The Overweight are 'Heavy' on the Environment
Dave VB 7 comments
Several headlines lately have given more cause for concerns over the burden obese people are having on, not only society but now the environment. The Herald Sun’s headlines claimed ‘Scientists say obese people to blame for eating up the world', The Courier Mail echoed with ‘Obesity epidemic causing climate change: researchers'. Each was sourced from the article published by The Sun which, less tactfully, proclaimed ‘Fatties cause Global Warming'.
While I acknowledge that these headlines are simply sensationalism at its best, they do present some valid points. They say that each obese person is responsible for a tonne more of the green house gas Carbon Dioxide compared to their thinner counterparts. That contributes an extra 1 billion tonnes of Carbon Dioxide every year, according to World Health Organisation estimates of overweight people. Dr. Phil Edwards (No not the chubby Dr. Phil on TV) of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used the analogy of:
“Moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler”
He says that food production accounts for one fifth of greenhouse emissions, so naturally, if you consume more food you will indirectly produce more greenhouse gases. Dr. Phil also said the obese people are more likely to travel by car for short trips compared to thin people. If this is in fact true, then this could be a real problem beyond what we already know.
But the problem with obesity does not start or end with the environment. Not only is the burden of health on the overweight person, but the burden also lies on society. Excuses like; “It’s my body, I’ll treat it how I like” are selfish and so short sighted since this burden is on everyone’s head. To measure obesity, you need to refer to Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI of 20 to 24.9 is normal weight, 25 to 30 are classified as overweight and a BMI greater than 30 is classified as obese. In Australia close to 70% of the Male population are overweight with 20% of the population of males being obese. 60% of the Female population are overweight with 22% being obese. This is comparable to the US of A that has 72% of the male population overweight with 32% obese and 70% of the female population overweight and 38% obese. There is an ever growing concern over an obesity epidemic.
Now, when the health issues of obesity arise that is when it becomes a problem for society, not just individuals. The increased number of people diagnosed with diabetes is on the rise and this is one of the most visible effects of obesity. Diabetes is a long term problem requiring long term medical treatment. This condition can lead to organ failure and death. Other health issues associated with obesity are heart disease and an increased risk of cardiac arrests. These health issues can cause an increased burden being placed on the private and public health systems which are carried by the rest of society. As a result, private health insurance premiums go up as the increased costs of treatments must be passed on to all consumers. Taxes will invariably rise due to the increased demand on the public health system as well as less fit able bodied people being in the work force and more people reliant on welfare.
Some other more mundane logistical challenges also arise. Size and capacity of chairs on trains, planes and automobiles must be upgraded to suit an ever increasing average size. This has also already been proven to be challenging for paramedics and ambulances. There are already cases of paramedics arriving to the scene of an emergency only to find the patience exceeds the capacity of the paramedics to lift the patient into the ambulance, let alone the ambulance being of a size to transport them. Although seat capacity seems like a small issue, the cost then needs to be passed onto the consumer, which then effects inflation.
The cost as a whole for society is beyond comprehension, let alone for the environment. The only sure way to cure obesity is a good diet and exercise. But what can we do as a society to either encourage or enforce the individuals to actually change their lifestyle for the better? Obviously with the countless programs and sources of information available, the message is still not getting through; therefore education does not seem to be working. So if the burden lies on society, can the solution lay in society?
Obesity is not only a potentially dangerous health issue for the individual, it has an impact on all of us, on our society. The cost of obesity, whether financial or environmental, is something that affects us all.
But what can we do?
Jake Farr-Wharton
Friday 24th April 2009 | 08:21 AM
What can we do?
The answer is simple, if you have a BMI of +35 (Obese is +30) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index) all social welfare is cut off until a weight loss plan is approved by a doctor, then monitored over the 12 or so months it will take to get the person to acheive a BMI -30.
As someone who has been overweight and even obese (BMI +30) for most of their lives, I can empathise that it can be tough, but it is well worth it. It may even mean the difference between making it to 90-100 or dying at 48.
