Is obesity a disease or a symptom?

StepWise123

The AMA just issued a statement that obesity is a disease. If I get the flu my symptoms might be a fever and muscle aches. If I contract a cold, my symptoms are sneezing and a runny nose. If I have diabetes I would have high blood sugar.

So what is your opinion? Is obesity a disease or a symptom?

My0WNinspiration

Its a disease just like alcoholism is a disease.

Acg67

Its a disease just like alcoholism is a disease.

lol

Illona88

It's a risk factor for other diseases.

pastryari

Its a disease just like alcoholism is a disease.

:huh:

_Countryboy_

Obesity is neither a symptom or a disease. Its a condition that happens when people refuse to take some responsibility for themselves and control their actions. Push away from the table people...you really do not need that third slice of pie. Get off your donkey, turn off the tv, grab a bottle of water and take a walk.

Siegel15

I am no doctor. But IMHO obesity is a symptom of deeper issues.
We use food to solve other problems:
Stress, fear, self hate, boredom, even low levels of dopamine which gives some people very low pleasure feelings from food
So they eat more to get more. I actually read that some where.
All in all, obesity is a RESULT, isn't it? From choices we make.
I speak for myself in any case.
Now, when it comes to Prader Willi syndrom, THAT is a genetic disorder.
That is not be called a disease, but a syndrom.

Zombella

I would not call obesity a disease at all. Like previous posters have said, it can cause diseases or illnesses, and it can be the result of mental problems such as anxiety or depression. It can also just happen because someone loves food and doesn't feel like moving.

GetSoda

The dictionary says:

"A particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people."

So, just because something is self inflicted, doesn't mean it's not a disease.

pushyourself14

Neither?

ldrosophila

disease

AJinBirmingham

Obesity is not a disease. Alcoholism is not a disease. Addiction is not a disease.

You don't get to decide whether or not to have a disease, how to self administer it and to what extent - you don't get to "decide" to be well either - and hammering the above into the definition of "disease" based on incomplete criteria is just a way of throwing sunshine at people to make them feel better.

"I only meant to have early stage breast cancer, but I got carried away . . . I just wasn't thinking . . . It wasn't ME, it was the CANCER . . ." Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

nznatural

Obesity is neither a symptom or a disease. Its a condition that happens when people refuse to take some responsibility for themselves and control their actions. Push away from the table people...you really do not need that third slice of pie. Get off your donkey, turn off the tv, grab a bottle of water and take a walk.

Ohhhhh, so that's what I've been doing wrong!

Then again, I havent eaten pie in years - let alone a third slice, I dont own a donkey, I drink about 1.5-2L of water a day (at least), and I run about 25km a week. And yet here I am, still obese.

My own obesity is a symptom that will lead to other diseases if I stop taking care of myself.

j75j75

This is laughable :laugh: :laugh:

AmyZ46

That's a good question .

I think For some people it is a symptom

I went to a weight loss doctor who said our bodies are just to efficient for what we eat.

He also asked me if I thought all thin people exercise ? Then he said No , only a small percentage of thin people exercise ,all the others are just naturally thin.

Our bodies were made to use energy and conserve it for hard times- so if hard times come , we will be ok.

sammi674

Only 5% of people maintain their weight loss. So eat less, move more obviously isn't the solution.

It's a disease. Some people can eat insane amounts of food and never be more then 20 pounds overweight, while others pile the weight on and battle it their whole life.

LanBan101

Ha! So true. But it really isn't about eating less pie. Its about eating foods the way mother nature intended, whole nutritious foods. None of that boxed crap. Quality food outweighs net calories consumed. The middle of the grocery store will frakk you up.

RonnieLodge

I'd say it is a symptom of:

1. sedentary lifestyles
2. easy access to;
3. more processed and sugar laced food than ever before.

RhonndaJ

By the formal definiton of 'disease' I'd say that yes, obesity is a disease, just not in the sense that most people consider a disease.

I'm more inclined to think of it as a symptom, though not necessarily a symptom of a disease.

This doesn't mean that we're not personally responsible for being obese, most of us are so due to our own poor choices, it simply means that there's more to it than just being lazy and eating too much.

Bobbie8786

Perhaps the AMA is labeling it as such in order to make it easier to get insurance to cover the cost of weight loss surgery, or even the aftermath of weight loss (excess skin). The AMA is made up of doctors and their main motivator in life is money (not dissing them for that, just stating it as I see it).

Personally I don't think it is a disease, more like a symptom of our culture of gluttony. For me obesity came from the fact that I just like junk food and hate veggies and anything healthy. I also chose to sit and watch t.v. instead of exercise. To me that is NOT a disease.

Laces_0ut

not a disease...just a ploy by Big Pharma to sell more drugs.