I was wrong ::grumble:

ncmedic201

I just read an interesting article on that. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-facts-on-leptin-faq

justwanderful

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/obesity-disease-doctors-group-says-6C10371394

Whew-- thank God-- I was beginning to think it was MY fault. :noway:

Or part of a deeper agenda to declare it a disease, thus beginning to mandate where and what people eat? It's already begun in New York City-- get ready for national bans on soft drinks, et cetera.

Either way-- ridiculous--

There's always a deeper agenda. When obesity becomes a protected class, like sexual preference, you're going to see an explosion of lawsuits from people who either were not hired for a job, passed up on a promotion or terminated; all claiming obesity discrimination. An entire legal industry will spring up around the 'obese' just like the mandatory 'counseling' racket that has sprung up around the DUI industry.

PlayerHatinDogooder

I don't see a problem with calling obesity a disease and I certainly don't see a problem with heavy taxes on certain foods. I feel the same way about booze and cigs. User pays...

So I have to pay more because someone can't control themselves?

People get fat off of 'health' foods as well.

kayamora

Obesity is a disease, just as being too skinny is a disease. Why is this? Because the human body is not supposed to be too thin or too big, we all have a healthy weight and to push ourselves above or below it is not healthy.
The big thing about it all, is that it is curable, or in the very least manageable.
Fine people may be sick and it might be genetics, but even then it is possible to make a change, it's all about choices. It's not easy but it's possible. I have an eating disorder but I know that it's in my control to choose recovery or not, if I don't I can't expect to be given pity because now that I have been diagnosed and told there are options to get better it is completly in my own if I do anything about it.

besaro

this went south faster than I predicted. lol

Charlottesometimes23

I certainly don't see a problem with heavy taxes on certain foods. I feel the same way about booze and cigs. User pays...

spoken like a true orthorexic^^^^

oh, were you gong to eat that? let me "clean " it for you

if u think i should have to pay more for ice cream, because some person is obese, thats just crazy...While were at it, how about we add additional taxes to gasoline since I dont drive and your exhaust is unhealthy. Yeah, pretty senseless isnt it? I loathe self centered individuals.

What a laughable response. You know nothing about me but you're quite happy to make assumptions. Oh that's right...you can hide behind the anonymity of the internet. :laugh:

operation_cute

I guess Obesity is just as much a desease as alcoholism is Although I personally consider it more of additiions rather than deseases considering they are cured by your own self control, rather than just time, or medicine I definitely don't see myself as having a desease though, I think that would be more of an excuse to not do something about if I did :huh:

shortie_sarah

Although I don't agree with the fact that a pure lack of self control is now considered a disease, I do, however, think that it may help to open up the eyes of some people who are blind to the effects that obesity can have on you. If more people realized that it doesn't take hours of exercising and extreme dieting to lose weight, that it really is as simple as eat at a deficit, then perhaps there wouldn't be so many obese people in the world. I know that anytime I went to the doctors, he/she clearly knew I was overweight but did not offer me any advice on what to do about it. He should have told me something then and maybe, just maybe I would have lost weight sooner. Hopefully this will make dr.'s open their mouths more instead of being too concerned with hurting their patient's feelings.

rebbylicious

I don't like the idea of saying "it's not my fault" because then you relinquish all control.

Charlottesometimes23

I don't see a problem with calling obesity a disease and I certainly don't see a problem with heavy taxes on certain foods. I feel the same way about booze and cigs. User pays...

So I have to pay more because someone can't control themselves?

People get fat off of 'health' foods as well.

The thing is, some people live off mainly fast food because it's cheap and easy.

What I believe is that fast food should be taxed, so that it's not the 'cheaper alternative' and the revenue could go towards making fresh food cheaper/more accessible. I believe that it's a serious public health issue and something needs to be done. We have around 40% obesity and it's rising.

Here's an article describing an Australian study into it (the taxing fast food concept).

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/federal-government-backed-study-into-fat-tax-on-fast-foods/story-fneuz8wn-1226646283704

pinkraynedropjacki

What's next? Smoking a disease? Drinking.....wait that's already classed as one.


What about this....... IT IS YOUR OWN fault you are fat......


Take some responsibility for YOUR own actions....regardless of what it is.

nikilis

nope. not a disease. possibly associated to a disorder, or emotional/psychological problem, but not a disease.

anorexia is not a disease, its seen as a mental illness.


would it be a disease if I tried to fornicate daily with a large mexican cacti? if I just had a compulsion to get it on with that Caryophyllale to the point where it had serious effects on my health even after my doctor warned me about this? is that a disease? no its just a compulsion.


obesity is caused 99% of the time by over eating. either you don't care about gaining weight, or it was how you were raised so you don't know what a healthy portion is or what healthy food is, or its compulsive eating or comfort eating.

I don't think its called a disease when you are within your healthy BMI, or is being in your healthy BMI a disease?


you know what. forget about it. were all diseased, obese or not, black, white, purple all the colors of the rainbow all sexes. were diseased.

now who's got the pills to fix it...... ooooooh here we go. now were getting somewhere.

maybe the "you have a disease" guys and the "we sell the pills for your disease" guys are somehow working together.....

gee. never heard of that.

Pharmaceuticals Invested Nearly $2 billion in Campaign Contributions and Lobbying

Individuals, lobbyists, and political action committees in the pharmaceutical industry contributed $167 million to federal candidates from 1990 to 2008
Members of the House and Senate received an average of $25,277 and $81,891, respectively, in pharmaceutical industry contributions in 2008
Pharmaceutical industry spending to lobby the federal government exceeded $1.5 billion from 1998 to 2008, more than any other industry
The ratio of pharmaceutical industry lobbyists to Members of Congress is approximately 2:1


THATS ALSO WHY PIZZA IS A VEGETABLE IN AMERICA.

cause they got the money to lobby you, or bury you.





so yeh.... we are all diseased, cause its mad profitable.

LexiAtel

We live in an era where 1. We don't want to take blame for ANYTHING we do in our lives and 2. We have to have a diagnose for EVERYTHING.

Modern medicine is GREAT for emergencies... after that... I wouldn't encourage anyone to spend the money to see a doctor unless they already have an issue (in which YOU, YOURSELF should be able to know if something is not right with your body, and you should see a doctor then).

grimendale

Obesity can be a disease and still be your fault. It causes massive dysfunction of the bodily systems, when the obesity is severe enough, so it meets the medical definition of disease. However, that does not absolve the individual responsibilty for being there. It I have unprotected sex, it's my fault if I get an STD. If I eat obscene amounts, it's my fault if I get fat. Classification as a disease does not change that. However, it may give doctors a little more lattitude for attempting to treat obesity. The rampant weight problem in the US is causing significant health costs, particularly in the long term. I've always found it odd that someone can be legally entered into treatment for anorexia against their wishes, but not for morbid obesity. In both cases, an unhealthy relationship with food is doing untold damage to the individual.