Source: independent.co.uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A number of medical experts are calling for\u00a0obesity\u00a0to be classed as a disease in order to encourage people to seek treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Wilding, professor of medicine at the institute of ageing and chronic disease at the\u00a0University of Liverpool, and Vicki Mooney, executive director of the\u00a0European Coalition for People living with Obesity\u00a0(EASO), argue that the view obesity is \u201cself-inflicted and that it is the individual\u2019s responsibility to do something about it, is \u201cinaccurate\u201d and reinforces stigma around being\u00a0overweight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, the pair believe that the role played by\u00a0genetics\u00a0combined with the illnesses created by obesity, such as\u00a0Type 2 diabetes,\u00a0high blood pressure\u00a0and some\u00a0cancers, means it should be defined as a disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the\u00a0NHS, obesity is thought to affect around one in every four adults in the UK, and roughly one in five children aged 10 to 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Body mass index\u00a0(BMI) is widely used as a simple and reliable way of finding out whether a person is a healthy weight for their height. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most adults, the NHS states that having a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 means you\u2019re considered to be a healthy weight. A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered to be overweight, and someone with a BMI over 30 is considered to be obese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wilding and Mooney add that the\u00a0Oxford Dictionary\u00a0supports their argument with its definition of disease as \u201ca disorder of structure or function … especially one that produces specific symptoms … and is not simply a direct result of physical injury\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also state that obesity, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be adversely affected, has been\u00a0considered a disease\u00a0by the\u00a0World Health Organisation\u00a0since 1936.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStudies in twins show that 40-70 per cent of the variability in weight is inherited,\u201d Wilding and Mooney write in the\u00a0British Medical Journal\u00a0(BMJ) to bolster the theory that obesity is influenced by genetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBody weight, fat distribution, and risk of complications are strongly influenced by biology \u2013 it is not an individual\u2019s fault if they develop obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pair add that recognising obesity as a chronic disease with severe complications rather than a lifestyle choice could help \u201creduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by many people with obesity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They write: \u201cInstead of discouraging them from seeking treatment it should give them permission to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe stigmatisation of obesity leaves patients fearful of discussing their weight, and they turn to fad diets or non-prescription medication because they assume that their obesity is solely their responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, not all medical professionals agree with Wilding and Mooney\u2019s stance on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast, Dr Richard Pile, a GP from St Albans, said the Oxford Dictionary definition of disease \u201cis so vague that we can classify almost anything as a disease\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also writing in the BMJ, Pile argues that recommending a change implies that current NHS and public health strategies are \u201cdoomed to failure without classifying obesity as a disease\u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dLabelling obesity as a disease risks reducing autonomy, disempowering and robbing people of the intrinsic motivation that is such an important enabler of change,\u201d Pile adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt encourages fatalism, promoting the fallacy that genetics are destiny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The debate in the BMJ follows calls from the\u00a0Royal College of Physicians(RCP) in January for the Government and the NHS to\u00a0urgently recognise obesity as a disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The RCP said it wanted to see obesity recognised as an ongoing chronic disease to allow the creation of formal healthcare policies to improve care both in doctors\u2019 surgeries and hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It argued that obesity is not a lifestyle choice caused by individual greed \u201cbut a disease caused by health inequalities, genetic influences and social factors\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Source: independent.co.uk A number of medical experts are calling for\u00a0obesity\u00a0to be classed as a disease in order to encourage people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1139,1138,1137,1136,104,51,208,1135],"class_list":["post-943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weight-loss-gain","tag-bmi","tag-body-mass-index","tag-easo","tag-experts","tag-medical","tag-obesity","tag-overweight","tag-recognised"],"yoast_head":"\n