Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Obesity should be classed as a disease to remove the stigma it is 'self-inflicted'

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotonpal

Since there are no hard and fast criteria as to what constitutes a disease and what doesn't classifying something as a disease is often tied to political and financial considerations rather than to questions related to cause. Whether or not to classify obesity as a disease is more politics than science.

My thoughts as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnie OFS

I would call obesity a symptom, not a disease in itself.

Yes, this is exactly how I describe it. I wouldn't compare obesity with cancer due to obesity being a symptom and an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle. While cancer can be a metabolic disease, it is very complex where it can also be a disease of exposure to certain carcinogenic chemicals, sun, etc. with the presence of varying genetic sensitivities.

No fat shaming here. Obesity is also not simply a condition of too many calories; rather, it's more of an indicator of the types of calories one is eating and how one responds to those types.