freediver
Gold Member
Online
www.ozpolitic.com
Posts: 47512
At my desk.
|
Hi tocrasher and welcome to OzPolitic.
I'm sure there are plenty of fat clubs and groups for people with fat fetishes. Just not enough for all the fat people around.
As for addictiveness, just because you get a craving for something doesn't mean it is addictive. Getting 3/4 of you daily energy requirement from one easy meal makes it a good choice from a normal survival sense, even if it is lacking in other nutrients. Under natural settings such a meal would give you the energy to seek out those other nutrients.
To be regarded as addictive, a substance must chemically over-ride the normal feedback mechanisms in the brain. That is, a substance that has no value for survival, but mimics signal chemicals used in the brain. There must also be significant consequences associated with withdrawal. If you stop eating junk food, you stop thinking about it soon enough. You don't lose control of your emotions or risk death because your brain can no longer function without it.
This sounds very similar to anorexia - a warped self image:
Many obese people 'deny' they are fat
http://news.smh.com.au/many-obese-people-deny-they-are-fat/20080125-1o4x.html
More than half of Australian adults are either overweight or obese, but are increasingly kidding themselves that they are not fat, a new government report shows.
The report also found that overweight and obese people were increasingly likely to see themselves as having an acceptable weight, rising from 37 per cent in 1995, to 41 per cent in 2001 and 44 per cent in 2004-05.
The Australian Medical Association has called on the federal government to match Britain's decision to adopt a national obesity strategy.
The UK government will spend STG372 million ($A837 million) over three years to fight the epidemic in Britain.
AMA president Rosanna Capolingua said leadership to tackle the crisis must come from the federal government.
The AMA wants mandatory labelling of 'added' trans fats content in packaged foods, followed by the removal of added trans fats from food.
It also wants the government to subsidise the cost of basic nutritious foods in parts of Australia where costs are consistently above the national average.
'Cold climate genes' blamed for obesity
http://news.smh.com.au/cold-climate-genes-blamed-for-obesity/20080215-1shd.html
Genes that helped early humans adapt to cold climates may be driving metabolism-related diseases such as obesity or diabetes in many countries, US researchers say.
They found a strong correlation between climate and genetic adaptations that influence the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of related disorders such as obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes.
from crikey:
Pharmacists sign with Big Pharma to promote anti-fat drug Ray Moynihan writes:
The controversial anti-fat drug Xenical has been given a new lease of life, with the announcement of a special financial arrangement between pharmacists and Swiss drug giant Roche.
The commercial arm of the Pharmacy Guild has just signed a deal with Roche to become the "brand manager" for Xenical, a drug criticised for modest benefits and the side effects of diarrhea.
The Guild represents almost 5000 Australian pharmacists, and its commercial arm Gold Cross already endorses many products, including vitamins, cold and flu tablets and methadone.
But this latest deal to "brand manage" Xenical has attracted fierce criticism from Adelaide GP Dr Peter Mansfield, who says the drug is "almost ineffective and has frequent unpleasant adverse effects." A recent review of trials showed that over a year, in combination with a special diet, the drug may help someone lose 3 kg more than a person who simply had the diet. Up to a third of those taking the drug suffer problems including "oily stool, faecal urgency and oily spotting."
Attacking the deal Mansfield told Crikey: "Pharmacists need to decide if they want to work for the drug companies or for their patients. This is a short term temptation to make money at the expense of public trust in the long run."
Roche has already come under heavy flak for Xenical TV ads run during Australian Idol, attracting criticism it was marketing the drug to healthy young people concerned about body image.
The Pharmacy Guild’s national president Kos Sclavos strongly defended the deal and rejected criticisms of Xenical.
"It is one of the few proven efficacious drugs for weight loss" he said.
"We disagree with assertions that the product has a significant side effect profile. The diarrhea, the side effect, is actually part of the way the product works."
According to Sclavos, the Guild’s commercial arm stepped in because Roche had essentially stopped marketing it, and there was fear the company would withdraw it. He also criticized the Roche TV ads and said the drug would be marketed "professionally."
|