Obesity Now A Bigger Problem Than Starvation.......

[ToraToraTora]

https://news.sky.com/story/number-of-obese-people-worldwide-surpasses-one-billion-13083902

what's the answer?

[Untitled]

we live in plentiful times and obesity is an inevitable result of that... had any previous generation developed the abundance of year-round food that we have then they would have gotten fat too. in many ways this is not a bad problem to have.

it makes good sense to offer support for those who wish to lose weight but if they don't then leave them be? it's a free country and your body... if you really want to be fat then be fat. 

[nicebloke1]

There's mounds of information available. And there's no excuse for government to ignore the harmful contents of many foods when they hold the powers to do something about it.

[naomi24]

nicebloke, people are responsible for themselves.  The rest is just excuses.

[nicebloke1]

11.27 be fat if you want to be fat? Fine, but pay your own medical bills, dont expect the tax payer to do so.

[Untitled]

there is a world of difference between a food containing dangerous or unhygienic substances and having too much sugar or fat though... we all enjoy indulgent food sometimes. 

life is pretty miserable so why begrudge people eking out a bit of pleasure?

[Untitled]

shall we make sportspeople pay their own medical bills? or people who choose risky jobs? or people who drive recklessly? or people who vote conservative? 
 

doesn't sound reasonable to me... nhs should be for every citizen

[nicebloke1]

Life is pretty miserable, and it will get more so if the bill for obesity keeps increasing.

[nicebloke1]

11.36 This is about obesity, lets not wonder off. Its become the one biggest expense for the NHS.

[Untitled]

well yes if the population is less healthy then healthcare costs will increase.... i don't think that is a good reason to deprive people of treatment 

besides fat people pay taxes too... 

[barry1010]

It is not okay that people are having limbs amputated and going blind simply because they overindulged, treated themselves to that bag of crisps, bar of chocolate and ended up with type 2 diabetes.

 

[Countrylover]

It isn't OK Barry but adults have a choice, much the same as smokers do knowing what can happen.  The information is out there for all of us. 

Adults  should have a choice.  Untitled is right.  We all pay our taxes.  

[Redhelen72]

For some food is an addiction.

[barry1010]

Young teenagers are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and many adults believe life is miserable and it is fine to eat rubbish to feel better.

The youngest in the UK was obese and diagnosed with Type 2 aged 5

[nicebloke1]

The cost of 7/8 billion too the NHS doesn't stop there. A lot of obese adults are so over weight that they are unable to work, or unemployable for many jobs, so the latter falls again onto the tax payer in the form of benefits.

You can place the blame on parents for having obese children due to their poor choice in food, but lets not forget most of these parents are obese themselves because of their own poor education. The mounds of information out there of whats good or bad to eat, does not interest the uneducated, thats why government need to step in, like they are doing to a certain degree regarding school children using vapes. The latter is a health concern. Goverment ARE responsible for public health no matter how you try to twist it about. 

[newmodarmy]

Let's hope Keir extends the supervised toothbrushing sessions with a compulsory search of school lunch boxes to confiscate crisps, biscuits etc

[Untitled]

i suspect we're all ok with food enterprises "creating wealth" by selling the stuff aren't we? if you really want something done about it then that would be the most efficient line of attack i would have thought. but frankly i think there are more important things for the world to worry about.

[barry1010]

A documentary I watched about type 2 diabetes showed an obese man in his 50/60s stood in his living room leaning on a walker having his backside washed by a carer because he was unable to reach round and do it himself, simply because he was far too fat.

He wasn't embarrassed although his wife clearly was.  So it's not just the cost to the NHS for his medication, new hips and knees there is the cost of social care, his benefits and loss of taxes from employment.

It was his attitude that got me riled.

[Countrylover]

How would you suggest they step in though.  What can they do that wouldn't effect all of us.  If I fancy a junk food takeaway, why should I be deprived.  (I am not overweight and only occasionally eat some rubbish stuff because  there is lot of education about food, exercise, etc.  Would you like to live in a country where we were all controlled?

Besides what would it do to the economy if all the takeaways and fast food like McDonald's be banned.  ;0)

Yes fat children usually have fat parents, but not always.  You can't educate people who don't want to be educated.

 

 

[barry1010]

I don't know what the answer is but people's attitudes needs to change.

It can't help having firm bodied, blemish free, happily obese young women in skimpies advertising everything and anything on TV.  Most obese people do not look like them.

[Countrylover]

But we should never ever be rude about fat people because there are other reasons people can be fat, because of physical and mental health conditions.