How should we cut obesity?

[ZARDOZ]

Start by banning trans-fats, they are in almost all cheap foods the body cannot process them properly, and they have been linked to some cancers. IRRC Marks and Spencer eliminated all trans-fats from their lines, places like ASDA they are in almost everything.


Trans Fats

[Eirikur]

Fat people (the ones that have only themselves to blame) should pay a higher % of NI, so should smokers btw

[SueEllen]

Fat people (the ones that have only themselves to blame) should pay a higher % of NI, so should smokers btw

Smokers are taxed on their cigarettes anyway. So no more tax is needed.

Pre-cooked meals, fizz drinks, fruit juices and junk food have 17.5% VAT on them.

[d000hg]

Fat people (the ones that have only themselves to blame) should pay a higher % of NI, so should smokers btw

How are you going to define 'fat'? Some arbitrary metric the government puts in place for what is OK and what is not?

What about people who are two skinny? Or drive a car? Or get pregnant? Those are all medically risky too.

People who eat themselves into an early grave also don't get old, which probably SAVES the NHS money because I'm sure post retirement age is when the bulk of a typical person's healthcare is needed.

[vetran]

Fat people (the ones that have only themselves to blame) should pay a higher % of NI, so should smokers btw

should we penalise those that eat these then?

Microwave Popcorn - 50 Seemingly Healthy Foods that are Bad for You | Shape Magazine

We need to make manufacturers stop messing with food for more profit.

[ZARDOZ]

How are you going to define 'fat'? Some arbitrary metric the government puts in place for what is OK and what is not?

What about people who are two skinny? Or drive a car? Or get pregnant? Those are all medically risky too.

People who eat themselves into an early grave also don't get old, which probably SAVES the NHS money because I'm sure post retirement age is when the bulk of a typical person's healthcare is needed.

Obese and Morbidly Obese are quite clearly defined and fairly obvious. We are not talking an overweight BMI of 25-30

As for saves the NHS, that's not really true is it. A bariatric hospital bed for example can cost about 20k over 10 times the cost of a normal bed. The cost of the care is higher, as more nursing is needed. Treatments for all the associated illneses plus disability payments= 100,000s over the reduced lifetime of someone who is in that state.

Meanwhile a healthy person is going to consume a fraction of those resources for a reduced period of time and pay much more into the system.

Obesity will kill the NHS unless something is done.

[The Spartan]

Obese and Morbidly Obese are quite clearly defined and fairly obvious. We are not talking an overweight BMI of 25-30

As for saves the NHS, that's not really true is it. A bariatric hospital bed for example costs about 20k over 10 times the cost of a normal bed. The cost of the care is higher, as more nursing is needed. Treatments for all the associated illneses plus disability payments= 100,000s over the reduced lifetime of someone who is in that state.

Meanwhile a healthy person is going to consume a fraction of those resources for a reduced period of time and pay much more into the system.

Obesity will kill the NHS unless something is done.

Whoa there my BMI is over 30 and I'm not overweight but I see what you're saying, about a fornight ago on the radio I heard that 500 people under the age of 25 were given bariatric surgery at a cost of 5k per operation because allegedly it saves money in the long run.

[ZARDOZ]

Whoa there my BMI is over 30 and I'm not overweight but I see what you're saying, about a fornight ago on the radio I heard that 500 people under the age of 25 were given bariatric surgery at a cost of 5k per operation because allegedly it saves money in the long run.

My wife works in the NHS and this is becoming a massive problem (no pun intended). Beds are getting clogged up with people who have eaten themselves into very poor health and limited mobility. She hasn't much time for them especially when she sees first hand how much money and time is wasted dealing with it, quite often the sense of entitlement is high and the awareness of the externalities on wider society is low.

[d000hg]

Well clearly people with a "sense of entitlement" shouldn't be treated at all. Does your wife find time to ask how much their houses are worth while giving them sub-standard treatment based on her sneering judgemental attitude?

[OwlHoot]

Yes, including coffee in the list sounds pretty nonsensical, because that is likely to make you more active and burn extra calories.

Although if it makes you insomniac, so you sleep fewer hours each day, that can paradoxically put on weight.

and right on cue

2014-11-17 Chemical in coffee may help prevent obesity-related disease