Doctor tells the Obese to eat less
By EMMA MORTON -The SUN
August 03, 2007
FAT Brits who want to lose weight should just eat less, a top doctor claimed last night. Obesity is now “over-medicalised”, said British Medical Association chief, Dr Hamish Meldrum. He said too many adults use pills and surgery to try to slim – instead of cutting out junk food.
Dr Meldrum said: “People use fancy labels that suggest things are a medical problem. It is preferable for people to change their eating habits.”
Weight-loss surgery — like gastric bands — has risen six-fold in ten years, with 1,000 Brits having the op each year.
Slimming pill sales are also up with more than £48million a year spent on tablets.
COSMETIC BLISS WOULD WELCOME COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM
Here is some information from NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) which puts the above comment into perspective, we think. If the morbid obesity epidemic was able to be solved by the simple expedient of eating less, there would be no problem:
According to NICE, in 1998, an estimated 0.6% of men and 1.9% of women in England and Wales had a BMI of 40 or more. This represents 124,000 men and 412,700 women or 2500 people for a typical primary care trust population of 200,000. The prevalence of obesity is rising as the average BMI increases. Between 1994 and 1998 the average BMI increased by 0.44 for men and 0.57 for women.
“ NICE recommend that weight loss surgery may be offered if the patient fulfils all the following criteria:
Obesity surgery should be considered only for people who have been receiving intensive management in a specialised hospital obesity clinic .
individuals should be aged 18 years or over.
there should be evidence that all appropriate and available non-surgical measures have been adequately tried but have failed to maintain weight loss.
there should be no specific clinical or psychological contra-indications to this type of surgery.
individuals should be generally fit for anaesthesia and surgery.
individuals should understand the need for long-term follow-up.
Surgery should normally be reserved for those with a BMI of 40 or more but NICE accept that it may be offered to those with a BMI in excess of 35 if they have associated morbidities that may benefit from weight reduction.”
Because of underfunding care for the obese in the NHS, we wonder if there are sufficient resources available to treat EVEN A FRACTION OF THOSE PATIENTS WHO MEET THESE CRITERIA
