So I was actually listening to the news for once when I saw something that literally made my jaw drop.  According to the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..... obesity is now recognized as a DISEASE.

Am I the only one that is utterly shocked and disgusted by this?  I know that there are many people who struggle with weight due to family genes, but to actually state it as a DISEASE?

From what I understand, the goal is to help provide insurance to those seeking medical intervention, but I still can't help and feel shaken by this declaration.  America just seems to get lazier and less accountable for -everything-.  I honestly have a lot more to say on the issue, but I don't want to vent and rant and then state too many opinions.  I want to hear what you all think of this.  American or otherwise.

I sass it o  the news earlier today...which is funny because I really don't watch TV and actually decided to watch it today. I'm a little surprised that it's been classified as a disease considering how widespread it is and how easily someone can go overweight. I don't agree with it's classification though. There are many factors that may play a role in someone's obesity, whether it be depression, anxiety, whatever the case may be. I wouldn't say I'm "disgusted" by it but I don't agree with the decision.

I am going to respond to my personal views; I see America in a stereotypical view, I see it as the land of people who hate their lives and work in a office and wait for the clock to hit 5 PM everyday. I see it as the land of people who get lazier and lazier among the days, letting technology do their work. I see it as the land where Jacob refuses to get off the Xbox to go outside. I see it as the land where people scarf down fast food. And I hate to sound like a jerk, but some people who are obese can blame themselves. I understand some people are calmed and feel better when they eat, but some people eat while they watch videos or watch TV because they are bored. They assume gaming or movies and television with food. They assume Summer vacation as a time to consume as much junk as possible before eating "healthy" school lunches that pack calories but don't taste as good as fast food. To call obesity a disease is to call AIDS a defection than a STD. 

I can't say they are wrong on calling obesity a disease, essencially saying, because everyday taht passes, I am seeing more and more people become obese, I remember before that not many people were obese, but now it is increasing, and greatly, according to the news here on Brazil.
For you to have an idea, I am myself an obese guy, and just like I many other people are or will become obese, y'know, with the technology increasing greatly, the people don't really have to do much efforts to do things, which greatly increases the cases of obesity, while having things 'come easier' can be good, the lack of activity of the body can result in what we see today, the amount of obese people which increase each day, and for what? For money, they do this to us for money.
Not that I want to involve religion to here, but we are living the end of times, the last book of the bible which-name-in-english-I-don't-know, this situation WILL get worse everyday.

(I was sleepy when I typed this post, sorry for any mistakes)

It is a little odd to call it that.

But think, being morbidly obese is a state of unhealth where the normal functions of the body are restricted in a negative way. That is essentially a disease.

Some argue that calling it as such makes it seem like it is out of their control and is the same thing has having cerebral palsy.

But let's try a little exercise, I will talk about a condition, but leave in certain blanks:

Bill has _______. He suffers from it because he is a little bit predisposed to it; but it's mostly caused by is very very unhealthy diet, and 0 activity lifestyle. If he really want's to, he can become free of ________ with some lifestyle changes, but instead take pills to try to counter the effects of it. This disease effects your body so it does not work as it should.

Ok, now fill the blanks with Diabetes Type 2. (In this specific case, it's the very avoidable type, no offense to anyone who has type 2, but it's not due to lifestyle). See how it makes complete sense? While you can be a predisposed to it, Bill really should just stop eating so much sugar and be active. But since he doesn't, his body has developed a resistance to insulin.


Now let's fill it with obesity. He is predisposed to it, but it's really mostly his own doing. He eats too many calories and doesn't move very much. Because of this, his body has started to undergo many damaging changes, his cells' metabolism has dropped, he cannot digest well, he has pain... etc.

So it sorta make sense they have classified it as disease. But  I think it's a terrible culture of laziness we've developed.

