SO PREDICTABLE!

On a December 2008 blog post we were commenting on how India had lowered the normal BMI level from 25 to 23 and how it artificially created millions of obese people. This in a country where malnutrition should be of much greater concern. In fact the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ranks India 67th out of 122 developing and in transition countries based on the proportion of people who are undernourished, the proportion of children under five who are underweight, and the child mortality rate. They describe India’s hunger situation as alarming. 

When we wrote about the decrease of the BMI level back in 2008, we predicted that reading about an obesity epidemic in the Indian and international papers should be forthcoming and that the table had been perfectly set for the media to go ahead with the anti-obesity propaganda force-feeding. A few extra millions of obese citizens, are not a negligible customer base that can and will surely yield handsome dividends for the Big Pharma shareholders.
Well here it is folks exactly as predicted:

Obesity, diabetes: expanding India faces big problem

Worthy of note is how the increase in obesity coincides with right around the time the lower BMI was adopted and how they don't adjust or mention of that change in their rhetoric: 

‘’ Childhood obesity has definitely increased in the last couple of years," said Dr Paula Goel, from the Fayth Clinic in Mumbai, which runs a weight loss programme for adolescents.’’

So predictable!


Additional reading: Ethnic-specific revisions of body mass index cutoffs to define overweight and obesity in Asians are not warranted


The World Bank malnutrition report on India

ARE YOU A NORMAL WEIGHT OBESE?

Think you're normal because your BMI is ideal? Think again. You may soon be harassed as much as the obese because you too are at risk according to this new study which you can read by clicking in the link below.

But we tend to think that the findings of this study actually make some sense. What doesn't make sense with either this study and the conventional method of measuring risk through BMI's, is trying to classify everyone under one ideal model instead of leaving it up to the individual and their doctor to decide what's best for them.

Another recent study also found that BMI’s are not a reliable indicator of risk. They once again found that seniors with higher BMI’s had a lower death rate than normal weight people. Oh but wait a minute, what about if the ‘’normal weight’’ seniors are actually ‘’normal weight obese’’? Who then has a better chance of living longer? Maybe the researchers of the first study should get together with the researchers of the second study and conduct a third study to come to the conclusion that more funding is needed for a fourth study because the third study did not come to the same conclusions as the first two studies. Confused yet? You should be.

Well here’s our conclusion: Scientists and the media should only report the science that has the potential of helping people instead of confusing them and needlessly alarming them. As for public health that adopts policy according to scientific findings, they should just stick to what they were mandated to look after – infectious diseases.

Normal Weight Obesity: An Emerging Risk Factor For Heart And Metabolic Problems

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO!

We have exposed in the past about how lowering the permissible BMI (Body Mass Index) levels creates millions of obese people overnight resulting in world-wide claims that there is a severe obesity pandemic. The perfect example of this ‘’obesity by definition’’ phenomenon is a new release from Indian health authorities who have recently adopted their very own norms that establish what makes a person fat. Indeed, while the WHO and many western countries lowered their BMI norms a few years ago from 27 to 25 thus creating millions of obese people across the world, in India they have adopted a BMI norm to be a further 2 points lower than the international level! The result of a 23 BMI norm, as per the article we link to below, is that the new parameters will bring millions of Indian citizens within the bracket of obesity. Reading about an obesity epidemic in the Indian and international papers should be forthcoming shortly since the table has now been perfectly set for the media to go ahead with the anti-obesity propaganda force-feeding. A few extra millions of obese citizens, are not a negligible customer base that can and will surely yield handsome dividends for the Big Pharma shareholders in their anti-obesity drug marketing.

What is further amazing is the way they’re selling these new low standards to the public. The explanation from public health, endorsed by several doctors, is that Indian people tend to be fatter around the waist, therefore a lower BMI target would most certainly be beneficial to their health. However, medical authorities if we can still trust them, seem to now agree that abdominal fat as in an apple shaped individual is a more significant risk for metabolic syndrome that can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, than a pear shaped person. One can’t help wonder then, how targeting a lower general BMI will help a person that genetically carries much of his extra weight around the abdomen as it seems to be the case for men and a good number of women. If a person with for example a 23 ‘’ideal’’ BMI has slim members and a slim top but fat abdomen, how can public health claim that that person is at less risk than a person that has a 27 BMI but is well distributed across his body with no significant abdominal fat? One would think that the reporters would ask such pertinent questions of the medical authorities. Of course that would be too much to expect from today’s reporters!

Revised BMI puts more in obesity bracket

MORE ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY MYTHS

We came across this dated but more apropos than ever public comment prepared by Sandy Szwarc for the FTC/HHS Workshop in 2005. It is rich with references to studies that find that except for extreme cases of obesity, children can lead healthy and happy lives regardless of their weight.

Much like we have commented on October 12th, low BMI is not necessarily a synonym of good health. You will find that many references in Ms Szwarc’s comments are in line with the study we referenced on our FOLLOW THE MONEY BEHIND THE OBESITY ‘’DISEASE’’ comment. The irony of this particular study is that the actual research was likely attempting to find the complete opposite results because even the concluding remarks tend to tip the scale to the side of the rhetoric that children must be lean to enjoy good health, when in fact their own findings support that children can improve their health through moderate exercise even if they don’t lose weight.

Similar to our line of thinking, Ms Szwarc concurs that exaggerated public health and corporate campaigns against obesity are far more damaging to the psychological and physical health of our children and young adolescents.

Public Comment on Childhood Obesity Initiatives