State of Georgia claims obesity is NOT a health risk???

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

OMG, I can't believe what I am reading.

I am helping someone determine if Medicaid in Georgia will cover banding. On the Georgia Medicaid website, check out this load of crap I just found:

gacfr.dhr.georgia.gov/DHR-GACFR/DHR-GACFR_PreventionResources/5myths.pdf

<nobr>5 H</nobr> <nobr>EALTH</nobr> <nobr>C</nobr> <nobr>ARE</nobr> <nobr>M</nobr> <nobr>YTHS</nobr> <nobr>Frances M. Berg, </nobr> <nobr>M.S., L.N.

</nobr><nobr>Unfortunately, much current health care for obesity is based on misinformation, myth and size bias, not</nobr> <nobr>on accurate scientific information. Consider these myths and controversies:

</nobr><nobr>Myth #1. Obesity causes severe health risks. Fact: We don't know, but it seems doubtful. Obesity has</nobr> <nobr>been associated with, and assumed to cause, higher risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and</nobr> <nobr>cardiovascular disease. More recent CDC research questions even the association. The evidence suggests</nobr> <nobr>these disease risks, as well as obesity, are likely caused by other factors, including genetics and</nobr> <nobr>inactivity. Increased physical activity dramatically reduces risk factors without weight loss. </nobr> <nobr>1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

</nobr><nobr>Myth #2. âHealthy weightâ defines the range of lowest health risk. False. The weight associated with</nobr> <nobr>the lowest death rate is in the âoverweightâ range (BMI 25 to 29.9), with almost no related risk up to a</nobr> <nobr>BMI of 35, according to the latest CDC research. This confirms an earlier NIH review of 236 controlled</nobr> <nobr>studies with similar findings. (Despite this evidence, federal agencies continue to define healthy weight,</nobr> <nobr>or normal weight, as a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9, and to recommend weight loss above this level.) </nobr> <nobr>8, 9, 10

</nobr><nobr>Myth #3. Health is always improved by weight loss. False. Long-term studies indicate higher risk with</nobr> <nobr>weight loss. At least 15 large comprehensive studies show higher death rates after weight loss, including</nobr> <nobr>the Framingham Heart Study, Harvard Alumni Study, and NHANES I follow-up. Researchers suggest</nobr> <nobr>that loss of lean mass from muscle, organs and bone, and weight cycling can jeopardize health.</nobr> <nobr>11, 12, 13, 14, 15

</nobr><nobr>Myth #4. Current weight loss treatments are safe and effective. False. All methods must be considered</nobr> <nobr>experimental. None are proven long-term safe and effective. Dieting causes short-term weight loss</nobr> <nobr>followed by regain or weight cycling, which has its own risks, and leads to food preoccupation, bingeing,</nobr> <nobr>dysfunctional eating and sometimes eating disorders. Drugs offer only minimal weight loss (5-11</nobr> <nobr>pounds) and must be taken long-term, with increasing risk: of 6 million adults who took fen-phen/Redux,</nobr> <nobr>FDA reports one-third developed leaky heart valves; others died of primary pulmonary disease. Bariatric</nobr> <nobr>surgery carries risk of nearly 5 percent death rate (nearly 50 percent for patients age 75 and over) and</nobr> <nobr>over 60 complications including severe infection, leaks, blood clots and malnutrition.</nobr> <nobr>16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

</nobr><nobr>Myth #5. Scare tactics and pressures to be thin help prevent obesity, promote weight loss, and do no</nobr> <nobr>harm. False. Increasing the social and medical pressures to be thin over the last two decades has not</nobr> <nobr>worked and may have backfired: studies link repeated weight loss to increased weight. These pressures</nobr> <nobr>have failed to help people lose weight or prevent obesity. In addition, they have done harm by leading to</nobr> <nobr>nutrient deficiencies, dangerous weight loss, eating disorders, size discrimination, body hatred, stress,</nobr> <nobr>anxiety, immune suppression, lasting injury and even death.</nobr> <nobr>23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