Singelli :
I'd strongly argue that this is a good decision and something I was hoping the AMA would pass when I first heard about it. If obesity rates are rapidly increasing in our country, then why not change the approach to try and fix the problem? With my patients, many think it isn't their fault or it's no big deal that they are "just a little overweight" to paraphrase their words.  If it changes to view obesity as a serious problem that will cause great morbidity and strain to their quality of life to that respective person, then I'm all for it.

Many approaches to weight loss aids that are very safe and effective are not covered by insurance companies because they don't view it as a real problem. Now with this change, it's much more likely to be covered by companies instead of the patient having to pay hundreds out of pocket.

Also, by treating obesity early on it'll likely save hundreds of millions for healthcare, and no that is not an exaggeration. With more emphasis on office visits, I can now emphasis the greater importance of exercise along with the weight loss supplements, which will all greatly reduce the number of medical conditions to occur later in life. For example. All of what I just mentioned will reduce hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol, hypertension (high blood pressure), and diabetes. Dropping the number of diabetics will greatly cut costs, not only from their constant medications or shots, but now they will not need yearly eye exams (gradual sight loss and a HUGE increase in the rate of cataracts) and kidney exams (diabetic nephropathy, or the progression to kidney failure is a gradual course). Also, diabetes is considered a "heart disease equivalent" with is like having an additional artery clogged supplying the heart or brain, so the rate of heart attacks and strokes is greatly increased. And with an already bad diet with high cholesterol, these rates are increased as well. So surgeries to fix these problems, not to mention knee replacements are most commonly done due to instability from obesity wearing down the joint, etc... it will benefit everybody in the long run to address these issues.

Now, the issue that could present, which if this is your point I understand, is for the medical community to send the proper message to our patients. We should NOT use this as a way of saying "this is your fault" or "look what you did to yourself", but it should be a message of this truly will negatively affect your health, and now here's affordable options on how I can help you reach your goals. Weight loss is not an easy thing to do. If it were, there wouldn't be all these different fad diets popping up every so often. Now I have a way of telling people, here, let me do what I can to help you out and feel better about yourself, if weight loss is truly something that is bothering them. Granted, just like anything else that is a lifestyle change, it can't be forced on them but it has to be a personal decision. If I can now have another way of addressing an issue that will help somebody enjoy their life and the activities/family they appreciate even more, then I can't wait to have these new aids and guides to augment patient care.

Cheers.

I think it's weird, but maybe it's for the best. I mean, people(Including you)are disgusted by this, right? Well, maybe it will get more people to try harder to lose weight, which would be great. There is much too much obesity in America.

Singelli : I literally got on this morning specifically to make this thread. You beat me to it

I think it is outrageous that it is called a disease now. I understand where mikez is coming from, but I think he is looking at it from a very unrealistic point of view. He says it will help if we get a different perspective on it. But what I see happening is what always happens with America. Before, obesity was something on the people. Now when they are labeled as having a disease, it will just further give them the impression that it is not their fault. This is just going to make people say "It is out of my control. I have a disease." The AMA has officially made it 'offensive' to think negatively on people who decide to be lazy because now the buildup of fat due to not burning off as much energy as they put into their bodies is now not a choice, but a 'disease'. 

I am in no way for openly lashing out offense to people who are obese. But the fact of the matter is this is an area where babying people is not going to help them. All I see is this being used as another way to cater obesity and give them a metaphorical binky. I know the goal of the AMA for doing this, which is mikez's positive take on it, but I have no doubt that the citizens are just going to milk this 'disease' title for all the wrong reasons.

I wouldn't be bothered as much about this if it weren't for the this: I don't see this as something that will save healthcare hundreds of millions. Here is the situation here. A huge percent of the citizens of this country are lazy. A huge percent of the citizens who are lazy become obese (i am talking SPECIFICALLY about the lazy people, not all obese people). Those lazy people will not have to be accommodated for their health problems by their health care for something that was 100% their choice. Now healthcare will have to literally cover for obesity. For those lazy people, they are not going to just get better. They are going to suckle that healthcare teet till it is dry. For MANY obese people, their condition is a matter of choosing to be inactive. Now everyone is going to have to pay more into their insurance to help pay for those who are just going to abuse this like crazy. Look at our history here. People have been abusing the crap out of healthcare and not taking responsibility for themselves for YEARS, and all this is going to end up doing is continuing that trend.

