Is obesity a disease?

The rising number of Americans who are seriously overweight has fueled an intense discussion among scientists, public health officials, advocacy groups, insurance companies, and drug makers about whether obesity should be acknowledged as a “disease.” This reclassification may mean an enormous shift in the paradigm of how obesity is treated including the requirement for insurance companies to offer coverage to millions who need treatment for weight problems. Supporters of this position argue that current scientific knowledge has clearly established that obesity is a discrete medical condition that independently affects health. Officially classifying obesity as a disease would help de-stigmatize the condition, much as the classification of alcoholism as a disease made it easier for many alcoholics to get treatment. Opponents contend that obesity is similar to high cholesterol or cigarette smoking - a risk factor that predisposes someone to illness but is not an ailment in itself, such as lung cancer or heart disease. While this distinction clearly has implications far outside the scientific community, it is important to note that regardless of the label, obesity is a complicated condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy, decreased quality of life for many and/or increased health problems.

It may help to think of obesity as a chronic disease like diabetes or hypertension, and thus it should be treated as one. The overweight or formerly overweight man or woman must maintain a lifelong campaign against weight gain with daily attention to all those habits of living such as diet and activity that impact weight, just as a diabetic must be continually vigilant about those habits that affect his or her insulin sensitivity. And above all, the chronic disease of obesity is best treated with regular, ongoing exercise and prudent eating.