</nobr><nobr>These five myths benefit the diet industry, but not the individual or society. The fiction they keep alive is</nobr> <nobr>that overweight and obesity are severe health risks that threaten the lives of most Americans and add greatly</nobr> <nobr>to health care costs; therefore weight loss is urgently needed, even though it is not safe or effective.</nobr> <nobr>Reprinted and adapted from Underage and Overweight: Our Childhood Obesity Crisis â What Every Family Needs to</nobr> <nobr>Know, by Frances M. Berg. New York: Hatherleigh Press. Copyright 2005, 2004 by Frances M. Berg. All rights reserved.</nobr> <nobr>The author permits use of this 5 Health Care Myths feature as a handout or in nonprofit newsletters for educational</nobr> <nobr>purposes, provided it is reproduced in its entirety with this citation. Written permission is required for use in books or</nobr> <nobr>publications for sale. Contact Healthy Weight Network, 402 S. 14</nobr> <nobr>th</nobr> <nobr>St., Hettinger, ND 58639 (701-567-2646; fax 701-</nobr> <nobr>567-2602). For more information visit www.healthyweight.net.</nobr> <nobr>(over)</nobr> <hr><table border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="right" bgcolor="#eeeeee">Page 2</td></tr></tbody></table> <nobr>Increasingly, however, health providers are moving ahead to the Health at Every Size approach (also known</nobr> <nobr>as Health at Any Size). This new paradigm focuses on active living, normal eating, self-acceptance, and</nobr> <nobr>physical, emotional and spiritual well-being for everyone of every size.</nobr> <nobr>References</nobr> <nobr>1.

</nobr><nobr>Taylor R. Causation of Type 2 diabetes â The Gordian knot unravels. N Engl J Med 2004;350:639-641.</nobr> <nobr>2. Miller W. Health promotion strategies for obese patients. Healthy Weight Journal 1997:11:3:47-51.</nobr> <nobr>3. Blair SN, Kohl HW, Barlow CE. Physical activity, physical fitness, and allcause mortality in women: do women need</nobr> <nobr>to be active? J Am Coll Nutr 1993;12(4):368371.</nobr> <nobr>4. Barlow CE, Kohl HW III, Gibbens LW, Blair SN. Physical fitness, mortality and obesity. Int J Obesity 1995;1 (Suppl</nobr> <nobr>4):S41-44. Miller W. Health promotion strategies for obese patients. Healthy Weight J 1997:11:3:47-51.</nobr> <nobr>5. Blair SN, Bodney S. Effects of physical inactivity and obesity on morbidity and mortality: Current evidence and</nobr> <nobr>research issues. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1999;31:S646-S662</nobr> <nobr>6. Flegal KM, Graubard BI, Williamson DF, Gail MH. Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and</nobr> <nobr>obesity. JAMA 2005;293:1861-1867.</nobr> <nobr>7. Berg F. Underage and Overweight: Our Childhood Obesity Crisis â What Every Family Needs to Know, 2005, 2004,</nobr> <nobr>p13-29. New York: Hatherleigh Press.</nobr> <nobr>8. Flegal KM. JAMA 2005;293:1861-1867.</nobr> <nobr>9. NIH-NHLBI Clinical Guidelines on Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity. National</nobr> <nobr>Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Pre-print June 1998. Bethesda, MD.</nobr> <nobr>10. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p147-151.</nobr> <nobr>11. NIH Technology assessment conference: Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. Conference report:</nobr> <nobr>program and abstracts. March 30-April 1, 1992. Office Medical Research, Bethesda, MD 20892.</nobr> <nobr>12. Andres R, Muller DC, Sorkin JD. Long-term effects of change in body weight on all-cause mortality: a review. Ann</nobr> <nobr>Intern Med 1993;119:737-743.</nobr> <nobr>13. Williamson DF, Pamuk E, Thun M, et al. Prospective study of intentional weight loss and mortality in never-</nobr> <nobr>smoking overweight US white women aged 40-64 years. Am J Epidemiol 1995;141:1128-1141.</nobr> <nobr>14. Allison DB, Zannolli R, Faith MS, et al. Weight loss increases and fat loss decreases all-cause mortality rate: results</nobr> <nobr>from two independent cohort studies. I J Obesity 1999;23:603-611.</nobr> <nobr>15. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p13-29, 156-194.</nobr> <nobr>16. NIH Technology assessment conference: Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. March 30-April 1, 1992.</nobr> <nobr>17. Lee IM, Paffenbarger RS Jr. Is weight loss hazardous? Nutr Rev 1996;54(suppl):S116-124.</nobr> <nobr>18. Kassirer JP, Angell M. Losing weight: An illfated New Yearâs resolution. N Engl J Med 1998;338:5254.</nobr> <nobr>19. Garner DM, and Wooley SC. Confronting the failure of behavioral and dietary treatments for obesity. Clin Psych</nobr> <nobr>Rev 1991;11:729-780.</nobr> <nobr>20. Lissner L, Odell P, DâAgostino D, and Stoke J, et al. Variability of body weight and health outcomes in the</nobr> <nobr>Framingham population. New Engl J Med 1991;324:1839-44.</nobr> <nobr>21. Flum DR, Salem L, et al. Early Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Bariatric Surgical Procedures</nobr> <nobr>JAMA 2005;294:1903-1908.</nobr> <nobr>22. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p156-194.</nobr> <nobr>23. Third report on nutrition monitoring in the US, Vol 1-2, Dec 1995. Life Sciences Research Office, US Health/</nobr> <nobr>Human Serv, US Dept of Agriculture. Natl Ctr for Health Statistics, NHANES III. Advance Data Nov 14, 1994.</nobr> <nobr>24. Levine P. Presidentâs message. Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention Newsletter. Spring 1995:1-3.</nobr> <nobr>25. Pipher M. Reviving Ophelia. 1994. Ballantine books, Random House, NY.</nobr> <nobr>26. Fallon P, M Katzman, S Wooley, edits. Feminist perspectives on eating disorders. 1994. Guilford Press, NY.</nobr> <nobr>27. Grange D, J Tibbs, J Selibowitz. Eating attitudes, body shape, and self-disclosure in adolescent girls and boys.</nobr> <nobr>Eating Dis 1995:3:3:253-264.</nobr> <nobr>28. Smolak L, M Levine. Toward an empirical basis for primary prevention of eating problems with elementary school</nobr> <nobr>children. Eat Disorders 1994;2:4:293-307.</nobr> <nobr>29. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p76-94, 195-205.</nobr> <nobr>5 Health Care Myths</nobr> <nobr>(continued)</nobr> <nobr>1-atetalkshandouts5myths</nobr>

