A.M.A. Recognizes Obesity as a Disease

[alp227]

Source: New York Times

The American Medical Association has officially recognized obesity as a disease, a move that could induce physicians to pay more attention to the condition and spur more insurers to pay for treatments.

In making the decision, delegates at the association’s annual meeting in Chicago overrode a recommendation against doing so by a committee that had studied the matter.

“Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,” Dr. Patrice Harris, a member of the association’s board, said in a statement. She suggested the new definition would help in the fight against Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are linked to obesity.

To some extent, the question of whether obesity is a disease or not is a semantic one, since there is not even a universally agreed upon definition of what constitutes a disease. And the A.M.A.’s decision has no legal authority.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/ama-recognizes-obesity-as-a-disease.html

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The fat=unhealthy line is utter crap. And beware that the AMA has been wrong before, such as opposing Medicare, allowing physician endorsements of tobacco companies, and opposing GMO labeling.

[They_Live]

1. yep...and the only cure

is more cowbell.

[CrazyJudy]

2. why didn't this happen when they still made twinkies..

33% of Americans just became medically ill... not sure if that is good or bad?

[snort]

3. Using the latest in satellite technology.

[dipsydoodle]

4. If classed as a disease

and insurers found liable for treatment then insurers surely could insist on method of treatment to cure the disease. If its not curable then it would be uninsurable - insurance covers the likelihood of an event not certainties.


AMA declares obesity a disease
The move by the American Medical Assn. board means that one-third of adults and 17% of children in the U.S. have a medical condition that requires treatment. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-obesity-disease-20130619,0,4422080.story


Seems to be rather a lot of people requiring treatment.

[treestar]

5. Is not a disease something you have or don't have?

Whether a person is obese is part of a continuum. One might be a little overweight, somewhat, moderately, all the way up to quite record shattering obese.

[hue]

6. "Is not a disease something you have or don't have?" No disease is not nec an all or none phenomenon

For example: Atherosclerosis--fatty plaques that build up in our arteries eventually causing or contributing to occlusions of our arteries that supply blood to our hearts, brains & other vital organs --occurs over many years. Lung diseases from smoking or a person being exposed to particulate matter d/t working conditions range from mild to maximum resulting in damage to lung tissue.
Epilepsy, kidney diseases, even allergic reactions come in many degrees.

[treestar]

10. Still they have to be discovered when there is a symptom.

I guess the obese are lucky in that the "symptoms" show up right away, but then who has the disease and who doesn't? How bad does it have to be before it is a disease. The overweight are not in pain or uncomfortable either, at least not the ordinarily overweight.

[hue]

13. Yes many diseases are 1st diagnosed when a Pt. has a symptom.

With heart disease, by that time, for some it is too late (sudden cardiac death). For example, diagnostic tests &/or procedures exist that help detect fatty plaques in arteries that build up over time like lime deposits in a pipe.
Health care providers are attempting to "discover" diseases before symptoms arise, hence yearly physicals, cancer screenings, education, warnings on cigarettes, etc. Health care is much less costly if diseases can be detected before symptoms arise--called preventable healthcare. This is why the Affordable Health Care Act mandates free yearly physicals, cancer screenings, etc.

Being overweight is not uncomfortable to begin with as with many diseases at the beginning--COPD or emphysema.
Obesity is really a step beyond being overweight. There is a cluster of co-morbidities that accompany obesity.
IMHO morbidly obese folks are addicted to food as it stimulates satiation centers in the brain and this becomes a great need for them. Like alcoholism their families become, or are enablers, bringing them fast food and the like often. I'm talking about folks who are > 500 lbs. Some morbidly obese are 800-1000 lbs. The folds of their skin are populated with yeast, molds and breakdown into open sores. They cannot move well, do not have employment, are not working to earn money for the food and cannot leave their houses to go grocery shopping. Someone is doing that for them. So I think their whole Family is involved.
So yes, I think it starts years earlier and should have a professional diagnosis. It is a progressive disease.

[Nimajneb Nilknarf]

7. It won't be long until the TV signals are saturated with "Ask your doctor" ads for anti-obesity

medications.

[Jerry442]

8. My skepticism meter is maxed out on this one.

You might imagine that this would lead to Americans leading a healthier lifestyle in terms of nutrition and physical activity, but more likely will lead to the message, "Buy my super-expensive snake oil you fat slobs! If you don't you'll diiieeeeee."

p.s. And no one will have sex with you in the short time you have left.

[lunatica]

12. The billion dollar diet industry already does that

And leaves shattered lives behind it.

Maybe this will lead to banning the crap that the fast food industry puts into its foods to make them addictive and deadly.

[sybylla]

9. Yeah, it effects 1 in 3 Americans because the AMA has set the bar so effing low .

All my life, even when I was all muscle and bones at 105 lbs, I have been told by my doctors that I am overweight. They lost all credibility on this issue with me long ago. A decade ago, I was told I was borderline "obese." Let me tell you, medically-classified "obesity" doesn't look anywhere near as large as you think it does.

They're just looking for another source of revenue.

I have long refused to talk about my weight with any doctor. Any doctor that pushes it loses a patient. So go ahead, motherfuckers.

[bhikkhu]

11. How is it "utter crap"?

Health is one way to reasonably predict lifespan, so the correlation between obesity and shorter lifespans seems to indicate that obesity is unhealthy.

[Jerry442]

14. Remember, correlation does not prove causation.

The most likely explanation, in my opinion, is that an increase in obesity in a population is caused by crappy lifestyles, which also causes the poor health. If your life is wolfing down Whoppers and Pop-Tarts and black coffee on the run because you're working two jobs and you unwind at the end of the day with a several shots of Jack Daniels because you're terrified the jobs might go away and you'd lose your house, you might or might not be one of those who shows up in a survey as obese, but you sure are going to be unhealthy and affect those statistics.

No one suggests that we shouldn't strive to learn how to be healthier and to put that knowledge into practice. Just having the AMA pimping for the diet industry isn't going to do the job.

[hue]

15. True, there are many causes for being overweight/obese. Stress probably contributes.

I think obsessing about one's weight also contributes as it adds more stress or & doesn't solve the problem. Cortisol, the hormone of stress can cause weight gain. The health care profession does not fully understand weight gain and IMHO contributes to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and morbid obesity. I also think that in the future we'll see more studies that show chemicals in plastics & food containers contribute to weight gain or interfere with metabolism.