3 ms·

Only one way to know for sure on the long term effects.. However, we do know the long term side effects of obesity - and it is quite costly, by some estimates $

Only one way to know for sure on the long term effects.. However, we do know the long term side effects of obesity - and it is quite costly, by some estimates $200B+/year in the US alone. Not as bad as smoking ($300B+/yr), but entirely preventable regardless.

nunez 2y ago
This is not entirely true. Most of the data defending the economic harms of obesity are deeply flawed for various reasons, such as: - Generally low-quality data - Data that ignores external factors - Data that doesn't account for behavioral issues like doctors ignoring or minimizing medical complaints made by obese people simply because they're obese - Data that overemphasizes BMI, an extremely flawed health metric, etc.) - The criteria for "obesity" itself having changed over the years (based on BMI, of course), - and others. There are definitely issues that obesity exacerbates in many people (mobility and cardiovascular), but the overarching purpose behind stats like the ones that you pointed out is to shame people who are (a) naturally hungrier than the average person with a "socially acceptable" frame, while (b) living in car-centric suburbs that discourage things like walking because (c) these suburbs are cheaper than living in cities that have somewhat-functional public transportation because they were created before the car was invented. - Why BMI is flawed, from Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03143-x https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03143-x - Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong, from Huffington Post (the author co-runs a podcast on the topic): https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/ https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-y... - Obesity was long considered a personal failing. Science shows it's not, from USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/07/26/america-obesity-rate-not-personal-failing/9479046002/ https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/07/26/ame...

nunez 2y ago

This is not entirely true. Most of the data defending the economic harms of obesity are deeply flawed for various reasons, such as: - Generally low-quality data - Data that ignores external factors - Data that doesn't account for behavioral issues like doctors ignoring or minimizing medical complaints made by obese people simply because they're obese - Data that overemphasizes BMI, an extremely flawed health metric, etc.) - The criteria for "obesity" itself having changed over the years (based on BMI, of course), - and others. There are definitely issues that obesity exacerbates in many people (mobility and cardiovascular), but the overarching purpose behind stats like the ones that you pointed out is to shame people who are (a) naturally hungrier than the average person with a "socially acceptable" frame, while (b) living in car-centric suburbs that discourage things like walking because (c) these suburbs are cheaper than living in cities that have somewhat-functional public transportation because they were created before the car was invented. - Why BMI is flawed, from Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03143-x https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03143-x - Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong, from Huffington Post (the author co-runs a podcast on the topic): https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/ https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-y... - Obesity was long considered a personal failing. Science shows it's not, from USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/07/26/america-obesity-rate-not-personal-failing/9479046002/ https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/07/26/ame...