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Philosophically, is obesity really a disease?

Margaret Steele1,2, Francis M Finucane2,3,4

  • 1School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Obesity Reviews : an Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
|June 6, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Obesity is a disease when viewed as a clinical dysfunction, but not when defined solely by body mass index (BMI). Clarifying this distinction is crucial for effective obesity prevention and treatment strategies.

Keywords:
adiposity-based chronic diseasedietary intake dysregulationdiseasephilosophy

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Philosophy
  • Public Health
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • The classification of obesity as a disease is debated, partly due to ambiguous terminology.
  • The term 'obesity' is used in clinical medicine to denote metabolic dysfunctions and in public health contexts as a body mass index (BMI) category.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To apply philosophical disease concepts to differentiate the medical and BMI definitions of obesity.
  • To clarify the ambiguity surrounding the disease status of obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of disease criteria.
  • Distinguishing between clinical and BMI-based definitions of obesity.

Main Results:

  • Obesity, as understood in clinical medicine (metabolic dysfunctions), meets disease criteria.
  • Obesity, defined solely by BMI, does not meet established disease criteria.

Conclusions:

  • A clear distinction between clinical obesity and high BMI is necessary for public understanding and policy.
  • This distinction can improve the prevention and treatment of obesity as a disease.