I'm confused how people will be able to "milk" this. Not trying to be condescending or anything here, but genuinely curious. Now for people trying to lose weight, I'll be able to write a referral to a dietician because now it'll be covered by insurance (as it wasn't before). It'll help get people off 4, 5,6 medications if they can get their weight under control. Of course it's not going to work for everybody, I seriously doubt it'll even work for most people. Heck, once alcoholism was defined as a disease, it hasn't significantly decreased drinking problems either. But if I can use it to encourage patients to do a little more, or to give them a morale boost, it certainly doesn't hurt to at least try it.  The big thing for me is that the AMA has stated with this decision, people can NOT file for disability on basis of obesity. Granted, am I optimistic that will stick? Not entirely, but at least it's a start.

Regardless of all these changes, nothing will ever be definitive unless we get to the root of the problem, the underlying culture behind food and inactivity. I'm sure we can agree on that.

Well I don't see how socially how obesity can be a disease, I view it more as a(n)  individual that makes poor diet choices, combined with a very slow metabolism. Furthermore one can easily go from obesity to a(n) average weight individual  by simply making better choices when it comes to ones eating habits(well balanced diet), a regular short(brief) every other day exercise program for a short duration of time.In addition scientifically I could see categorizing obesity as a disease tho because of the text book definition of disease which is
"a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.".
So technically speaking obesity could be categorized as a disease because  if one is obese there body's structure/system is functioning  incorrectly and it can lead to illness and in extreme conditions death.

this is completely ridiculous. im sorry but im going to be blunt. people that say its not their fault, its a disease, they are just looking for an excuse. you dont need surgery or medicine to lose wait. you need sone determination, motivation, and positive action. most people dont even walk apart fromvwhen they have to. at this rate evolution will discard legs because half of us dont use them. its all too common for people to say these things. I cant lose wait, I have a disease. my weight is genetic. in just big boned. I cant stop drinking, I have alcoholism. if I dont brush my teeth because I cant be bothered, thats not a disease. thats being lazy. I saw this onebwoman on tv state she was as fit as anyone else. she was in excess of 20 stone. if people are given more and more excuses we are going to have a global epidemic.
its kind of ironic that America has such a big problem with this. its a pretty serious christian country (I mean on a person to person level) compared to the uk. and gluttony is in fact, a sin.

back in the day, most people worked hard jobs, they were expanding, mining, building and they ate high calory food. that wasfine because they actually burned it off. but the same food is being eaten by people whose job entails sitting at a chair all day.
obesity is an attitude problem, not a medical one. much like the nations waistline, its ever growing

SUX2BU :
there is no proof gm foods are worse for you than normal ones, only theories.
as for natural, they still ate unhealth. the labourers ate things like burgers and masses of red meat etc.

SUX2BU : Also remember that overweight does not equal obesity. Overweight is a fairly large category BEFORE you reach obesity.

Light Knight :
This is 100% and a very good point. You can search online for a body mass index (BMI) calculator but it takes a general proportion of your weight divided by your height to give you what proportion your weight is to your frame. BMI of 18-25 is considered normal, 25-30 considered overweight, and 30+ considered obese.

For the genetically modified food, that is done to either to make crops resistant to pests/diseases or to add in vitamins. Proponents of GMI like it because things like rice is essentially empty calories but very cheap and easy to grow. Scientists have modified rice for some of these areas so that they have added vitamins/minerals that these populations wouldn't otherwise get.

Good discussion people, keep it up.

