I’m running off to school, but here.
Stunning insights abound, such as:
Many people who meet the body mass index criteria for obesity “are really not that sick at all,” says Sharma, chairman for cardiovascular obesity research and management at the University of Alberta and scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network.
‘Obesity was far less common when it was identified, and then obesity became this gigantic epidemic, with just the assumed outcome that everyone is going to be at risk for vascular disease and a whole bunch of other things,’ says Rachel Wildman, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College.
‘As it turns out, it seems not to be the case. There is at least a proportion of obese individuals who at this point don’t seem to be at elevated cardiovascular risk.’ Not only is their risk fairly minimal, ‘in some instances it’s better than individuals who are normal weight.’”
‘Treating obesity, like treating any other medical condition, takes resources, you never get it for free and if you’re asking people to do things where you know off the bat that most people are likely to fail then you’re really setting them up for disappointment,’ Sharma said.”
Wildman, of Albert Einstein School of Medicine, agrees that it may be time to deal with the obesity epidemic in a more nuanced way. For one thing, efforts to get everyone to lose weight are falling flat.”
Also, some good quotes from our friend Paul Ernsberger.
Really, I don’t mean to snark. This is a good article, and I’m glad to see the issue getting media play. It’s just that it all seems so fucking obvious.
Comments
4 responses to “Canadian doctor shocks the world by announcing that all fat people may not be deathly ill.”
Thank you. I meet the criteria for “obese” at this point and end up feeling very ashamed most of the time. And it is more complicated than just “eating less and exercising more.” However, whenever I get my yearly readings done, my blood sugar is normal, my cholesterol is normal, blood pressure is normal (I take it several times a week at work in a medical facility) and screenings show that I do not have plaque in my arteries and that my heart is healthy. My thyroid levels are a bit low but I can’t tolerate thyroid medication–it elevates my blood pressure and provokes panic attacks. My schedule is insane, going to school two days a week, doing clinicals two days a week on day shift, and then working night shift on weekends. I really do try to fit exercise in but it can be difficult. In the meantime I would like to be able to not think of myself as a “fat ugly pig” every time I see myself in the mirror. I do not need for people to see me as “hot,” but treat me as you’d like to be treated. Heavy is not a crime against humanity.
Sharma may not be totally on board the fat acceptance bandwagon, but I’d save a spot for him any day.
Yeah, you know, he seems promising.
[…] previously stated, I went back when I found the article referenced by The Fat Nutritionist, where Dr. Sharma said that healthy obese patients should not lose […]