AMA: Obesity is a disease

:eye roll:

In my opinion, it's just another way to take a person's responsibility out of their hands. Saying "it's a disease" while downing big grab bags of doritos and 1 liter bottles of soda as a "snack" is ridiculous. It's not like it's cancer or ALS or cystic fibrosis where there just isn't much (or in some cases anything) you can do to combat the problem.... I feel this way about saying everything is "genetic" as well... just because you are predisposed to certian things doesn't mean it has to be true. It's a cop-out.

Harsh crowd.

Yes, overeating.

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?

Obesity is an epidemic. Perhaps classifying it as a disease is a first honest step for society to step up and fix it. Aside from drug and surgery approaches, other things society could do include charging $5 for a burger at McDonalds and $0.99 for a full salad.

I don't think we should just start complaining that obesity is only a willpower problem for lazy people.

My tuppence.

Sean

Why should I have to pay $5 for a burger b/c some people can't eat in moderation? Look, I don't even eat at McDonald's, or any other fast food place. But should I choose to, I think it would be lousy to have to pay more than the food is worth just b/c they're trying to discourage overeaters.

That said, plenty of people have gotten fat eating "healthy" food. I have a couple vegetarian friends who tip the scales into the obese category. Take away their burgers and they're still fat b/c they're still eating too much.

I would argue that obesity is NOT a disease. Obesity is the byproduct of disease as well as the creator, the enabler of the vicious circle and the king of excuse.

As for the idea that this is a way to get more research money, and that somehow this is a bad thing, obesity affects a third of the population of the U.S., and another third of the population is overweight, and at risk for becoming obese. The problem merits research money.

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

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.

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.

This may sound harsh...but is it neccesarily wrong that obese people be charged more for health care? Just like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, most of the time obesity is the result of a choice to be excessive in eating and ignoring healthy habits. If you make the choice to eat too much, maybe its acceptable that you be charged more for health care.

I can't say I don't agree.

Please tell me why then are the majority of obese people of lower socio-economic status? Hooray for charging poor people more for health care! *eyeroll*

Because poor people buy cheap food, which coincidentally is highly processed, high in calories, and full of hydrogenated oils, fat, sugar, and sodium.

I see only one good point with this, it could provide better education to Doctors on how to counsel those that are overweight on healthy ways to lose.

Otherwise, there is no overall benefit.

speaking to the medical benefits, guess what they already charge more for obesity. Not directly to one person, but to all of us overall. Many medical benefits now come with support you can get from a person that works for the benefits company. This person helps you to get your weight down, offers suggestions if your blood pressure is high, suggestions for cholesterol and more. Benefit companies don't want obesity as a disease because they don't want to pay for the pills or the surgeries. They want to teach you how to get healthy without any cost to them.

The one comment in the article though that really got me and this is so true, "BMI is not an indicator of health" I am considered obese based on my BMI. However, my percent of fat when they do the measure is only 10% over where it should be. My cholesterol is perfect, my blood pressure and I am fit. However, my husband who has a perfect BMI is totally out of shape, has high cholesterol and probably has a body fat percentage that is the same as mine. Weigh is not the best indicator of health.

As a country we should stop looking at size and a number on a scale and look at healthy eating, educating parents that chips are not required food for children. Chicken nuggets are not that healthy. Eating vegetables should be a standard, not an option. Kids also eat based on what they see at home. My daughter decided to go vegan. We always had vegetables with dinner, lots of salad, this is what she saw. Balanced healthy eating has always been emphasized, not how much anyone weighs.

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.

THIS.

it is probably true that the majority of people who are obese are obese due to lifestyle choices... likewise, the majority of people who have many other diseases are sick for that exact same reason. Lifestyle choices. So really, this isn't new at all, is it? But yet everyone is up in arms over it, and their biggest worry is that people will use the AMA's decision as an excuse. As if they needed another one.

ETA: As you can see from my ticker, I'm evidently "diseased." Funny, I don't take a single medication on a daily basis. NOT ONE. Not sure how many other people my age can say that, actually, as many people I know draw on their health insurance far more than I ever have. Good genes I guess. :drinker:

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.

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.

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

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:

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.