According to the American Medical Association, obesity is already not only a risk factor contributing to the development of serious diseases, but in itself is a disease requiring aggressive treatment and large-scale preventive measures.
Although we entered only in the second decade of the XXI century, from a medical point of view this period has already been called the century of chronic diseases. In the 20th century, we were able to overcome many infectious diseases, developed effective vaccines, but in another period of human history an epidemic of obesity and diabetes began. And although this may seem less evil than microorganisms, it is in fact a danger.
Despite the huge costs that the US is paying for health care, it is expected that life expectancy will fall. The obesity epidemic is developing at a pace that, if the current trend continues, by 2050, all Americans will have weight problems (currently 1 in 3 people are obese).
And if it seems to us that this problem does not concern us, it is enough to look soberly at statistics. Already over 20% are obese (we are not talking about being overweight!), And children are the first to rank the most obese.
That is why many agree with the decision of the American Medical Association (AMA), the largest medical society in the US, to officially recognize obesity as a disease. "We can still naively believe that this is not such a big problem. But obesity needs to be prevented and treated aggressively, "says Dr. Mitchell Roslin of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
As you can guess, the case aroused considerable controversy. Critics of AMA's decision note that the disease by definition is a pathological condition that does not allow the body to function properly, and there are examples of the fact that a person suffering from obesity can be perfectly healthy. They expressed their strong protest against a situation in which a large group of Americans would be recognized as a sick person.
By the way, once again in the body mass index, the most commonly used indicator is a healthy weight (BMI is mistaken for a healthy weight). Use a template that does not allow you to determine the percentage of fat in the body, which becomes completely useless in the case of athletes in whom BMI can indicate excess weight due to large muscles (with a small amount of fat tissue).
Many (if not most) believe that obesity is a matter of personal choice and the lack of self-control. Those to which the problem does not seem to concern, in the majority believe that the inversion of the consequences of an unhealthy diet and the reluctance of physical activity is not a society's responsibility and should not be funded from the state budget.
One thing should be considered:
if something becomes so common, it is quite possible that this is due to the current system that contributes to obesity.
Supporters of the AMA decision note that a change in the classification of the problem will help to limit stigmatization of obese people, drawing attention to the fact that maintaining optimal weight is not always a matter of self-control. It is also a step forward towards more effective and more accessible specialized treatments for obesity, which are now only slightly reimbursed.
medbe. en.