Medicalizing Obesity: Individual, Economic, and Medical Consequences

Abstract

Defining MedicalizationAs Sadler and colleagues [1] define it, "'medicalization' describes a process by which human problems become defined and treated as medical problems" [2]. According to Conrad and colleagues [3], medicalization, like globalization or secularization, is neither good nor bad; it merely notes that a condition has come under medical jurisdiction. Others suggest that the term does imply something suspect-that a normal variation in health or behavior has been annexed, in whole or in part, by the apparatus of medicine [3]. The Medicalization of ObesityResearch published within the past few years suggests an explosion in the treatment of conditions that previously had been subjects of "watchful waiting" or nonpharmacologic approaches [4]. Examples of medicalized disorders include menopause, alcoholism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anorexia, infertility, sleep disorders, and erectile dysfunction (ED) [3].

Lysine Deprivation Suppresses Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells: A Transcriptome Analysis

“…The effect of lysine depletion on body composition in vivo is also controversial. In rats, lysine depletion can reduce body weight, fat mass, and lean mass [2,31]. Interestingly, pigs fed a lysine-depletion diet demonstrated a lower relative proportion of lean components; however, higher carcass fatty components were obtained, together with increased lipogenic genes [32].…”

“…Obesity is a severe public health challenge in the 21st century, and its prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate [1]. It has also been associated with many other metabolic disorders, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension, leading to a poor quality of life and a severe social burden [2]. One key factor contributing to the fat mass expansion is excessive nutrients, especially fat and carbohydrates.…”

Biological normalcy and body fat: Obesity prevalence, fat stigma, and allostatic load among late adolescents and young adults

“…The observable phenotype of a body with a high proportion of fat is evaluated largely in cultural context, where it is seen as either positive or negative, depending on place, time, and localized histories (Bondeson, 2000;Brewis et al, 2011;Farrell, 2011;Sawbridge & Fitzgerald, 2009). In the US, bodies with high proportions of fat are judged through several mechanisms, including but not limited to: medicalization (Blackburn, 2011), cultural consonance around the idea of personal responsibility (Guthman, 2011;Pearl & Lebowitz, 2014;Tomiyama, 2014), as well as interpersonal, institutional, and structural responses to alarmist rhetoric about increasing obesity prevalence constituting an epidemic (Moffat, 2010).…”

Protein sparing therapies in acute illness and obesity: a review of George Blackburn's contributions to nutrition science

“…George Blackburn, MD, PhD (1936 – 2017) was a central figure in nutrition and obesity medicine in the United States over the past half century that catalyzed this shift. He raised awareness about hospital acquired protein-calorie malnutrition and advocated that obesity should be recognized as a disease that has effective treatments 2 . He was a pioneer in the field of hospital nutrition and also performed the first Roux-en-Y procedure for severe obesity treatment in New England in 1973, at a time when bariatric surgery was still in its infancy.…”