Greedy People- Definition of obese people by the British Medical Assocation head
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated:
9:46am BST 03/08/2007
The head of the British Medical Association has sparked a row after claiming that fat people are simply greedy.
Hamish Meldrum: criticisedDr Hamish Meldrum was reported yesterday as saying doctors over-medicalise the condition.
Obesity experts rounded on him saying his remarks were unhelpful and anachronistic.
Latest thinking suggests that genetics could be responsible for between 30 per cent to 70 per cent of cases.
Dr Meldrum said an obsession with labels may be stopping overweight people from tackling their problems. He said: "We are saying 'This patient has a hyper-appetite problem' rather than 'They are just greedy'."
Dr David Haslam, the clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said: "There is a lot of genetic predisposition to obesity."
Dr Haslam said only a third of people in the UK are a healthy weight and it is vital that overweight people are screened for dangerous conditions like diabetes, heart disease, strokes and infertility.
He added: "To say 'Go away. You've eaten too much, you fool' is entirely wrong."
Almost one in four Britons are obese, according to the World Health Organisation
Greedy People- Definition of obese people by the British Medical Assocation head
Boy this makes me mad to see a horrible generalization like this.
Clearly the result of socialized education.
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