يحاولGOLD- Free

Are we thinking about obesity all wrong?
The Straits Times|September 23, 2024
Experts are rushing to redefine obesity amid soaring demand for new weight loss drugs.
- Iulia Belluz
Are we thinking about obesity all wrong?

"Obesity is a disease," Oprah Winfrey declared after disclosing her weight loss with an Ozempic-like drug. "It's a brain disease," a prominent obesity doctor explained on a "60 Minutes" episode about the drugs. "Obesity is disease" even has its own discover page on TikTok.

The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization share that view, but whether obesity should be considered a disease has been referred to by health experts as "one of the most polarizing topics in modern medicine". Even Jens Jul Holst, a discoverer of the hormone that drugs like Ozempic mimic, told me he isn't sure what to call obesity. "Whether it's a disease in its own right is a very difficult question," he said. Finally, this dispute is coming to a head amid soaring demand for new weight loss medicines, as expert groups around the world rush to define what it means to have obesity.

At the heart of the debate: the medical community has never provided a precise definition for obesity as a disease. It's typically understood as an excess of body fat, using body mass index, or BMI, to gauge who has too much. But BMI - a person's weight divided by the square of their height - was never meant to be used as a diagnostic tool and can't determine whether someone is healthy or sick. And there's no consensus on the signs and symptoms that make obesity an illness the way high blood sugar levels are used to diagnose Type 2 diabetes, or chest pain and irregular imaging to tell if someone has heart disease.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 23, 2024 من The Straits Times.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 23, 2024 من The Straits Times.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE STRAITS TIMES مشاهدة الكل
The Straits Times

Torque Shop

I am considering getting my first electric vehicle (EV). Are charging stations car-specific or usable by all brands? Do high-powered chargers pose greater safety risks?

time-read
1 min  |
January 11, 2024
The Straits Times

Probation for teen boy who worked with 2 girls 'offering sex' to extort cash

A teenage boy worked with two girls who pretended to offer sex for cash- and extorted $450 from a victim who expressed his interest in engaging such services.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2024
PALATIAL PALAZZO RESTORED
The Straits Times

PALATIAL PALAZZO RESTORED

The second floor of this 12th-century palazzo in Genoa, Italy, had once been the grandest part of the seven-storey palace, with the highest ceiling, the tallest windows and the most elaborate painted decoration.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 11, 2024
The Straits Times

Meta Knew It Used Pirated Books To Train AI, Authors Say

Meta Platforms used pirated versions of copyrighted books to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems with approval from its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, a group of authors alleged in newly disclosed court papers.

time-read
1 min  |
January 11, 2024
Raspy-voiced hit machine Rod Stewart turns 80
The Straits Times

Raspy-voiced hit machine Rod Stewart turns 80

Singer Rod Stewart, who helped British rock conquer the world with a string of mega hits, turned 80 on Jan 10 and has no plans to slow down.

time-read
1 min  |
January 11, 2024
The Straits Times

Actor Alec Baldwin Sues Prosecutors, Sheriff's Officials Over Rust Case

American actor Alec Baldwin sued New Mexico prosecutors and sheriff's office officials on Jan. 9, alleging a \"malicious\" prosecution against him for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western movie Rust.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2024
J-Hope to kick off first solo world tour, with April stop in S'pore
The Straits Times

J-Hope to kick off first solo world tour, with April stop in S'pore

South Korean rapper J-Hope of K-pop sensation BTS is coming to Singapore in April.

time-read
1 min  |
January 11, 2024
Buy a fraction of artwork from $1,000
The Straits Times

Buy a fraction of artwork from $1,000

Invest in a piece of high-value Singapore art from just $1,000, and reap the profits when it is sold for a higher price on the art market under a new fractional art ownership scheme.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2024
SSO's chamber series showcases East European rarities in fun, tuneful evening
The Straits Times

SSO's chamber series showcases East European rarities in fun, tuneful evening

The first classical concert of the year appeared more forbidding on paper than the actual listening.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2024
Music bars for your listening pleasure
The Straits Times

Music bars for your listening pleasure

Lounges which focus on a high-quality sound system that plays vinyl records are opening in New York and elsewhere

time-read
3 mins  |
January 11, 2024

نحن نستخدم ملفات تعريف الارتباط لتقديم خدماتنا وتحسينها. باستخدام موقعنا ، فإنك توافق على ملفات تعريف الارتباط. يتعلم أكثر