Is Obesity Contagious?

[Osborn F Enready]

(WebMD) New research on obesity shows that obesity may be contagious - but don't get the wrong idea about that. The findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, have nothing to do with bacteria or viruses. Instead, the new data show that obesity is "socially contagious." That means that people tend to follow suit when their friends and family become obese or lose weight to ditch obesity. "We find that a person's chances of becoming obese increase by 57% if they have a friend who becomes obese, 40% if they have a sibling who becomes obese, and 37% if a spouse becomes obese," say researchers Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, and James Fowler, PhD. "Mutual friends more than triple the risk to each other," note Christakis and Fowler. "If one of the two [mutual friends] becomes obese, the chance for the other to follow suit goes up 171%."

Talk about flawed science, false dichotomy of cause and effect, and a blatant attempt to steer the public with fear-mongering directed at obese people. :rolleyes:

[ZNFYRH]

Just yesterday I read an article about this.

I was amazed to think that now I can blame the fat people around me when I start to gain weight.

[theco805]

I don't agree fully with saying that obesity is "socially contagious." But, I do somewhat follow their logical process here. If you are around others who eat very little at times, I think you are somewhat pressured to eat less. The same would go for eating more. Furthermore, lifestyles of friends and those around you closest tend to be the same, if your friends work out I think you are more likely to as well.
I could also see this issue leading to a debate on peer pressure and nature verses nurture....

[Pooeypants]

Quote by: Osborn F Enready Talk about flawed science, false dichotomy of cause and effect, and a blatant attempt to steer the public with fear-mongering directed at obese people. :rolleyes:

If this is flawed science then please give me your own expert conclusions from the results. Further more, where's the source of this text?

[Technosoul]

In the first place being overwieght is not a disease or sickness in the physical sense.

However part of the phychological addictions to such things is because they are 'mediums' through which people bond.

When you sit down for a family meal it is a time for bonding, or if you "do lunch" with co-workers and so forth. Important events like Chirstmas often center around a big meal.

And so we connect food, in our mind, with the people and with social conversations, and friendships.

You might sit down and talk to a close friend 'over coffee or tea' . Thus the cup of coffee becomes the 'connector' for that friendship. When seperated from them you might bond again to them in your memory over some coffee. A cigarette might be like you "best friend" because that was the medium for bonding that you used, re: smoking after sex.

So food can remind you of those family get-togethers and the sharing of conversations. It is like having your Big Mama with you even when you are all alone in the middle of the night.

If you used to pass a joint around with you old friends in highschool then smoking joints can fill that "gap" that you miss now that they are no longer around. Food becomes your mom, etc.

"Remember me when you drink wine" Jesus said. He knew about this bonding effect which we now call a "phycological addiction". Now millions are addicted to 'breaking bread together' at church, which creates a 'bond' between you and the church and the people there.

but knowing this truth can help to liberate you from that 'bondage'.

It is not a medical problem.

[Osborn F Enready]

theco805 said: I don't agree fully with saying that obesity is "socially contagious." But, I do somewhat follow their logical process here.

I do as well, but it is everything else about the presentation, the usage of the information, the way it is being framed to the people, that misconstrues what science is really there.

People are influenced by other people, and things they take in through their senses. THAT is the science involved, which we all know.

They are framing the information though, as some type of "proof" that if you associate or have friends that are obese, you may suddenly become obese EVEN if you don't alter your lifestyle otherwise. Its absurd.

We all control our own weight and fitness by lifestyle, eating habits, exercise and activity, individually.

Obesity is NOT contagious, nor is it a disease. Obesity can be in some cases, genetic, but it is neither a disease or contagious.

theco805 said: If you are around others who eat very little at times, I think you are somewhat pressured to eat less.

I would agree, but that is a controllable issue that is at the will of the individual, not some invisible hand of social pressure that can't be resisted or denied.

theco805 said: The same would go for eating more.

I would agree.

theco805 said: Furthermore, lifestyles of friends and those around you closest tend to be the same, if your friends work out I think you are more likely to as well.

I would agree, and I also agree that social influence plays "a role" in our actions individually, however, the individual has the ability to control these social distractions at will.

theco805 said: I could also see this issue leading to a debate on peer pressure and nature verses nurture....

Exactly. Another skewed collection of information being used to foist and perpetrate bad laws, bad precedents and over-reaching government into peoples lives and abilties to regulate their own intake.

Pooey said: If this is flawed science then please give me your own expert conclusions from the results.

I shouldn't have said "flawed science". I should have said flawed or mischiveious use of science, to effect political and social change based on myth.

Pooey said: Further more, where's the source of this text?

I thought I posted the source.....

