The pros and cons of obesity officially being a disease

While other groups have considered obesity to be a disease for some time now, the same statement coming from the world's largest medical body carries a great deal more weight (no pun intended).  Last week on Wednesday, June 19, the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to officially recognize obesity as a disease, which could radically change how the condition is treated by both doctors and policy makers alike.  Despite its name, the AMA's decision has spurred discussion way beyond national borders, with headlines popping up the world over on how it will effect the international medical community - both the good and bad.

At face value, this could mean only good things - stigma could decrease, public health initiatives would see more support (such as Mayor Bloomberg's fight against high fat content foods) and insurance companies would have to cover the cost of more obesity related health issues.  The decision also has the potential to be a great help in combating childhood obesity, providing the much needed impetus for enacting change in the social and educational environments that contribute to it.  Starting education about a healthy lifestyle at an early age is much easier to pitch to schools and parents when it's less about simply staying fit and more about preventing a chronic disease such as obesity.  In India, where obesity related conditions are among the leading causes of preventable death, physicians are hoping that the new classification will increase pressure on insurance companies to pay for life saving surgery.

However, while reducing society's stigma and "it's their own fault" attitude toward obesity is a good thing, some worry that it could begin to erode personal responsibility as well - "it's not due to eating too much or exercising too little, it's all medical."  Creating a new medical condition also traditionally raises the cost of health insurance and care, placing additional strain on the healthcare system that some believe is already obesity related without the disease classification.  

So, in conclusion - good thing or bad? Like the condition itself, it's too complicated with too many factors to categorize so simply.