[Obesity Discussion]

Voices: Obesity warning
Sep. 6, 2006. 11:36 AM


An Australian professor says obesity in the West is as big a threat as global warming and bird flu. We asked you what you think of this. Here's what you had to say.
Not as big of a threat, no, but a problem, yes.
Patrick Casey, Mississauga

The sky is falling ... again. When is the general public going to get wise to all these predictions of doom and gloom from parties who clearly will profit from efforts to solve an imaginary and exaggerated problem?
William Reid, Toronto

I have worked in schools for 31 years and in the past 6 years it amazes me how obese these kids are. I feel sorry for them because I blame the parents. The majority of them buy their lunch and it is all sugar. These parents can't even get up and make one nutritious lunch for their child but it is easy to give them money.
Diana Delgado, Toronto

I agree. The enormous burden that will be put on the heath-care system will affect us all. Why don't we tax junk food more and use the funds for organic food subsidies and athletic programs in schools? We did it with tobacco.
Don Mason, Richmond Hill

We have to stop blaming obesity on fast-food restaurants. Obesity is caused by taking in more calories than we use up. You don't need to go out to do that.
Richard Bridgman, Mississauga

No, obesity is an even bigger threat. It affects one-quarter of the population and is strongly linked to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer, the major causes of death in Western societies.
Andrew Mente, Toronto

No one is stuffing the food down our throats. We are choosing to eat junk. We are placing junk in our post-secondary schools because it sells.
Ingrid Philipp, Toronto

It isn't a threat, it's a reality. The problem is that the governments and regulators who have the power to control this won't for the simple reason that there is more revenue for them in selling the junk food to everybody.
Dean Bunston, Nottawa

A pandemic will occur soon for we have not taken a serious approach to the sedentary lifestyle we lead and all the preservatives in the food we eat.
Andrew Yearwood, Toronto

We are placing junk food in our post-secondary schools because it sells. Obesity discussions on Oprah are followed by commercials for junk purchases. Business profits from our gluttony. Until we condemn the junk food pushers and their marketing and branding experts, let’s stop making obesity the current Deadly Sin, and blaming people for doing what we wave in front of their noses 24/7.
Ingrid Philipp, Toronto

I visited Moscow recently and was shocked to learn how obese North America is compared to Europe. During my three-week stay (there), I didn't see any obese people. The majority of men and women were surprisingly athletic looking and extremely fit. In addition, I didn't see any commercials on TV that were advertising diets or diet pills.
Valerie Melamed, Toronto

As kids we were always walking or doing some type of exercise. Junk food was always around, though we would burn it off by not sitting behind a computer.
Gord McNeil, Creston, B.C.

Ridiculous statement. Global warming could kill us all. We can start controlling obesity at any time. A 10 per cent reduction in weight improves health significantly, immediately.
Sandra Eadie, Toronto