Is obesity a disease? How could it be better defined? These questions have made waves in the medical community for decades. In a 42-page article, entitled "Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity," published in The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology, 56 global experts have just come up with some answers to them. "The idea of obesity as a disease is at the center of one of the most controversial and polarising debates in modern medicine," they acknowledged.

Today, a person is considered obese if they have a body mass index (BMI – calculated by dividing someone's weight, in kilograms, by the square of their height, in meters) of 30 or higher. However, opinions differ between those who argue that obesity is a disease and those who instead see it as a risk factor for other diseases. "At some point, we must acknowledge that this is a real disease, with causes and consequences that need to be prevented and treated. Genetic factors and social conditioning are powerful processes, and we should no longer consider people in situations of obesity as solely responsible for their behavior," said Olivier Ziegler, a nutritionist at the obesity center of the regional university hospital in the eastern French city of Nancy.

You have 81.33% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.