Obesity a disease?

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.

Well said. I thiink the point the American Medical Association is making by classifying obesity as a disease is not to give everyone a license to overeat, or accept responsibility for their actions, but to give medical professionals more treatment options which are not limited solely to medication and/or surgery but could include nutritional counseling which most insurers currently do not pay for. Like Diabetes, which is also obesity and exercise related but still needs to be managed by diet and exercise.

A disease?

So does this mean I can call my boss tomorrow and say that I can't come in because I'm feeling especially fat this morning?

I find it funny that people on here are saying "user pays" when it comes to taxing unhealthy foods, alcohol and cigs. You really think they're not gonna find a way to tax you for something next? We are ALL targets for taxing. It may not be you this week, but next week it will. That's why we have to stick together when it comes to decreasing taxes and learning to spend government money more wisely, instead of throwing it away and expecting us to pay for it. You think it won't affect you to tax the rich more or tax more for cigs, but you are obviously not thinking this through. You tax the rich more, therefore companies charge more for products to cover it, so they don't lose money. Your paycheck comes from the rich...You think you are going to get a raise when they need to save extra money? Think it through people...

Wow a lot of people are missing a HUGE issue that is probably most an American problem. What about the numbers of kids who are obese now? If we classify this as a disease, and doctors can point out to parents before the kids have diabetes and heart problems that their weight is a problem - AS A MEDICAL ISSUE, might it not help with reducing childhood obesity? Also, what about the thousands of kids who are growing up obese or even those who are not but who are in homes with bad eating habits? If they hit adulthood and they want to lose weight, the classification of obesity as a disease will increase the resources they have to learn about healthy habits. I was in one of those homes. I was actually an underweight teen, but I had some horribly ingrained eating patterns and as an adult, when my metabolism slowed and I didn't change my eating or exercise habits (but I also didn't have to go to school every day nor did I have a PE class anymore), I quickly became overweight. Add a couple of pregnancies, toxemia, and weight gain from birth control products, and I was obese. I had no clue how to eat right, and I did not know what a portion size was. I didn't have a support system, so I didn't have any accountability even if I did try to lose weight. My doctors certainly never said it was bad. As a matter of fact, I had one doctor tell me that as long as I was comfortable with my weight and I didn't have any of the related diseases, then I was just fine. It wasn't until my dad got diabetes that I realized that I needed to do something different. And it has definitely been a huge learning experience! I did not know A LOT! And my parents and other family members didn't either, so they could not have taught me. Classifying obesity as a disease, at the very least, opens up the discussion and helps more people realize what is going on and how society has trained us to overeat and how we can re-teach ourselves and our children about proper eating habits. And look at the discussion here even; we are talking about it. Yes people have their opinions and some refuse to see anyone else's point of view. That's always true so it shouldn't be surprising to anyone here. But the real point is that people have started TALKING about it! Which is the first step to making changes.

For anyone interested, this is a full access article from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that is worth a read. It discusses the link between poverty and obesity.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/1/6.full

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.

Exactly. That is ridiculous!! I should pay more because I can eat in moderation? Or if I want to have a drink after a long day? You have got to be kidding!

If fresh food was more affordable and available, and fast food was more expensive, perhaps it could made some difference in their choices.

I ALWAYS spend less when I cook from home, even when I buy steak then when I get fast food. It is cheaper, you just have to actually cook and shop sales.

Also, re the tax issues, lots of places already tax fast food more then grocery store. I think our grocery store food is taxed at 3% (except some stuff which isn’t, I’ve never figured out the rules on this) and fast food is taxed at 11 or 12 percent. It still makes no difference because it’s not about cost it’s about convenience.

That may be your experience but there is a strong correlation between lower income and higher consumption of fast food.

Fresh food can also be convenient, but it's expensive. When I'm in a rush, I can go to the supermarket and buy a prepared salad with a little tub of dressing and a rotisserie chicken but I won't have much change from $20. The same amount of money will buy a lot more food at Most fast food places.

OH MY !!! I am taking this one. There is a correlation between lower income and higher consumption of fast food not because of price but because of attitude and choices. Yes, ATTITUDE and CHOICES. There is also a correlation between the percentage of smokers in the lower income bracket versus middle income or them evil rich fat cats. What is the deal there? Again, attitude and choices.

Also, to your second point about getting more food at a fast food place for $20, you need to bounce your head on a table for a little while and re-think what you wrote. How about instead of buying a prepared salad, rotisserie chick and a little tub of dressing you buy a head of lettuce, then chop it up, buy a whole chicken or frozen chicken breasts and cook them ahead of time on the grill, then also buy a bottle of dressing. I can guarantee you that is a lot less than $20 and will feed a family of 4 for at least 2 meals if they are eating proper portions. It is all about preparedness and CHOICES!!!!

Time is money and effort to prepare is money though. It's the same with microwavable foods. When i buy healthy it is definitely cheaper but then I need to put in the time and effort to make the food (and the patience to wait) compared to fast food and microwavable food.

The way your argument would be valid is if you could just go shopping and put all the healthy foods you bought in a box and it came out prepared and tasty. Other than that, it is a matter of how much you value your time.

I guess what I'm saying is you both have good arguments but everything must be considered. It would be like you arguing it is cheaper to make your won chair than to buy one. Yes...the wood might be cheaper but the time and effort might not be worth your while. ...unless you enjoy woodshop...same with food. If you enjoy cooking then you might not even count it as a negative. I'm enjoying eating healthy but occasionally I do like to pop something in the microwave and come back at the next commercial break and eat.

If fresh food was more affordable and available, and fast food was more expensive, perhaps it could made some difference in their choices.

I ALWAYS spend less when I cook from home, even when I buy steak then when I get fast food. It is cheaper, you just have to actually cook and shop sales.

Also, re the tax issues, lots of places already tax fast food more then grocery store. I think our grocery store food is taxed at 3% (except some stuff which isn’t, I’ve never figured out the rules on this) and fast food is taxed at 11 or 12 percent. It still makes no difference because it’s not about cost it’s about convenience.

That may be your experience but there is a strong correlation between lower income and higher consumption of fast food.

Fresh food can also be convenient, but it's expensive. When I'm in a rush, I can go to the supermarket and buy a prepared salad with a little tub of dressing and a rotisserie chicken but I won't have much change from $20. The same amount of money will buy a lot more food at Most fast food places.

That's doesn't negate anything I said. There is a correlation, but I think it's more about culture, education (as in how to cook, what to buy, etc), perhaps in some cases people lack a kitchen (ie, homeless), but we're primarily hitting convenience and taste, imo.

Convenience is a whole nother ballgame. You always pay for it. That doesn't mean you can't shop and buy healthy foods for a reasonable amount. Rice and beans with a little meat and vegetables is quite cheap and will feed you many meals healthier than fast food. I think we do a disservice to people when we tell them that it's not possible to buy healthy food cheaply.

Well, Congress declared pizza a vegetable, so I don't know how much I care for nomenclature anymore. I think we are best left to our own interpretations.