Here are several stories about the study:
Obesity Is Contagious, Study Finds - TIME
Obesity Is Contagious, Study Finds - TIME
BBC NEWS | Health | Obesity 'contagious', experts say
And so on and so on: Obesity 'socially contagious,' study finds
Bulgaria: Obesity "Contagious", Study Shows
Obesity contagious among friends, US study shows - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Two Studies Show Obesity Stigma Is Contagious - Through the Sallyport

Techno said: In the first place being overwieght is not a disease or sickness in the physical sense.

I agree, as does science.

Techno said: However part of the phychological addictions to such things is because they are 'mediums' through which people bond. When you sit down for a family meal it is a time for bonding, or if you "do lunch" with co-workers and so forth. Important events like Chirstmas often center around a big meal.

Agreed. All of these mediums are controllable however, by the partaking individuals.

[The Decider]

Quote by: Osborn F Enready They are framing the information though, as some type of "proof" that if you associate or have friends that are obese, you may suddenly become obese EVEN if you don't alter your lifestyle otherwise. Its absurd.

But is that what the study actually said? Even if someone doesn't alter their lifestyle (ie they continue exercising and eating healthy foods) they will become obese by hanging out with obese friends and family? The study, it seems to me, acknowledges the change of lifestyle (ie eating badly and in excess) as result of the "social contagion." Or maybe I misunderstood your point.

In any case, insurance companies have an incentive to fight the "disease" designation of obesity. Diseases require coverage and obesity coverage would force premiums to skyrocket. However, aren't bulimia and anorexia considered "diseases?" They involve bad food choices and behavior also, but the medical community treats these conditions as medical issues. Or for that matter, what about alcoholism? It wasn't that long ago that people considered alcoholism the result of "weak character" and personal choice. Today it is categorized as a disease by the medical community.

[Kamehameha34]

I think the first article acknowledged lifestyle, from what I read.

The best proof that friendship caused the weight gain, says Fowler, is that people were much more likely to pattern their own behavior on the actions of people they considered friends..

Obesity Is Contagious, Study Finds - TIME

[Osborn F Enready]

And exactly what I predicted comes true within days.....

Workers are told to shape up or pay up
To hold down medical costs, some firms are penalizing workers who are overweight or don't meet health guidelines.
Sign Up

This nation is becoming a corporate police state......

How long are you people going to keep sitting on your "fat" complacent rear-ends?

[inthemiddle]

funny thing is, that my best friend of over 7 years is overweight, and considered obese, over 350 lbs.

Me, and the two other guys in our group are all considered to be underweight.

And we hung out everyday for about 5 years, and he was my roomate in college.

I'm 5'9 141 lbs

This just proves that science has yet to reach it's peak, or even begin to show the amount of credibility that they try to project on us.

Yes, they do have some amzing things, but at this point, it appears as though we are in s stage where theres millions of different bits of information, all pointing in different directions.

Fat people might tend to seek out and be friends with fat people because of self esteem issues.

I believe (in general) the whole model of scientific theory and studies will need to change before we see greater success, as current scientific process and studies always seems to leave out hundreds of seperate conditions, and I think that we will all find that millions of factors play into illness, obesity, etc..
including but not limited to, gentics, lifestyle, diet, social reasons, etc

I feel that science will eventually find that no one person is going to be meant for the same diet as someone else, and that 2 people will inevitably respond somewhat differently to different stimuli.

Even then I always wonder how science will ever deal with the human problem, the fact that we can reason and solve problems uniquely, think differently, and that human behaiviors will always be prone to anomalies that go beyond prediction, math or reason.


in conclusion, this latest study is just another asinine study that proves science is going in the wrong direction.

[inthemiddle]

Quote by: Osborn F Enready And exactly what I predicted comes true within days..... Workers are told to shape up or pay up To hold down medical costs, some firms are penalizing workers who are overweight or don't meet health guidelines. Sign Up This nation is becoming a corporate police state...... How long are you people going to keep sitting on your "fat" complacent rear-ends?

And restaurants that can no longer serve transd fat foods...governemtn is rediculous.

As far as fat people at work, if that was my company and I was fat, I'd probably find good reason to stand up to them and

A: sue for discrimination
B Sue, and make them come up with or provide free gym access/and access to dieticians/ health planners
C: If the have vending machines on the premises you may be able to sue them for your fatness (although suing mcdonalds didnt seem to work for tose fat girls before)

and i'll probably think of more reaons that i could come up with to justify the hypocrisy in these type of measures.

give us treadmills instead of chairs and desks!

but I'd only sue for a small amount of money/ enough to cover the increased costs/penalties i had recieved. It be mostly to make a point.

[Osborn F Enready]

I am 6'1" tall, and weigh between 225 and 240, depending on the time of year and how closely I am sticking to my regular diet and how busy I am.

This idea is ridiculous, and the levels of its egregious ridiculousness are overwhelming.

