In our recent "suicide/antidepressant" thread we've been deploring the unethical tactics of drug companies in pushing ineffective and possibly dangerous drug treatments for depression. We've forgotten about another target disorder for unethical tactics in pursuit of profit: obesity.
Long-time subscribers to TIPS will recall that one of the topics on which I periodically harangue people is that the so-called "obesity epidemic" is a myth. I argue that this conclusion is based on a poorly-justified, excessively low cut-off value of the "body mass index" (BMI), which is then used to falsely claim that millions of people are unhealthily overweight. You can find my comments, with references, in the archives. Now, at long last, support. A new book is due to be published by Paul Campos called _The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health_. A generous excerpt has been published in _The Guardian_ (April 24, 2004) at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,1200549,00.html It's an eye-opener. Getting back to my opening paragraph, consider this comment from Campos: "From the perspective of a profit-maximising medical and pharmaceutical industry, the ideal disease would be one that never killed those who suffered from it, that could not be treated effectively, and that doctors and their patients would nevertheless insist on treating anyway. Luckily for it, the American health care industry has discovered (or rather invented) just such a disease. It is called "obesity". Basically, obesity research in America is funded by the diet and drug industry - that is, the economic actors who have the most to gain from the conclusion that being fat is a disease that requires aggressive treatment. Many researchers have direct financial relationships with the companies whose products they are evaluating." Stephen ___________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm _______________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
