I’ve spent three posts detailing the internal and external causes of obesity: appetite, metabolism, and our environment. The next question is: why do we care? Why should we concern ourselves about treating obesity? Not just vanity Beauty and weight have a complicated social position. Over the centuries, the ideal shape, size, and fatness of “beauty”…
All posts tagged obesity
The Disease of Obesity, Part Three
In my previous two posts, I discussed appetite and metabolism. This post will focus on the many ways the typical American environment is weight-promoting. Changes in our daily lives, occupations, neighborhood walkability, and food supply all contribute to the increasing rate of obesity. Our food supply We have long suspected that there is something amiss…
The Disease of Obesity, Part Two
In my last post, I discussed the complexity of appetite. This post will cover another important topic: metabolism. Metabolism is a very complicated topic by itself. The Krebs Cycle has terrorized biology and medical students for decades. Metabolism is a dance of hormones, receptors, signals, and activity. Thankfully, I’m not going to subject you to…
The Disease of Obesity, Part One
The outgoing Biden administration recently proposed a new rule to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage. This rule, published on November 26, 2024, would finally allow for Medicare and Medicaid to treat obesity using anti-obesity medications. As of the time I am writing this, only 13 state Medicaid programs cover the cost of medications used to…