[theco805]

Now that we have all see to come to a consensus regarding obesity as not being "contagious" or a "disease", but more of a personal lifestyle choice. (Please debate this, if you wish). I would be interested to know your guys' opinions on Medicare and other handicap/government disability benefits going to those who are obese.

Personally, I feel the government should not offer assistance or any disability benefits to one who chooses to be obese.

I find myself in a quandary though in regards to benefits to those who's obesity influences other actual medical problems such as heart conditions. They do have a medical condition that should and does receive government assistance, however I question the cause of their condition............

[ZNFYRH]

As long as they choose to be obese, any conditions that could be caused by obesity should not receive assistance.

Eliminate obesity as a possible cause, by not being obese any more, and then other causes can be addressed.

Even if the heart condition is chronic, obesity doesn't help.

[Osborn F Enready]

theco805 said: Now that we have all see to come to a consensus regarding obesity as not being "contagious" or a "disease", but more of a personal lifestyle choice. (Please debate this, if you wish).

I am not saying it is "only" a personal lifestyle choice. I am saying it is an individually controllable issue, while recognizing that some are naturally, or geneticly more inclined to be so.

theco805 said: I would be interested to know your guys' opinions on Medicare and other handicap/government disability benefits going to those who are obese.

I don't think government should be in the "safety net" or "insurance" business, period.

theco805 said: Personally, I feel the government should not offer assistance or any disability benefits to one who chooses to be obese.

I don't think it should offer any assistance or disability benefits to anyone,and I think that those promised benefits up until now should be paid, and it should be phased out of existence.

theco805 said: I find myself in a quandary though in regards to benefits to those who's obesity influences other actual medical problems such as heart conditions. They do have a medical condition that should and does receive government assistance, however I question the cause of their condition............

Which is one reason of many, government shouldn't be making these choices, or offering these services, which are outside its Constitutional sphere of authority.

[The Decider]

Quote by: theco805 Now that we have all see to come to a consensus regarding obesity as not being "contagious" or a "disease", but more of a personal lifestyle choice. (Please debate this, if you wish). I would be interested to know your guys' opinions on Medicare and other handicap/government disability benefits going to those who are obese. Personally, I feel the government should not offer assistance or any disability benefits to one who chooses to be obese.

Medicare covers bulimia, anorexia, and alcoholism---all diseases that involve some level of "personal lifestyle choice." Should Medicare cease covering those ailments too?

Obesity and its related health complications is costing our national economy multiple billions of dollars according to the Center for Disease Control. Should public health agencies and policies just ignore that reality?

Obesity and Overweight: Economic Consequences | DNPA | CDC

[Trotsky]

Quote by: Osborn F Enready How long are you people going to keep sitting on your "fat" complacent rear-ends?

This is the problem no? People have become so lazy, the solution to everybody's problems these days is to pop a pill and cure. My solution to the obesity problem................take responsibility for your own actions, stop eating so much shyte and get of yer fat ass and do some exercise, walk the dog, take the kids to the park, go for a bike ride....just get off yer lard ass. This will however make me unpopular with my employers

[Trotsky]

Quote by: The Decider Medicare covers bulimia, anorexia, and alcoholism---all diseases that involve some level of "personal lifestyle choice." Should Medicare cease covering those ailments too? Obesity and its related health complications is costing our national economy multiple billions of dollars according to the Center for Disease Control. Should public health agencies and policies just ignore that reality? Obesity and Overweight: Economic Consequences | DNPA | CDC

Anorexia and bulimia are not lifestyle choices, they are outward expressions of psychiatric problems.

[The Decider]

Quote by: Trotsky Anorexia and bulimia are not lifestyle choices, they are outward expressions of psychiatric problems.

I think you'll find many if not most overweight and obese people with similar or worse psychiatric/psychological problems, usually undiagnosed. Moderate to severe clinical depression is but one.

[theco805]

Looking over the recent debate, I see it has come again to the cause of the obesity and the consequences a raising high number of obese people have on our economy.

The link offered by The Decider on economic consequences, to me, appear to be severely limited to insurance and medical costs not all of our nation's economy. Looking at evidence of this one area of microeconomics, I find it hard to see the basis and backing for government money on obesity through various policies, medical/disability coverage included.

Responding to claims that anorexia, along with related conditions, and obesity are external indicators of internal psychiatric problems, I somewhat agree with these claims. However, each case is individual and needs to be dealt with on a personal basis by trained professionals not politicians or policy makers.

However, we are debating public policy here, so I will also offer my opinion on thus. In regards to government assistance to those exhibiting low-weight condition and over-weight conditions, I would stipulate the following:

1. Patient supported (financially or private insurance) of psychiatric evaluation regarding the cause of their abnormal weight
2. Medical assistance limited to life threatening conditions, as regularly provided to all
3. No assistance to those deemed obese without other regularly covered medical conditions or psychiatric diagnosis relating to their abnormal weight