Obese people disgust me. Again, I understand what they go through and it is totally asernine for me to say that they're bad for not doing something about it when I did, but it is still disgusting. There is so much living that can not be done when you're obese. So many new experiences to be experienced. It is just sad really.
The endocrinologist I saw who helped me loose the weight I needed to loose said that it is as easy as eating 200 calories less than you did when you started. 200 calories is the equivalent of 4-5 cookes... that is as simple as it gets. Sure, diet only takes longer than diet and exercise, but it is worth it in the end... shit it's worth it after you loose the first kilo.
TVBIZ(BOB)
Friday 24th April 2009 | 08:36 AM
What a load of horse manure!
Jake, what about the people who have weight problems due to genetics? Do we cut their welfare of too?
How about we cut of the Internet and television so people don't sit down for hours on end writing and watching absolute garbage?
How about will stop producing meat from cattle because don’t they add to environmental problems too.
How about we just lock away all people who do have a weight problem and not just obesity?
If obesity isn't a physical medical condition then it is a mental one!
Eating disorders can happen to all people large or small and should be dealt with compassion and understanding.
We cannot go around and say "you add more to the pollution of the world and society because you are fat".
What about alcohol; drugs and smoking? If you consume or use these items are you not creating problems for yourself and society?
Scientist should stick to what they do best "science".
Are all Scientist thin?????
Dave VB
Friday 24th April 2009 | 11:52 AM
...in response to this comment
by Jake Farr-Wharton.
Hey Jake, thanks for stopping by.
Even though I agree that such harsh and extreme measures are needed to stem the tide of obesity, I think it would be very unpopular and could even infringe upon human rights. I too find it disgusting, but I am blessed with a favourable metabolism that, regardless of what I eat, keeps me at a BMI of roughly 21.8. Because of my metabolism, I find it very hard to relate with the psychological and physical issues that obese people have to endure.
But maybe a solution lies in an already proven medical procedure. Lap band surgery has proven that in a majority of cases, even in cases with a metabolic syndrome, patients lose up to 67% of their excess weight within two years. This is compared with 17% average weight loss in patients who used other medical means. In Australia, Medicare covers the actual procedural costs of lap band surgery. But patients can still be expected to pay approx. $3000 for the device itself which is not covered, even by private health insurance. An investment from the Government by including the material costs of Lap Band surgery into the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) maybe a high expense now but lower future expense solution. It has also been proven to dramatically reduce the adverse symptoms of diabetes and all but eliminated hypertension. But lap band surgery does not come without risks, it stays in the patient permanently and requires you adhere to a strict dietary regime. It also imposes a substantial imposition on the patient for life. The other risks are that it holds a mortality rate of 0.05% and as with all forms of surgery, there is a risk of internal infection also. This was demonstrated by Victoria’s own youth crusader Les Twentyman who was in a medical induced coma for 3 weeks after contracting an infection from this procedure. There is also the problem that you have to achieve a set of prerequisites before undergoing such a surgery, something the morbidly obese probably will not be able to meet without some form of weight loss and lifestyle change prior to the procedure.
But these sort of medical solutions are still reinforcing today’s message to the populace that you are not responsible for your own decisions. But reality dictates that YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS and everyone else bear the brunt of those actions.
Maybe Kim OJ is, at least partially, correct when he directs us back to his Eco Fascism article. If we can’t accept the responsibility ourselves, then maybe someone else needs to implement and enforce the solution. Even if that goes against all my democratic and free minded fibres.
Jake Farr-Wharton
Friday 24th April 2009 | 12:28 PM
...in response to this comment
by TVBIZ(BOB).
I'm not talking about "weight problems", if you notice, I'm not talking about overweight people, I'm talking about obese people. And for these people, regardless of their medical condition, they should still have all social welfare cut off until they've seen a doctor and had their case or weight loss plan reviewed.
While there are absolutely medical conditions that cause you to gain profuse amounts of weight and retain water by the bucket full, these people, as much as any, need to ensure that they are getting enough exercise to ensure that the rest of their health is not shitcanned.