[LoisinStA 1]

Holy Crap!!! Is that for real??

[MicheleK 8]

Yes, I know at 180lbs overweight I'm SO HEALTHY!!!!

WTF!! This is seriously messed up. While I agree that body image in this country is really screwed up...for someone to say you can be obese AND healthy is stupid. Unless you think High BP, sleep apnea and diabetes are "healthy".

I can't mow my front yard w/o feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack...oh yeah, I'm the picture of fing health.

This article makes me sick, and the worst part is there are people out there that will believe it's true.

[lotzasunshine 2]

<nobr>

Myth #4. Current weight loss treatments are safe and effective. False. All methods must be considered</nobr> <nobr>experimental. None are proven long-term safe and effective. Dieting causes short-term weight loss</nobr> <nobr>followed by regain or weight cycling, which has its own risks, and leads to food preoccupation, bingeing,</nobr> <nobr>dysfunctional eating and sometimes eating disorders. Drugs offer only minimal weight loss (5-11</nobr> <nobr>pounds) and must be taken long-term, with increasing risk: of 6 million adults who took fen-phen/Redux,</nobr> <nobr>FDA reports one-third developed leaky heart valves; others died of primary pulmonary disease. Bariatric</nobr> <nobr>surgery carries risk of nearly 5 percent death rate</nobr><nobr>

</nobr><nobr></nobr><nobr></nobr>

Oh my GOSH!!! That is definitely a load of CRAP!! I can't believe that someone would actually use that. Oh, and if one isn't supposed to use weight loss surgery and isn't supposed to diet, then how the heck are we supposed to lose weight???:thumbup:

[MicheleK 8]

Oh my GOSH!!! That is definitely a load of CRAP!! I can't believe that someone would actually use that. Oh, and if one isn't supposed to use weight loss surgery and isn't supposed to diet, then how the heck are we supposed to lose weight???:thumbup:

You're not!! Fat is healthy!!!

....this article is VERY disturbing I cannot believe it...it fired me up big time.

[lotzasunshine 2]

You're not!! Fat is healthy!!!

....this article is VERY disturbing I cannot believe it...it fired me up big time.

Fat is healthy? :thumbup: They should tell that to my uncle whose liver was literally dying because of his weight. he got GP by the way and is doing so much better.

