Science Forums 2

[Nitack]

I have a question for all the people concerned with finding the "cause". Once you find the cause, what course of action is available to fix this at a macro level? I have been accused of thinking too small and at the individual or personal level, so what can you do at the macro level once we identify the cause?

Forced or coerced exercise: The notion of employers building exercise into our daily duties or building it into the job was decried. The notion was put forth that it may be unconstitutional (which it is not) but at the very least some people question the ethical implications of requiring people to exercise. So lets just say that this solution is objectionable by at least some of the population.

Forced or coerced dietary restriction: This would present the same ethical questions as the exercise option and probably more to boot. Easier to require a certain amount of exercise than to forbid some one to eat only a certain amount of only certain foods. Either way though, you do assault the ability of people to make their own decisions.

Pills: With over 50% of the population at least categorized as "overweight" and 34% of the adult population falling into the official category of "obese", a pharmaceutical solution seems to be the way to reach the broadest spectrum of people. However, there is already a very large distrust of the pharmaceutical industry and any such pill would be highly suspect. Additionally, every medication out there has side effects, and many are worse than the condition they treat. This option would also offer a way out that would not treat the cause (whatever that may be), but would treat the symptom (excess weight/weight gain). Lets not confuse this with a treatment for a medical condition like hypothyroidism or PCOS. Medications that treat those conditions treat the source of the issue and those types of conditions can not statistically be responsible for the bulging waste of over half of the population. A pharmaceutical option, is not a cure, but a treatment. We would lock our population into permanent pill popping, at a cost that can't be calculated, and it would not address the real problem. I have yet to see evidence that obesity is caused by a deficiency in the body of artificial compound XYZ.

Gene Therapy: If we were to discover that the cause is genetic, and that some people have a gene that is so powerful it can make them gain weight, despite efforts, what will we do about it? Not every genetic defect can be treated with gene therapy, but lets say this one can. Can we really say to a portion of the population "You are genetically defective" and treat them for it? Given the very real probability that this gene would run strong in some populations and not others, are you attacking the epidemic or certain segments of society? Should we be tampering with genetics on such a large scale? We are talking about over half the population here. Would this cross certain ethical boundaries related to designer babies (think Gattaca)? What if a pill can counteract the effects of these genes, are we treating them for a condition or treating them for being who they are at the genetic level? S

Specific Food Restrictions: And what if we found that this was a food chain based issue. Processed food, high fructose corn syrup, anything that is not raw (people advocate the raw diets), etc. Is there an ethical issue with dictating who may eat what just as dictating required exercise? Could we even stop it if we found it to be the issue. Do people have the right to make choices which are harmful to their own bodies? Smoking is perfectly legal, are we going to outlaw transfat, or HFCS?

Social Changes: And what if the problem does end up being just a manifestation of learned behaviors and societal changes over the past forty years? Show me a smoker who has not been told that it is harmful to their health. Find me an obese adult who can not demonstrate an understanding of a healthy diet and exercise. I think you would be hard pressed in either case. People know the dangers of obesity and what is needed to combat the problem if it is indeed only a matter of simply eating too much and not moving enough. If they are not afraid enough of a shortened life span, or don't have the will power to do something about it, what can be done on a macro level to change that? Can anything be done on a macro level to change that?

So, even if the cause is identified, how can we treat the problem at a macro level?