the condition of being grossly fat or overweight.
Questions tagged [obesity]
26 questions
60
votes
2 answers
Are statistics in controversial Australian antigay posters true?
According to the photo of an anti-gay poster depicted here:
92% of children of gay parents are abused
51% have depression
72% are obese
My questions:
Are these stats supported by other studies? If not, how much do they deviate from other…
Paul Smith
- 1,131
- 2
- 9
- 10
44
votes
2 answers
Are obese patients in the US commonly sent to zoos for CT scans?
Nothing like the Daily Mail for raising an eyebrow:
The bizarre requests to use CT scanners, normally intended for four-legged animals, at the UK’s leading veterinary college in north London were revealed as hospitals face pressure to adapt beds…
Fizz
- 57,051
- 18
- 175
- 291
21
votes
3 answers
Is obesity a disease?
A northern Indiana hospital that erected billboards with the message “Obesity is a Disease. Not a Decision” is facing a backlash from people offended by the signs’ suggestion that obesity isn’t a lifestyle choice.
I am sceptical of the notion that…
Alan B
- 604
- 4
- 9
21
votes
1 answer
Do high-fat diets causes heart disease?
This article in The Guardian alleges that the nutritional science establishment has spent the last 4 decades claiming that fatty diets cause heart disease when in fact sugar is largely to blame. The article presents this as a case of eminence-based…
Paul Johnson
- 15,814
- 7
- 66
- 81
20
votes
1 answer
Is the chance of an obese person attaining normal body weight 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women?
@GoogleFacts wrote in a tweet:
The chance of an obese person attaining normal body weight is 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, according to a new study.
Are those numbers accurate?
Christian
- 33,271
- 15
- 112
- 266
16
votes
3 answers
Is the United States the fattest country in the world?
It is often said that the United States is the fattest country in the world. Is it? Does it depend on how one measures fatness?
Sam I Am
- 8,775
- 7
- 48
- 71
15
votes
2 answers
Does smoking prevent obesity and diabetes?
In a letter to The Guardian newspaper artist and pro-tobacco campaigner David Hockney suggests that there could be a link between not smoking and being obese or having diabetes.
Is there a link between the decline of smoking and the rise of obesity…
Tom77
- 11,605
- 8
- 61
- 87
14
votes
2 answers
Does gliadin in wheat stimulate appetite to the point of obesity?
Dr William Davis claims that the protein gliadin in wheat (at least, strains grown since the '60s or so) stimulates appetite, leading to obesity. He has released a book on the topic, called Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your…
Highly Irregular
- 1,266
- 3
- 14
- 28
12
votes
1 answer
Is obesity contagious?
Gina Kolata wrote in the NYTimes in the article Study Says Obesity Can Be Contagious in 2007:
Obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus,
researchers are reporting today. When a person gains weight, close
friends tend to gain…
Christian
- 33,271
- 15
- 112
- 266
11
votes
1 answer
Do obese adults use 42% more health care than healthy-weight adults?
In a New York Post Opinion piece the following claim was made:
An obese adult uses 42 percent more health care than a healthy-weight adult, and a morbidly obese adult uses a staggering 81 percent more, according to the Robert Wood Johnson…
user11643
11
votes
1 answer
Does a tax on drinks with high sugar content reduce sugar consumption?
The UK government is introducing a sugar tax on soft drinks with more than 5g per 100ml of sugar.
Coca-Cola claims that this "flies in the face of evidence from around the world"
A longer quote:
He said it was a “disappointment” that the government…
Tim
- 3,866
- 2
- 22
- 38
11
votes
0 answers
Do obese people have lower lifetime healthcare costs?
I've always been told that obesity is a drain a country's healthcare system...and it's generally accepted as fact. In online debates I frequently see reference to this. I remember seeing news reports on 'The Cost Of Obesity' that say obese people…
Rob P.
- 993
- 1
- 8
- 12
10
votes
1 answer
Do body piercings lead to fat gain?
A Facebook friend was concerned by this report
Don’t get pierced! Body piercings can raise cortisol levels and lead to fat gain, and no site is as susceptible to fat gain as your abs! If you have a navel piercing, remove it and chances are you’ll…
Oddthinking
- 140,378
- 46
- 548
- 638
9
votes
3 answers
Is diet soda making older people fat?
This article I read states that in adults over the age of 65 diet soda consumption triples waist circumference gain over people who did not consume diet sodas. Study: Diet Soda May Be Making You Fat:
According to a study published in the Journal of…
Himarm
- 4,297
- 5
- 23
- 44
9
votes
1 answer
Do consumer-grade body-fat scales provide consistent results?
There are weight scales that additionally claim to measure body fat by electrical resistance. According to this article, body-fat scales are "absolutely" superior to just-weight scales, although the article ads the reasonable caveat that one should…
Larry OBrien
- 15,105
- 2
- 70
- 97