[lotzasunshine 2]

OMG, I<nobr>

</nobr><nobr>Taylor R. Causation of Type 2 diabetes – The Gordian knot unravels. N Engl J Med 2004;350:639-641.</nobr> <nobr>2. Miller W. Health promotion strategies for obese patients. Healthy Weight Journal 1997:11:3:47-51.</nobr> <nobr>3. Blair SN, Kohl HW, Barlow CE. Physical activity, physical fitness, and allcause mortality in women: do women need</nobr> <nobr>to be active? J Am Coll Nutr 1993;12(4):368371.</nobr> <nobr>4. Barlow CE, Kohl HW III, Gibbens LW, Blair SN. Physical fitness, mortality and obesity. Int J Obesity 1995;1 (Suppl</nobr> <nobr>4):S41-44. Miller W. Health promotion strategies for obese patients. Healthy Weight J 1997:11:3:47-51.</nobr> <nobr>5. Blair SN, Bodney S. Effects of physical inactivity and obesity on morbidity and mortality: Current evidence and</nobr> <nobr>research issues. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1999;31:S646-S662</nobr> <nobr>6. Flegal KM, Graubard BI, Williamson DF, Gail MH. Excess deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and</nobr> <nobr>obesity. JAMA 2005;293:1861-1867.</nobr> <nobr>7. Berg F. Underage and Overweight: Our Childhood Obesity Crisis – What Every Family Needs to Know, 2005, 2004,</nobr> <nobr>p13-29. New York: Hatherleigh Press.</nobr> <nobr>8. Flegal KM. JAMA 2005;293:1861-1867.</nobr> <nobr>9. NIH-NHLBI Clinical Guidelines on Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity. National</nobr> <nobr>Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Pre-print June 1998. Bethesda, MD.</nobr> <nobr>10. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p147-151.</nobr> <nobr>11. NIH Technology assessment conference: Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. Conference report:</nobr> <nobr>program and abstracts. March 30-April 1, 1992. Office Medical Research, Bethesda, MD 20892.</nobr> <nobr>12. Andres R, Muller DC, Sorkin JD. Long-term effects of change in body weight on all-cause mortality: a review. Ann</nobr> <nobr>Intern Med 1993;119:737-743.</nobr> <nobr>13. Williamson DF, Pamuk E, Thun M, et al. Prospective study of intentional weight loss and mortality in never-</nobr> <nobr>smoking overweight US white women aged 40-64 years. Am J Epidemiol 1995;141:1128-1141.</nobr> <nobr>14. Allison DB, Zannolli R, Faith MS, et al. Weight loss increases and fat loss decreases all-cause mortality rate: results</nobr> <nobr>from two independent cohort studies. I J Obesity 1999;23:603-611.</nobr> <nobr>15. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p13-29, 156-194.</nobr> <nobr>16. NIH Technology assessment conference: Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. March 30-April 1, 1992.</nobr> <nobr>17. Lee IM, Paffenbarger RS Jr. Is weight loss hazardous? Nutr Rev 1996;54(suppl):S116-124.</nobr> <nobr>18. Kassirer JP, Angell M. Losing weight: An illfated New Year’s resolution. N Engl J Med 1998;338:5254.</nobr> <nobr>19. Garner DM, and Wooley SC. Confronting the failure of behavioral and dietary treatments for obesity. Clin Psych</nobr> <nobr>Rev 1991;11:729-780.</nobr> <nobr>20. Lissner L, Odell P, D’Agostino D, and Stoke J, et al. Variability of body weight and health outcomes in the</nobr> <nobr>Framingham population. New Engl J Med 1991;324:1839-44.</nobr> <nobr>21. Flum DR, Salem L, et al. Early Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Bariatric Surgical Procedures</nobr> <nobr>JAMA 2005;294:1903-1908.</nobr> <nobr>22. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p156-194.</nobr> <nobr>23. Third report on nutrition monitoring in the US, Vol 1-2, Dec 1995. Life Sciences Research Office, US Health/</nobr> <nobr>Human Serv, US Dept of Agriculture. Natl Ctr for Health Statistics, NHANES III. Advance Data Nov 14, 1994.</nobr> <nobr>24. Levine P. President’s message. Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention Newsletter. Spring 1995:1-3.</nobr> <nobr>25. Pipher M. Reviving Ophelia. 1994. Ballantine Books, Random House, NY.</nobr> <nobr>26. Fallon P, M Katzman, S Wooley, edits. Feminist perspectives on eating disorders. 1994. Guilford Press, NY.</nobr> <nobr>27. Grange D, J Tibbs, J Selibowitz. Eating attitudes, body shape, and self-disclosure in adolescent girls and boys.</nobr> <nobr>Eating Dis 1995:3:3:253-264.</nobr> <nobr>28. Smolak L, M Levine. Toward an empirical basis for primary prevention of eating problems with elementary school</nobr> <nobr>children. Eat Disorders 1994;2:4:293-307.</nobr> <nobr>29. Berg F. Underage and Overweight, p76-94, 195-205.</nobr> <nobr>5 Health Care Myths</nobr> <nobr>(continued)</nobr> <nobr>1-atetalkshandouts5myths</nobr>

