Obesity and health

[injuryupdate]

From Today's (19/3/08) Crikey! newsletter:

Obesity: when in doubt, declare war
Jeff Sparrow writes:

The war on drugs brought spiraling levels of addiction; the war on terror inflamed violence throughout the world. So here comes the war on fat.

Launching a $218 million program to test the health of Victorian workers, Premier John Brumby declared obesity a challenge ?as big as climate change?.

Really? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says unchecked global warming will destroy up to 70 per cent of plant and animal life. How, exactly, are the poor fatties responsible for anything of that order? Are they supposed to be eating endangered species or something?

But you can make almost any absurd claim on this topic, since the ways we respond to obesity have very little to do with rationality.

Take a look at The Biggest Loser, the Abu Ghraib of the war on fat. No-one emerges any healthier from the show. In fact, the rapid weight loss of the contestants promotes the kind of fad diets and insane exercise regimes that every reputable nutritionist condemns as medically disastrous. But that doesn?t matter.

The Biggest Loser rates so well since it takes moral outcasts (ie. fat people) and makes them perform a very public penance. Each episode resolves in tears, as the heaving, sweating tubsters acknowledge once again how they were blind but now they can see ? and henceforth they will worship at the treadmill and the calorie counter.

Yes, obesity is a problem, and fat people often have a miserable time. But the reasons are social much more than medical. The fatter society gets, the more desirable thinness becomes ? making those extra pounds another factor in the quiet unhappiness of most people?s lives.

As for the medical consequences, it?s remarkable how rubbery the consensus actually is. Our sedentary lifestyles are dangerous ? but it?s physical activity rather than weight loss that makes the most difference to your health.

Paul Campos, a war on fat dissident, explains:

[F]or most people, increased physical activity does not produce significant long-term weight loss. And people who lose a lot of weight don't get any benefit over people who lose a little weight, so the benefit of weight loss by itself is medically nonexistent. But the good news is you don't have to become thinner to enjoy significantly improved health.

Even with type 2 diabetes, lifestyle changes can make a difference, without a loss of weight. As the unfortunately-named Linda Bacon says, it?s preferable to talk about lifestyles rather than obesity, since there?s no actually no proven method for achieving long-term weight loss, and many of the common techniques are actually dangerous.

Yet for politicians ? especially social democratic politicians ? a declaration of war on fat is irresistible precisely because it shows them doing something, yet commits them to absolutely nothing. Will there be less obesity in the future? Fat chance!


Jeff Sparrow is the editor of Overland magazine.

[imbrad07]

Obesity is a major problem nowadays for males as well as for females.Most of the people are going with various medicines and other courses.But as a health professional i think exercise is a excellent thing to overcome obesity.In exercises swimming and running is the best one.

[dalethompson]

I'd think that your diet is the cause and the solution is also your diet, having a proper diet and a daily workout would naturally keep you fit!


Cheers. (:

[peterhook]

Fat people are fat because they're fat. Everybody's different; my cousin and brother have always had weight issues as long as they've lived, regardless of diet. My sister's boyfriend eats ~literally~ candy for breakfast, fast food and soda for lunch, and pizza for dinner, and he's super-healthy. Mexicans and eskimos are shorter and fatter people, Swedes are taller and skinnier people.

Not everyone that is overweight or even obese eats cupcakes three times per day. Of course, I'm sure some people could show me examples all day of fat people that do eat grotesquely, but I could just as easily show people examples of sinners that have had bad things that happened to them.

The simple fact is that not all fat people are gluttons, and diet is not going to solve everyone's problems. If you're going to legislate or make rules based upon weight, I don't believe it's ethical to punish certain people because they were born with unfortunate bodies with weight problems.

[Hudd]

Well diet is important element for being healthy.It can create problems if you do not give attention to it.Eat balance diet,eat less than you need.This is effective for controlling obesity.Take smaller portions of the food that you enjoy.Drink more water and use green tea.It is good for obesity.

[Alden]

Well!!No dout that obesity create many problem for males.Healthier foods has own importance in our life.So we should be eating healthier and energetic foods for weight loss and fitness.Some people like proteins foods for get the energy but according to me that vegetarian foods are so perfectible for keep fitness and the weight loss..

[Burgess555]

Yes of course obesity is a big health complication of this modern era.
The reason of this big health problem is more usage of the soda, junk, and fast foods in routine diet.
Another reason is that people don't do proper exercise and participate in physical exercise that lead to weight gain and obesity.

[Burgess555]

Yes of course obesity is a big health complication of this modern era.
The reason of this big health problem is more usage of the soda, junk, and fast foods in routine diet.
Another reason is that people don't do proper exercise and participate in physical exercise that lead to weight gain and obesity.

Any comment?

Health Maitland