Obesity: blame and accountability

Recently I was asked a few excellent questions relating to obesity.  As they are questions many may have in their own minds, I thought it was appropriate to share my thoughts on them in the hope of generating further discussion.

1. Lifestyle"Lifestyle is stuck in the blaming model, how about some shared accountability (for obesity)?"

The common view of "lifestyle choices" is that individuals have relative control over their own health destiny and therefore may take most of the blame if their health is not good (specifically insofar as obesity is concerned).

“Accountability” and blame in this context are one and the same thing, except that “accountability” requires remedial action.

So then, should “accountability” for obesity be shared by overweight individuals and the other contributors to their obesity (or inability to maintain natural ideal weight)?

I refer back to an earlier blog on Obesity Syndrome which proposes that obesity is not a lifestyle consequence, but a symptom of an underlying endocrine imbalance which once it has occurred, is chronic and (presently) irreversible by medicine or science.  I think of obesity syndrome in similar terms to Coeliac’s Disease:

• It is a food processing malfunction within the body
• It cannot be reversed by medical treatment (to date)
• It may not kill you but can increase your risk of other diseases/conditions
• It is an over-sensitivity to particular foods/ingredients which will consistently produce predictable results (like an allergy)
• It can be managed through dietary modification (lifestyle choice)

So who is accountable for Coeliac’s Disease?  Is it the individual who has it?  Is it the manufacturers of gluten containing food products?  Is it the regulators for permitting gluten in foods?  Is it the scientists who have failed to find a cure?  Is it the sufferer’s parents for making poor lifestyle choices which resulted in a hereditary defect?  I suggest none of the above.  Until science unravels a verifiable cause for the endocrine disruptions that constitute Obesity Syndrome, blame cannot be attributed to anyone or anything with credibility.

So if Obesity Syndrome is not the fault of any identifiable individual or entity, who is responsible for managing it at an individual level?  Answer, (in my opinion) all of the above.

Obesity is not about blame, although the weight management and fitness industry appear to perpetuate the “blaming model” as the writer calls it.  Obesity is about management of the condition for quality of life and minimizing associated health risks.

2. Exercise
“Why does the food industry support activity (ie: exercise as part of weight management)?”

If we were in business to make a profit, wouldn’t we do everything in your power to maximise those profits?  In doing so, which company would not select products that are highly consumable and known to be highly desired by the consumers?  Would we not then seek to market those products to consumers in such a way as to maximise market participation and achieve maximum sales?  If we were trying to sell a simple loaf of bread, would we market it as:
a)   Something that will satisfy hunger; or
b)   Something will satisfy our taste, hunger, sense of belonging, desire for optimum health, standing within our social circle and make our friends jealous of our glowing skin?

 The food industry has numerous drivers including production cost, market demand, regulation, social acceptability, political correctness and I’m sure you could think of plenty more.  The food industry doesn’t manufacture exercise any more than it manufactures our taste buds.  However, the food industry knows that some foods have been linked with obesity and poor health by others (rightly or wrongly), and as profit-seeking is naturally risk averse, it follows that the food industry marketers will employ messaging which minimizes any risk of appearing controversial, since that is likely to turn some consumers away, hence reducing revenue.

In short, if the majority of recognised experts and regulators say that exercise is good for you, which food industry company would risk their market share to say otherwise?


Exercise & obesity
You could be forgiven for thinking I am anti-exercise!  Not so.  In my personal opinion, exercise is vital for good health.  Our lymphatic system relies on physical movement to flush toxins from our body.  Our muscles rely on repeat movement to stay toned and avoid wasting.  However I contend that exercise does not cure Obesity Syndrome.

Remember that obesity is a symptom of Obesity Syndrome, and that the latter is an endocrine imbalance of (presently) indeterminable cause. No amount of physical exercise will cure Coeliac’s Disease, and likewise no amount of exercise will permanently cure the endocrine tendencies of Obesity Syndrome.

After 3 years of personally observing several thousand weight loss clients in my own clinics, I can confidently state that exercise played absolutely no part in their weight loss success.   In fact to the contrary, those who exercised often slowed their weight loss and experienced unnecessary hunger and cravings which in turn only made it harder to stick to the plan.

That said, some people do seem to achieve weight loss through exercise (typically in conjunction with some diet modification).  To understand why, we need to understand how body fat storage and release mechanisms work.  I promise I’ll cover this in a blog shortly.  For now, just hold that thought…