Has anyone else noticed that the research for this statement isn't even current? the best they have is from 3 years ago, and most is from the 90's.

Sorry, but this is making me very irritated!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Holy Crap!!! Is that for real??

Yep, it's for real. I even provided the link cuz I figured NOBODY would believe me! You know, I kept reading that and rereading and I thought surely I was missing something here.

Amazing, of health related issues the lowest death rate is for overweight vs. obese. And this isn't giving them a clue??

MicheleK:

Yes, I know at 180lbs overweight I'm SO HEALTHY!!!!

Well of course it is! Just exercise but don't worry about losing weight. Then you are good to go.

Lotz:

Oh my GOSH!!! That is definitely a load of CRAP!! I can't believe that someone would actually use that. Oh, and if one isn't supposed to use weight loss surgery and isn't supposed to diet, then how the heck are we supposed to lose weight???:thumbup:

Their medicaid system (where I got this link) doesn't cover WLS. Funny how that works. I hope tax dollars are not going to cover WLS for state employees in this case.

[Flowerpurr 0]

OMG...I can't believe what I reading either. It must be some stuip skinny person who made up those rules? Or some sick person that doesn't have a clue! What you need to do is start gathering evidence that this does work and submit it to you capitol.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Has anyone else noticed that the research for this statement isn't even current? the best they have is from 3 years ago, and most is from the 90's.

Sorry, but this is making me very irritated!

We knew LONG before the 90s the health risks associated with obesity. And the article was written in 2007 *I think* (going by memory).

I love the death stats for WLS, I can't begin to question where the moron author got that information. I honestly don't believe I have ever read anything as one sided, appearing to be yellow journalism-like, and blatantly dishonest regarding obesity issues before.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

OMG...I can't believe what I reading either. It must be some stuip skinny person who made up those rules? Or some sick person that doesn't have a clue! What you need to do is start gathering evidence that this does work and submit it to you capitol.

Nononoooooo, it's not MY state. I was researching for someone else.

I don't even want to know what my state would say regarding the benefits of WLS.

How hillbilly and backwards can one state gov't be?

[di1138 8]

It is good to know how healthy I am! That is why it takes me all day to clean just one room. So healthy that I want to sleep 16 hrs a day. It is hard to believe in 2008 they would publish this crap.

[lizbuff 0]

Good grief! I live in this backas**d state!!! I have private insurance thankfully that does cover it. If you look around at a lot of the people here and what they put in their grocery carts, it seems a lot of Georgians believe this BS to be true!

[MacMadame 81]

I can swear I read this article somewhere on some Fat Acceptance site. I'm all for loving people at all sizes and not assuming all fat people are lazy and gluttons and all thin people are healthy. You can make those points without LYING.

[HeatherO 7]

This is just a prime example of why all statistics must be taken with a grain of salt. It is also important to think critically about what you see and read. You can spin certain facts around to show any result that you are motivated to show.

There are probably small kernels of truth in what the article says but it seems to discount appropriate information as a whole to make a point. Myth 1, Genetics and inactivity increase risk factors while exercise is healthy and reduces risk factors - this is true . . . but they blatantly disregard weight loss contributions. Myth 3, dieting can be unhealthy and increase the risk of death - this can also be true if people are using highly unhealthy dieting methods like only eating one kind of food or limiting caloric intake to extreme levels.

This is a completely biased view and I would be deeply ashamed if I were the author of such an article. What is worse is that the state of Georgia would post this nonsense. Shame on them for trying to skew peoples opinions in this way. I hope no one that has had the misfortune to read this takes it very seriously.