Vote totals:
Yes:
50%
No:
50%
Neutral:
0%
DEBATE: OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
There are many medical conditions which result in obesity
Recently it has been discovered that the human body has many mechanisms to regulate the amount of fat that is stored. For example, women have to maintain a certain amount of body fat in order to remain fertile. When these mechanisms go wrong, fat can be over-stored or under-stored. Leptin, a hormone which is released when body fat is metabolised increases appetite. When the hormone is over-produced, it too can result in too much body fat being produced. Some people do not recognise satiety and feel ravenously hungry all the time. They cannot recognise when they have had sufficient to eat. They too will become obese.
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
There are also psychological disorders which cause obesity
People who have been sexually abused as children eat to self-medicate their feelings of self-loathing. The obesity is therefore a symptom of earlier sexual abuse.
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Hypoglycaemia increases the urge to eat.
Some people cannot regulate their blood sugar very well. They become hypoglycaemic which causes them to eat large amounts of sugary and/or fatty foods to alleviate these symptoms. This will promote weight gain. If the hypoglycaemia were regulated, then the obesity could be cured.
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Obesity is simply caused by a lack of will-power
For a lot of people this may be true. However we must remember that there is a huge number of factors that determine obesity such as metabolism rates and hereditary conditions.
How many people went into concentration camps as "fat"? Times were different at that period in history. There was no fast food culture, people exercised more and food was generally a lot healthier.
No-one coming out of the concentration camps was fat. Therefore, if people eat less, they will not be obese
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Obesity is an evolutionary problem
Human beings evolved to store fat when food was abundant. Unfortunately food is now always abundant so there is no opportunity to lose the fat that is gained between feasts.
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Medicalising Obesity is wrong
Obesity should be seen as an individual’s responsibility. People should just try to eat less and exercise more. This will cure obesity. By medicalising Obesity you give fat people the excuse that they cannot control their eating and they can blame it on their "disease"
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Obesity is only a problem in some countries, therefore a lifestyle/cultural problem
Some people do become overweight due to medical problems which are not their fault but this is only a very small proportion of overweight people. By blaming obesity on medical and psychological problems you’re removing the responsibility from the individual, and without responsibility they are going to be less willing to do anything about their obesity problem as they are going to have the attitude ’’It’s not my fault I’m overweight, therefore I can’t do anything about it’’. Obesity is a relatively new problem in the UK and USA (that didn’t exist 50 years ago in the UK at least) due to inactive lifestyles and too much junk food. In other places such as the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe or Russia where people generally eat healthier, obesity is less of a national problem.
OBESITY IS A SYMPTOM OF VARIOUS MEDICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
It’s a glandular problem
I loved the comment by Elaine C Smith on this. Her response to "I’m obese because I’ve got a glandular problem" was, "Aye, you have a gland that makes you a greedy b*d". Crude but beautifully apt.
