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Is obesity a disease?

S Heshka1, D B Allison

  • 1New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition, New York 10025, USA. sh311@columbia.edu

International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders : Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
|October 24, 2001
PubMed
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Obesity, a health threat, does not fit traditional disease definitions lacking universal symptoms or functional impairment. Labeling it a disease is questionable and not essential for combating obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Medical definitions
  • Public health

Background:

  • Widespread disagreement exists on classifying obesity as a disease.
  • Conflicting views are prevalent in both popular and scholarly literature.
  • Definitions of disease are often absent in discussions about obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if obesity aligns with established definitions of disease.
  • To analyze the characteristics of obesity against common disease criteria.

Main Methods:

  • Examined the characteristics of obesity.
  • Compared these characteristics to definitions of disease from authoritative dictionaries.

Main Results:

  • Obesity, defined by body mass index (BMI) or body fat percentage, is a health threat but lacks universal symptoms or functional impairment.

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  • Obesity does not fit traditional disease models requiring specific signs and functional deficits.

    • Conclusions:

    • Classifying obesity as a disease is debatable and may not be scientifically supported by traditional definitions.
    • Labeling obesity a disease is not a necessary strategy for public health campaigns and could be viewed as advocacy without scientific basis.