The second that they get to the stage where they're too big to walk (which, because of the self deprecation cycle is an inevitability) they need to be out walking. As soon as their bone density decreases and lean muscle mass atrophies, their basal metabolic weight plunges and they begin the sharp decline into the cascade of health problems.
I'm sorry that you think that compassion is the way mate, because, while it is 98% an emotive issue (for those without a diagnosed medical condition) you do the person no good by saying that it is ok to be obese. It is not. When you become obese, you become a burden and it is not ok to just let that go unchecked.
My grandma would still be alive if we hadn't excepted "it is just a family trait". I probably would never have let my own obesity get so far if I had not accepted obesity as an inevitability.
I'm not saying that it is easy, because it is not, but you CAN NOT ALLOW COMPLACENCY IN OBESITY. You can not be sympathetic towards weight issues untill the person has begun dealing with the issues. Otherwise you are just perpetuating and propogating, you are being the dreaded enabler!
Jake Farr-Wharton
Friday 24th April 2009 | 12:40 PM
The lab band is not a solution, it is a bandaid. I say this because it does not remove the overall condition.
Liposuction is actually a better soltution, believe it or not. While it is more intrusive and invasive, the adipose, once removed, will never regenerate. The human body only has a limited number of adipose cells to store energy in, once these are removed, the body becomes a more efficient metaboliser of glucose and will increase metabolism instead of storing in the remaining fat cells. Most people acheive this new level of homeostasis after only a few weeks.
Working in medical research, as I do, I can tell you that many patients who entered a lipo clinic with type 2 diabetes. This is because in their particular type of diabetes, which is attributed to the highest percentage of all diabetes sufferers, still product insulin in their bodies. The problem exists (in layman's terms) because every cell in their body is coated with a film of fat, which effectively stops the insulin from metabolising the glucose. By removing the stores of adipose tissue, the resulting homeostatic reconfiguration fixes this problem.
I am willing to put the bet down that within 10 years, the epidemic of diabetes will have reached such a point that liposuction will be subsidised. It is absolutely effective and effectively safer, in both the short and long term, than gastric banding.
Dave VB
Friday 24th April 2009 | 05:41 PM
...in response to this comment
by Jake Farr-Wharton.
I do realise that Lap Band is probably not the most ideal solution and yes it is somewhat a band aid solution. But I would think that Liposuction is more of a band aid solution than lap band.
As far as I can tell, liposuction can only remove small amounts of fat at any given time (Around the 5kg mark) which then requires several weeks of recovery before even considering a second pass. There have been reports of doctors removing over 20kg of fat in one session, but this can cause undesirable aesthetic results like craters. The procedure is, as you say, a lot more invasive and carries a lot more risk to the patient. Liposuction does not address the underlying cause, which is overeating and lack of exercise. Yes you are correct that the removal of adipose tissue will help prevent the subject from putting that weight back on. But Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure and is typically used after weight loss has occurred to sculpt the body shape to a desirable figure. If liposuction did become subsidised, it would be a great cost to the community that bear the brunt of that cost. I just could not see this as a viable alternative to treat obesity.
Gastric Bypass surgery on the other hand, requires that you adhere to strict dietary requirements post procedure to ensure that you don’t ‘bust’ the band. This would encourage the individual to adopt a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.
At the end of the day, all medical procedures for obesity will be band aid solutions. The only sure way to lose weight and avert potential health problems is to adopt a healthy diet and regular exercise. But maybe that’s why all we seem to come up with these band-aid solutions, because the vast majority of obese people are lazy, if they weren’t; we probably wouldn’t be in this mess.
Heck, maybe we could just put a pace maker in everyone and if they don’t get their calorie intake to exercise ratio correct, then we give them all a zap! Put the fear of our atheist god into them.
Kim OJ
Friday 24th April 2009 | 08:18 AMWell, I guess there is only one way to go then... ecological fascism!
http://www.rustylime.com/show_article.php?id=3369