Arguments For Calling Obesity A Disease #3: Once Established It Becomes A Lifelong Problem



Screen Shot 2016-05-22 at 8.54.34 PMContinuing in my miniseries on arguments that support calling obesity a disease, is the simple fact that, once established, it behaves like a chronic disease.

Thus, once people have accumulated excess or abnormal adipose tissue that affects their health, there is no known way of reversing the process to the point that this condition would be considered “cured”.

By “cured”, I mean that there is a treatment for obesity, which can be stopped without the problem reappearing. For e.g. we can cure an ear infection – a short course of antibiotics and the infection will resolve to perhaps never reappear. We can also cure many forms of cancer, where surgery or a bout of chemotherapy removes the tumour forever. Those conditions we can “cure” – obesity we cannot!

For all practical purposes, obesity behaves exactly like every other chronic disease – yes, we can modify the course or even ameliorate the condition with the help of behavioural, medical or surgical treatments to the point that it may no longer pose a health threat, but it is at best in “remission” – when the treatment stops, the weight comes back – sometimes with a vengeance.

And yes, behavioural treatments are treatments, because the behaviours we are talking about that lead to ‘remission’ are far more intense than the behaviours that non-obese people have to adopt to not gain weight in the first place.

This is how I explained this to someone, who recently told me that about five years ago he had lost a substantial amount of weight (over 50 pounds) simply by watching what he eats and maintaining a regular exercise program. He argued that he had “conquered” his obesity and would now consider himself “cured”.

I explained to him, that I would at best consider him in “remission”, because his biology is still that of someone living with obesity.

And this is how I would prove my point.

Imagine he and I tried to put on 50 pounds in the next 6 weeks – I would face a real upward battle and may not be able to put on that weight at all – he, in contrast, would have absolutely no problem putting the weight back on.

In fact, if he were to simply live the way I do, eating the amount of food I do, those 50 lbs would be back before he knows it.

His body is just waiting to put the weight back on whereas my biology will actually make it difficult for me simply put that weight on.

This is because his “set-point”, even 5 years after losing the weight, is still 50 lbs higher than my “set-point”, which is around my current weight (the heaviest I have ever been).

Whereas, he is currently working hard against his set-point, by doing what he is doing (watching what he eats, following a strict exercise routine), I would be working against my set-point by having to force myself to eat substantially more than my body needs or wants.

That is the difference! By virtue of having had 50 lb heavier, his biology has been permanently altered in that it now defends a weight that is substantially higher than mine.

His post-weight loss biology is very different from mine, although we are currently at about the same weight.

This is what I mean by saying he is in “remission”, thanks to his ongoing behavioural therapy.

Today, we understand much of this biology. We understand what happens when people try to lose weight and how hard the body fights to resist weight loss and to put the weight back on.

This is why, for all practical purposes, obesity behaves just like every other chronic disease and requires ongoing treatment to control – no one is ever “cured” of their obesity.

Not even people who have bariatric surgery – reverse the surgery and before you know it, the weight is back.

So, if for all practical purposes, obesity behaves like a chronic disease, why not just call a spade a spade?

@DrSharma
Edmonton, AB

For an illustration on why obesity acts like a chronic disease watch this short TEDx talk