foxglove wrote:
Such a good thread.
Like Gary I remember the study that said that being (moderately) fat actually doesn't shorten your lifespan.
I'm also trying to remember the literature on management of so-called obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, and arguments over whether or not certain diseases such as diabetes are really caused by obesity or whether the link is more sophisticated/complex than a causal link.
I recall reading that whilst there is an apparent correlation between being overweight and contracting adult-onset (Type II) diabetes, actually it also depends what you ate to get overweight. If you eat fast and sugary food to excess, you increase your risk of becoming diabetic. If you eat sensible food (ie. stuff that doesn't send your blood sugar up and down crazily, like protein and green vegetables and pulses) to excess, you might well be fat but you won't get diabetes because your blood sugar level has always been normal.
Further the expense to the health service caused by people with diabetes has a closer link to education than to being overweight. You are far less likely to require medical resources if you manage your diabetes well (type II diabetes can often be managed by food choices alone) than if you have poor control over your blood sugar. Because that control is tricky to achieve if you're confused about how to do it, a thin but cognitively challenged person is going to present much more of a problem to the GP and hospital than a very fat but bright or well-informed person who is dealing well with their diabetes.
Obviously there is a correlation between poverty and poor management of diabetes because of the education issue. Which links back to what Gingersnaps was saying about the real issue being fat = poor and also now fat = poor = drain on resources because of poor ability to manage a (usually) controllable health condition.
Can someone who has a more organised brain than me or proper medical knowledge summarise it/confirm or deny the above?
Does this apparent link to being overweight, which actually breaks down if you look at it carefully, apply to other health conditions as well as diabetes?
I seem to recall that there are certain cancers that fat people are allegedly more prone to, but again I wonder if that is actually fat people who eat a certain type of food or who don't take exercise (etc), not fat people per se. I also recall there are certain cancers that overweight people are LESS likely to get.
I agree that being overweight tends to be seen as a general evil when in fact it might be more specific, eg. eating certain foods (which you don't have to be fat to do) or behaving in a certain way (not managing a health condition). Sure, more fat people are likely to suffer those health conditions but it's not actually BEING FAT that causes them.
Such a good thread.
Like Gary I remember the study that said that being (moderately) fat actually doesn't shorten your lifespan.
I'm also trying to remember the literature on management of so-called obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, and arguments over whether or not certain diseases such as diabetes are really caused by obesity or whether the link is more sophisticated/complex than a causal link.
I recall reading that whilst there is an apparent correlation between being overweight and contracting adult-onset (Type II) diabetes, actually it also depends what you ate to get overweight. If you eat fast and sugary food to excess, you increase your risk of becoming diabetic. If you eat sensible food (ie. stuff that doesn't send your blood sugar up and down crazily, like protein and green vegetables and pulses) to excess, you might well be fat but you won't get diabetes because your blood sugar level has always been normal.
Further the expense to the health service caused by people with diabetes has a closer link to education than to being overweight. You are far less likely to require medical resources if you manage your diabetes well (type II diabetes can often be managed by food choices alone) than if you have poor control over your blood sugar. Because that control is tricky to achieve if you're confused about how to do it, a thin but cognitively challenged person is going to present much more of a problem to the GP and hospital than a very fat but bright or well-informed person who is dealing well with their diabetes.
Obviously there is a correlation between poverty and poor management of diabetes because of the education issue. Which links back to what Gingersnaps was saying about the real issue being fat = poor and also now fat = poor = drain on resources because of poor ability to manage a (usually) controllable health condition.
Can someone who has a more organised brain than me or proper medical knowledge summarise it/confirm or deny the above?
Does this apparent link to being overweight, which actually breaks down if you look at it carefully, apply to other health conditions as well as diabetes?
I seem to recall that there are certain cancers that fat people are allegedly more prone to, but again I wonder if that is actually fat people who eat a certain type of food or who don't take exercise (etc), not fat people per se. I also recall there are certain cancers that overweight people are LESS likely to get.
I agree that being overweight tends to be seen as a general evil when in fact it might be more specific, eg. eating certain foods (which you don't have to be fat to do) or behaving in a certain way (not managing a health condition). Sure, more fat people are likely to suffer those health conditions but it's not actually BEING FAT that causes them.
You are right, all the diseases supposed to be associated with being overweight are not at all caused by the extra fat tissue on the body, they are caused by improper diet and lack of excercise, however there is one exception and thats diabetes, because sometimes the pancreas just cant secret enough insulin to provide for a large body.
12 years
