It’s not cruel for doctors to tell patients they’re fat — it’s their duty
Obesity causes misery. it’s linked to a host of diseases, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure — and this week we learned it’s responsible for more cases of bowel, kidney, ovarian and liver cancer than smoking.
Cancer Research UK backed up these alarming statistics with a hard-hitting advertising campaign featuring cigarette packets branded with the word ‘Obesity’ in an effort to kickstart awareness of the problem.
yes, smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable cancer in the UK, but since obese people now outnumber those who smoke two to one, and 63 per cent of the population is classed as overweight, we face a terrifying obesity time bomb.
so what was the response to the ad? Were people appalled at the toll that over-eating takes on their health and the pressure it puts on the NHs? Did it prompt a national vow to start losing weight?
Unfortunately not. instead, Cancer Research UK was accused of ‘fat-shaming’.
because, nowadays, being fat is celebrated. Woman should cherish their curves, while men must fondly pat their pot bellies. young women verging on the obese flaunt their bodies in fashion and beauty advertisements, and we’re supposed to praise it as a sign of ‘body positivity’.
Making someone feel embarassed about their size and shape is verboten. Anyone who does, even accidentally, is hounded on social media.
but it’s not ‘fat-shaming’ to tell people about the myriad health problems that obesity causes and the cost. Overweight people might like to kid themselves they can be fat and healthy, but the evidence shows this isn’t the case.
As a doctor, i would be in breach of my duty of care if i didn’t advise overweight patients about the risks — just as i would be if i didn’t tell them about the dangers of smoking or taking drugs.
but now we have the ridiculous situation in which patients
complain when doctors point out that they’d be better off dropping a few pounds.
A Freedom of information request confirmed this week that the NHs receives hundreds of such complaints annually.
some fat people do accept that their weight is a consequence of their lifestyle — too many calories and too little exercise.
but others argue that being overweight is not a lifestyle choice or due to any lack of self self-restraint; restraint; they are victims of their metabolism, their appetite, big bones, genes or whatever other excuse they can conjure up.
they are lying to themselves. being fat is a choice. While i accept there might be complex reasons for obesity, it doesn’t absolve an individual of responsibility. We
DON’t have the same attitude to smoking. there are genetic aspects that make it more likely that someone will become hooked on nicotine, while social factors such as poverty and low education may play a part in why someone smokes.
but ultimately people choose to light up, just as people choose to eat more food than their body needs, or persist in indulging in a fat and sugar-laden diet.
this may sound harsh, but i’m not advocating that we abandon fat people to their plight. support Picture: and compassion are crucial to helping them understand why they have piled on pounds. And for those whose problems are rooted in emotional issues, better access to counselling is required.
but let’s not play along with this alarming trend — promoted by the misguided body positivity movement — of pretending that it’s fine to be fat.
Of course, any individual has the right to ignore medical advice, but the NHs shouldn’t have to pick up the pieces. Obesity cost the NHs more than £6 billion in 2015, which will rise to £9.7 billion by 2050.
We must understand there are finite resources and that we must take responsibility for our health. so let’s stop talking about people ‘ battling’ with their weight, as though it involved a malignant force beyond their control, and start talking about people battling with their lack of self-control.
if they don’t, then their greed and irresponsibility will be the death of the NHs.