http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7047244.stm

Obesity 'not individuals' fault'

It is said we live in an 'obesogenic' environment
Individuals can no longer be held responsible for obesity so government must act to stop Britain "sleepwalking" into a crisis, a report has concluded.
The largest ever UK study into obesity, backed by government and compiled by 250 experts, said excess weight was now the norm in our "obesogenic" society.

Dramatic and comprehensive action was required to stop the majority of us becoming obese by 2050, they said.

But the authors admitted proof that any anti-obesity policy works "was scant".

Nonetheless every level of society, from individual to the upper echelons of government, must become involved in the campaign against a condition which carries such great social and economic consequences, they said.

In 2002, those who were overweight or obese cost nearly £7bn in treatment and state benefits and in indirect costs such as loss of earnings and reduced productivity.

In 40 years time, that figure could reach nearly £46bn, as health services struggle to cope with the ill health such as diabetes, cancer and stroke which can be associated with excess weight.

"There is a danger that the moment to act radically and dramatically will be missed," said Sir David King, the government's chief scientific advisor and head of the Foresight Programme which drew up the report.

"It is a problem that is getting worse every year."

So hard

Obesity, the authors concluded, was an inevitable consequence of a society in which energy-dense, cheap foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and sedentary work were rife.

BMI SCALE
Underweight: Less than 18.5
Normal: 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight: 25 to 29.9
Obese: 30 or more

In this environment it was surprising that anyone was able to remain thin, Dr Susan Jebb of the Medical Research Council said, and so the notion of obesity simply being a product of personal over-indulgence had to be abandoned for good.

"The stress has been on the individual choosing a healthier lifestyle, but that simply isn't enough," she said.

From planning our towns to encourage more physical activity to placing more pressure on mothers to breast feed - believed to slow down infant weight gain - the report highlighted a range of policy options without making any concrete recommendations.

Industry was already working to put healthier products on the shelf, the report noted, while work was advanced in transforming the very make-up of food so it was digested more slowly and proved satisfying for longer.

But it was clear that government needed to involve itself, as on this occasion, the market was failing to do the job, Sir David said.

Shock tactics?

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said the government would be holding further consultations to decide how to proceed.



She said it was too early to say whether the same "shock" approach seen in public health warnings against smoking would be adopted with obesity, or whether a tax on fatty foods, highlighted in the report but widely dismissed as unworkable, would be considered.

"The most important thing is there has to be public consent and understanding of the issues you're trying to challenge," she said.

"A mandate for change will be difficult because it has to be preceded by an understanding of the dangers of obesity."

The Royal College of Physicians said the report was "encouraging".

"The emphasis on cross-governmental initiatives is particularly welcome, as is the importance of addressing issues across society whilst avoiding blame," said its president, Professor Ian Gilmore.

The Food and Drink Federation said it understood its role in tackling the problem.

"Our industry is now widely recognised as leading the world when it comes to reformulating products; extending consumer choice; and introducing improved nutrition labelling," a spokesperson said.

How much obesity is the government and medical establishment responsible for with their asinine dietary recommendations?

We certainly need to point a finger in their direction while acknowledging that today, information is more widely available than at any time in our history and each and every individual has an obligation to search out answers for themselves instead of allowing others to do their thinking for them.

It is interesting in that I get the feeling the British government is seeing their obesity problem as a run a way freight train that will require tons of resources to sort out.

Wouldn't it just be a lot simpler to give people access and information about the foods they naturally enjoy such as meats, fats, high fat dairy, and green veggies, instead of trying to construct entire towns around creating an evironment of more excercise. It's a whole lot faster and cheaper to write a book and base a media campaign around what is healthy and it won't take them 40 years to do it. They wouldn't even have to do that. Barry Groves to the Rescue!

As Ronald Regan said, Government is the problem. From what I hear is going on across the pond, England has become a full fledged nanny state about this. Look at them threatening to take obese kids from their parents. One person reported that some kids are required to eat school lunch. I shudder to think what can happen in the USA.

As you can tell from the article, it's all about fat. All Government action is centered around the low fat dogma, which, as we know from Gary Taubs, is political, rather than scientific. Pretty soon, the Government will be strong arming people to avoid fat. The Government should just stay out of it.

Dave,

I couldn't agree with you more. I guess the answer is education but it's hard to fight the dogma that the powers that be so ardently support.

Hopefully, books like Gary Taubes will help with that and at least create a doubt in peoples minds and hopefully they will feel a need to educate themselves or at least look at the other side of the argument.