for Inside Health 9/7/19

Previous column about similar CRUK campaign 

Genetics and obesity 

environment, genetics and obesity 

CRUK own webpages on preventable risk factors – note alcohol + low fibre diet is a bigger risk factor than obesity…what about messages which are more realistically achieved?

weight stigma and healthcare

ironic effects of weight stigma

perceived weight stigma and obesity

as usual after recording I think of all the things I meant to say and didn’t:

the fact that obesity is associated with cancer rather than proven to cause cancer (tho the effects of fat on hormones may be implicated in eg breast or ovarian cancer) (the CRUK posters say obesity causes cancer, subtle but important distinction)

the fact that we have no good data to say that weight loss will indeed prevent cancer as postulated

risks blaming individuals for a societal system issue which poorest people suffer from the most (high calorie, low nutrition )

obesity is stigmatising because it’s visible : many people have ‘invisible’ risk factors that go uncommented on by others – criticism is unfairly concentrated in one population group

and is this really the best way to spend the money for people who have had BAKE SALES for CRUK??