don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

"I'd kill myself if I was as fat as Marilyn Monroe." 
~Elizabeth Hurley

A lot of misinformation has been distributed about obesity, much of it confusing and some of it questionable. As a result, many people think obesity is a disease, and an "epidemic" of a disease, at that. In fact, it is NOT a disease (it is one of many symptoms of a complex problem) and it most certainly is not an epidemic. The reason so many (65%) Americans are classed as overweight or obese is because the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) employs a crackpot formula to assess healthy versus non-healthy weight classifications. 
 
If there is an epidemic, it's one of bad science and attendant public ignorance as to what constitutes fitness and good health versus the nature and causes of obesity. I think there is an epidemic absence of good sense. The American people do not accept sufficient responsibility for learning how to live well. Consequently, they rely way too much on a sickness-based health care system and way too little on their own initiatives to stay well and get "weller." The latter is something they should pursue daily via the practice of lifestyles consistent with known wellness principles for optimal functioning and high life satisfaction. 
 
The bad science is seen in the fact that the CDC's body mass index (BMI) factors weight only in relation to height, which is far less significant than percentage of body fat and overall fitness. Complicit in this foolishness are the pharmaceutical companies, the diet pill industry and weight-loss emporiums, which would like to see everyone labeled obese. It's good for business!
 
Is obesity the cause of any kind of epidemic? No-it's a symptom. No more. Is obesity the CAUSE of higher cancer rates and more diabetes, heart disease and a greater incidence of morbidity and mortality? Of course not. It is a symptom -- a symptom of the fact that we do not live wellness lifestyles. We eat too much and exercise too little. Instead of height and weight, we would be better off if the CDC measured calories consumed versus calories burned.  
 
There are many villains in the non-epidemic of obesity in America, which should be called the crisis in too little wellness (or something like that). Government policies subsidize the wrong things (for example, cheap corn which facilitates cheap additives in junk foodstuffs) for the wrong reasons (lobbyists from big industries pour funds into the campaign coffers of members of Congress who in turn write legislation favorable to these industries). Major gains could follow from reversing current subsidies that help agribusiness to subsidies that help poor families buy more fruits and vegetables instead of currently affordable but highly processed, low-nutrient foodstuffs. At present, poor people can't afford a healthy diet -- and few think they have time or much opportunity, support and capacity for serious daily exercise. One food scientist recently calculated that a consumer could obtain seven hundred calories from a grab bag of Fritos chips, but it that it would be "hard to match that price-to-calorie ration with broccoli, squash, and greens." (Source: "Fat Politics': Healthy Skepticism on Obesity," NY Times, November 4, 2005.)
 
I hope I have convinced you that obesity is not the problem but rather a symptom of a larger challenge, that of persuading, supporting and rewarding citizens for staying well by living healthfully and, in the process, enjoying life more. Alas, this will be a tough sell, in good measure because we do not have the leadership in Washington to lead a sea change in attitudes from symptoms to underlying causes and overarching solutions. All of which reminds me of something George Bernard Shaw said about obesity: "No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office."
 
Be well and always look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of nutrition. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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