Report on women's health by the Chief Medical Officer

What irritates me more than anything about discussions about medical problems, or other social problems come to that, is the 'one size fits all' attitude to both cause and effect. Like everything, there may well be certain causes and effects that apply to a significant number of people, but not all and those unfortunate to fall into the non-common cause group get dismissed because they do not conform to the norm.

Obesity has many more causes than just eating too much and not exercising. Many people are emotional eaters, here what needs dealing with, is the triggers and how to control them. Measures like taxes on sugar and high fat foods, or traffic signal warnings on labels are unlikely to have any effect on people eating because they are sad or lonely or depressed.

The complete lack of any culinary skills among a large segment of the population is also contributory. How can you cook good healthy meals, when you have absolutely no idea how to cook and no experience of others around you cooking either.

I might add that the pictures I have seen of Dame Sally, do suggest that she does not take her own advice.

We should not just be thinking about life expectancy and just give examples of relatives who bucked the trend against a particular lifestyle issues.
My PGM was one, she died at 95 but had been blind for several years due to ARMD (macular degeneration) after a life time of heavy smoking.

Look at the huge costs to the NHS of dealing with diseases like type 2 diabetes. That in itself can cause an array of other serious health conditions that need treating and monitoring.

Some research I saw several years ago suggested that if an obese person had a healthy diet and was physically active their health and life expectancy were no different from people who were not obese.

I speak with feeling, DD is obese, has been since birth, she was born with a big round tummy. I worried about it with health visitors and diet advisors when she was a child and tried not to visibly worry about it when she was a teenager. She has always been very active. When she was at school someone once said to her, 'you eat very little lunch and never go to the tuck shop and you are always swimming and playing tennis, why are you so fat?' Her reply was 'I do not know I just am'.

It is possible there is a genetic element through her father's maternal line. Her mother was one of a large family and we can trace in each generation for at least four generations one or two members with her particular shape and weight pattern. DH also struggles to keep his weight within acceptable limits. I have never had any particular weight problem except around the menopause, which I dealt with.

DH is in her mid-40s, swims 8 - 10 miles a week, does a couple of hours in the gym and has no medical problems of any kind, blood pressure, blood sugar all well within normal limits for her age. We recently had a day in London, during which, according to an app on her phone we both walked 9 miles without any problem at all.

OIbesity is not a one size fits all problem. As goose says these headlines forget that being obese is a contributory factor rather than the cause, if it was the cause everyone who was overweight would have diabetes etc

I think that these headlines forget that being obese is a contributory factor rather than the cause, if it was the cause everyone who was overweight would have diabetes etc

My maternal grandmother was certainly overweight and possibly obese (she was quite short), she died at 90 having suffered very little illness even at the end of her life. My mother is now 93 and dieted intensely until about 10 years ago. She has always had health problems and I can't count the number of times she has been in hospital. Extreme overweight may cause a number of problems but being slightly heavier doesn't. There are now people presenting with osteoporosis early in life because of dieting and low weight. No extreme is healthy.

Ok jing as this just seems to be our thread I agree

Oh, do call me jingl. It's much more friendly!

You have a point there jbf

I have been overweight for years. I have never been treated for any aspect of it or needed treatment. I see my GP when I am sent for as at 78 they are supposed to keep an eye on us old folk. It happens about every other year. We generalise too much.

I thought that, but then when you count up the number of deaths from terrorism in this country and compare that number with the number of deaths directly attributable to obesity, the latter would most likely be the higher figure, by a long way.

Actually, why has she taken so long to make a noise about this? She's been in the job since 2010! Who knew? I didn't. Thought it was still the old Liam Donaldson bloke. (of the plastic washing up bowls fame)

Serious though obesity is I think it is going over the top to call it as a big a threat as terrorism.

It's all a bit old hat isn't it?! Haven't we known for years now that we are all at least a bit too fat, and some of us are actually obese? Surely the message is out there by now.

I prefer Laras* thread. We said it all on there.

Have we really got to go over it all again?