- Findings influenced by economic interests - For example, Xavier Pi-Sunyer, the chair of the panel, sits on the advisory board of American Home Products, Wyeth-Ayerst labs, and Knoll Pharmaceuticals. He was a consultant to Hoffman La-Roche, Knoll, Genetech, Eli Lilly and Weight Watchers International. He sits on a board created by Knoll Pharmaceuticals to provide research grants, and is an advisor to the American Obesity Association, which is also funded by the commercial weight loss and pharmaceutical industries. (Source: New Jersey Star Ledger)
- Once again, focus is on weight rather than health - In 1992, an NIH consensus panel concluded that dietary and behavioral treatments for weight loss had a 95% failure rate. It is ludicrous and dangerous to create public health policy encouraging people to lose weight. For example, research shows that blood pressure increases with weight regain following weight loss; with the failure rate of weight loss attempts, weight regain is inevitable, so it is dangerous to prescribe weight loss for people with high blood pressure. However, co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and elevated blood glucose can be improved independent of weight loss, through changes in dietary habits and increased exercise. Changes in dietary and exercise habits are routinely prescribed for average size people with these conditions; it only makes sense that they should also be prescribed to fat people.
- Redefining "overweight" is arbitrary - The definitions of "overweight" and "obese" change every few years. In changing the definitions, the NIH is responding to pressure from the World Health Organization, which adopted this definition some time ago - despite there being little evidence of increased health risk with a BMI of 25 - 26.9. This redefinition means that 25 million more people are now considered "overweight," which means many more customers for the annual $33 billion weight loss industry.
- Advocating drug therapy is dangerous - Two years ago, researchers and public health officials were pushing Redux and fen/phen; these drugs were found to cause primary pulmonary hypertension, neurotoxicity, and valvular heart disease. The new diet drug, Meridia, received FDA approval against the recommendations of the FDA advisory panel, and is not recommended for use in people with hypertension or diabetes.
- Recommendations to doctors put patients at risk - Research indicates that, because of physicians' focus on weight, fat patients already delay seeking health care. By recommending that physicians advocate weight loss to their patients and determine their waist circumference, the NIH is ensuring that even more people will refuse to seek preventative health care and delay receiving care for a given condition.
The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance is a non-profit organization founded in 1969. NAAFA's goals are to end discrimination based on body size and to empower people all sizes of large. NAAFA works toward its goals through public education, advocacy, and member support. NAAFA Executive Director Sally Smith can be reached at (916) 558-6880.