AMA and obesity as a disease: "...it makes no sense to stick obese people with a blanket diagnosis that does nothing to address their personal medical issues, or lack thereof."

http://www.refinery29.com/2013/06/48713/ama-obesity-disease

Obesity Is Now A Disease, Says AMA — Yeah, No, Say We

By Leeann Duggan

"Despite years of conditioning that make us equate obesity with sloth, lack of will power, or ill health, we need to get a few things straight: Obesity is, simply, the condition of having lots of adipose tissue. Why that fat is there, and how it affects a person's health, is the result of an incredibly complex web of factors that includes fitness, genetics, amount and type of food intake. In fact, new research indicates that obesity may be far more affected by the types of foods we eat (i.e., insulin-producing refined carbs), than by the amount we eat or exercise. With so many factors in play, it makes no sense to stick obese people with a blanket diagnosis that does nothing to address their personal medical issues, or lack thereof.

The bottom line is, it doesn't help anyone to further medicalize and demonize fat. We need to work to erase medical and societal discrimination against the obese, and emphasize healthy lifestyle habits for everyone, instead of the quick fix of surgery and pills. Whether you're overweight or skinny, we think this decision is a pretty major step back on both fronts."