Well, I found it weird when I first heard that obesity can be called a disease. That was about 5 years ago. It's nothing new to me to call obesity a disease. EDIT: I re-read the first post and noticed that it wasn't called a disease before in the US. In Germany, where I live, I heard this word (lol ok, actually "Krankheit", but it's equal to "disease") more often.
 
While I am not intolerant to obese people, I think calling it that is right, because it is a disease.
Obesity is very unhealthy and (dependent on the grade of obesity) it can make you disabled.

Of course nobody is obese, when he or she has a few too much pounds, because the body is - in relation to obesity - still more or less healthy. Someone is only then obese, when the overweight makes serious healthy problems.

And how do you call it when you have serious healthy problems? A disease.

mikez913 In response to how people will milk this. One point I will bring up is the one about how overweight does not equal obesity. The ones who actually reach that obesity stage are the ones who mostly get that way due to laziness. Lack of effort to lose the weight. The ones who go on trendy diets and expect that to fix everything, and then quit when it doesn't work just to blame genetics. First, they will milk this on a social aspect. Already, we have to walk on eggshells around this topic and we are horrible insensitive people when we look at obesity as unattractive, negative, etc. Those people will not use this disease thing as a way of help. Now they will just start using this as an excuse. "How dare you say bad things about me. I have a disease! Would you think negative of someone for having cancer?" That is exactly what we are going to start hearing now. Now it is a disease, not just a personal choice. It has to do with the way the general public interprets the word disease. 

As for the money part of it. Who is say that with this, all obese treatment methods won't get covered. Who is to say that after a while, insurance (aka, everyone else) will have to pay for people going on Jenny Craig diets? Who is to say we won't have to start paying for their gym memberships? Those are extreme examples, so I'll tone it down. Insurance will cover their dietitians. But a lot of obese people have gone to dietitians and quit because they did not work all because they thought that diet alone will fix the problem. We will pay for dietitians, but it won't change their own lack of motivation to do the work themselves instead of thinking their should be an easier way to lose weight. Liposuction is a way of losing weight. Will insurance have to cover liposuction now? All this crap getting covered on everyone else's wallet, and it is all because there are so many people who can't stop eating portions that can feed a whole family or get off the couch. 

Yes, you can refer to a dietitian. But that doesn't mean they have actually go. A doctor referral won't make any difference. These people already have had open access to dietitians, fitness trainers, etc. Doctors already tell them what they should do about their weight. Is being able to give them an official referral going to change their motivation somehow? No. And since obesity will now be covered by insurance, that means more payments from everyone. You said so yourself, this will probably help very few people anyway. But that doesn't change that it will increase everyone else's insurance. Now everyone has to pay more for something for obese people that most aren't even going to do anything about. 

Why do I say that? Again, there is a difference between obese and overweight. I am sure the overweight people would get great use out of this. But those who put themselves to the obese range are GENERALLY laziness. Most obese people I know see their size as good. We have made a society where you should 'be proud of your body' and everyone is supposed to 'accept and praise all body types'. Big guys are now 'cuddly' and 'big teddy bears'. Obese women are now vivacious, full figured, and got that 'va va voom'. They found ways to look at unhealthy as sexy just because they prefer to see their choice as fine rather than do something about it. No matter how you look at it, it is unhealthy. Plain and simple. 

I realize a lot of this post can be seen as offensive. I will state that I do recognize that there are a percentage of people who have legitimate reasons for their condition, whether it be overactive gland,  depression, etc. But the reality is that you are in a small minority of the obese population. Problem is, the majority of the obese population claim they are in that category because they can't face the fact that they did it to themselves.

I depends a lot on how you view "disease".

If you looking at the definition of obesity from a social, or scientific point of view.

Scientifically, obesity could justifiable be called a disease.

Socially, if we disease are viewed as problems that afflict victims and are often "out of their immediate control". So in this case, it would be dangerous to call obesity a disease.

Light Knight : and from a medical stand point, the intentions are good. But we know how much people love to interpret their own definitions to fit what works for them. That is what is going to happen here.