Do we need a minister for fatty's?

[Loosehead]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5277350.stm

How can we save them from themselves? Is there anything the government can realistically do to kerb obesity or should they just let them eat/drink/sloth themselves to death?

[jno]

goodness, that looks like my photo on the BBC! Well, as a front-row man yourself, you'll know that a bit of weight has its uses... but a downside if it gets excessive, which it appears to be doing. Does the government have any reason for intervention? If it puts strains on the NHS (like smoking, for instance), I would have thought so. But I'm not sure there's much that can be done to stop people porking out. As you'll see from this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1856005, 00.html

people know they shouldn't, and will even pretend that they'd take the opportunity not to, but they lie; and a democratic government will probably just have to let them get on with it and raise taxes to pay their medical bills.

[buildersmate]

Maybe its a suitable job for JP, Minister without a current portfolio.

[Pippa68]

I think it is worth noting that you don't have to be very overweight to be classed as obese.

[suffragette]

I think the massive rise in illnesses resulting from over indulgence in food, alcohol, drugs and even unsafe sex may result in the decline and eventual collapse of an already shaky NHS.

Two alternatives might be a completely private system in which people pay for the consequences of their own vices, or a nanny state so involved in our lives that it dictates what we can and cannot imbibe.

I'm not comfortable with either of my options, but the NHS as it stands just cannot prevail without a radical overhaul, but has any politician in Britain the vision and strength of character necessary to devise a more appropriate and modern system and see it through? Sadly, I doubt it.

[jno]

other things that cause problems for the NHS are expensive minority treatments... the use of Herceptin, for instance: people cheered when a woman sued for the right to be prescribed it on the NHS, but her victory means a lot of money must be devoted to her from her health authority's budget, which must be replaced by the taxpaying public, or not at all. Likewise, fertility treatments cost a fair bit; is infertility an 'illness' of the sort that the NHS was set up to treat? Is depression?

It might be reasonable to imagine a stripped-down NHS with strict limits on the sort of things it treats - for instance, nothing self-inflicted like obesity or lung cancer, nothing like infertility that doesn't impede your life or your contribution to national GDP. But no doubt everyone would insist it treat their illnesses.

[vehelpfulguy]

As a country we need to look VERY carefully at WHAT we eat and HOW we eat.

Just walk round any shopping centre or any supermarket and see how many overweight people you see (including me I am ashamed to say)

If a government minister can help to influence this it must be a good thing.

I went to Sweden on business a few years ago, and when we went for lunch in the company canteen the only food was open sandwitches, salads, and roll mop herring.

Almost all the people were slim.

I came back to my company canteen and was offered pie and chips, pizza, spotted dick and custard etc.

Many of the people around me were overweight.

We need to increase the amount peoople walk, cycle and swim.

And decrease the number of fish and chip shops and fast food restaurants.

Hopefully a government minister can help change some of these things.

[Catso]

Easy. Make it illegal to be outside a set range of BMI, and put dynamic scales and cameras in places where tubbies are likely to be EG outside MacDonalds, the kebab shops.

[Surreygirl30]

Some people have weight problems due to metabolic disorders. Not all 'fatties' stuff their faces and sit on their backsides all day. Maybe they should look at why people are overweight - and for those that do eat too much etc.. why do they?? are they depressed etc.... don�t put everyone in the same bracket - and - its not just the 'fatties' that can fall down with heart problems etc. Lets look at what everyone eats and what exercise everyone is doing before we all start being so judgmental. While we are at it lets also look at smokers, drinkers, anyone with some sort of a vice that can be regarded as bad to your health. :-)

[newtron]

I think the only reasonable answer is to really try and educate people about nutrition from day 1 and to maybe make a law that limits junk food advertisements aimed at children. A law regulating everyones' BMI is just silly.

[Loosehead]

Catso, well that's just about every boxer, rugby player and sprinter illegal then!

BMI has been discredited in most spheres of health and fitness. BMI takes no account of body composition, on a BMI scale most Rugby players would come out as obese! No sports generally use fat percentage to determine obesity not BMI.

[libertie]

Hate to admit it but I get totally pi$$ed off every time I see an adult with a fat child, I honestly think it's a form of child abuse! Adults can make their own decisions about what to eat but surely it's a parents responsibilty to ensure that their children have a healthy diet after all they do the shopping and very young children can't just pop into McD's anytime they want! Or maybe they should replace their electronic games with a football, or a swimsuit and encourage them to do some exercise!!

[Catso]

Maybe loosehead, but perhaps you've missed the point that government legislation should almost, but not quite, actually solve the problem it's addressed at. IE you solve a nearby problem, but skirt the actual problem.

And my proposed solution would do just that, then - bingo!

[Surreygirl30]

Well lets hope Catso that you or anyone that is close to you never ends up ill (and unable to control their weight) or with a condition that alters your metabolic rate etc etc... as i keep saying everyone is different and everyone has different reasons for being who or what that are.

So what�s next - lining overweight people up against a wall and shooting them?

[newtron]

So what would be the punishment Catso? Will we have prisons full of fat people?

[Loosehead]

Not if you use BMI Catso, you'd have to use Body composition.

I think though that making it a crime would be a little tricky. I suppose you could lock them in jail and starve them till they're thin enough to reach the criteria. I think (hope) this is a tongue in cheek suggestion!

[sandbach99]

I have attend several meetings with the local Primary Care Trust regarding obesity, diet, exercise, attitudes, reasons etc.
At the first meeting we were asked to decide if the gentleman taking the meeting was over/under or normal weight, it was mainly normal with a few under weight. He then did his BMI, he was over weight, like others have said it was decided to discourage the medical staff from using this measurement.
The name of the forum was changed from The obesity forum to The weight management forum.
A dietician was asked why fruit was considered to be so good for you when it can have a lot of natural sugar in it, yet sugar from sugar beet or sugar cane is considered bad for you. Her reply was because it's processed, so she was asked how much sugar would you get from a processed sweet apple, we are still waiting for the answer.
As said before illnesses and medication can have huge effect on weight gain, sudden immobility, steroid medication [how many over-weight people have steroid inhalers],

[shammydodger]

Probably not. But maybe we need a minister for grammar and superfluous apostrophes.