Obesity is not a medical problem, say doctors

Doctors today warned that obesity must not be treated as a medical problem - and fat people should instead just be told to eat less.

A group of London GPs from the British Medical Association are now calling on the body to issue formal guidance defining obesity as a "social" problem linked to unhealthy lifestyles and not as a disease.

The Barking and Havering local medical committee also warned that treatment was confusing and even dangerous because it meant people did not heed healthy eating messages.

Dr Bill Beeby, who is on the BMA's GP committee, said it was wrong for patients to rely on weight loss drugs as an easy '"cure" for being fat. He told the Standard: 'There's a growing trend to medicalise everything and to classify social problems as diseases.

"Doctors can't guide people around the supermarket and stop them putting things in their trolley. Obesity in children is not a medical problem --they just don't understand that if they eat lots of crisps, they will get fat."

The comments will fuel the debate over how to tackle Britain's obesity epidemic, which is costing £7billion a year in sick days and treatment.

They also come a day after Health Secretary Alan Johnson said that "vilifying" fat people would not make them lose weight. Mr Johnson also announced a new campaign focused on educating people about the health benefits of staying trim.

Tesco, Sainsbury's and the ITV are among groups in talks with the Government on ways of highlighting successful healthy eating messages.

Obesity remains the most significant health issue facing the country, but levels are highest in London.

Two-thirds of adults and a third of children are either overweight or obese, while in areas such as Southwark the proportion of obese children rises to 27 per cent. Nationally, almost 900,000 boys and girls - 17 per cent - are so overweight their health is in danger.

The crisis could cost the NHS £50billion by 2050 because of weightrelated health problems including diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Prescriptions have soared for weight loss drugs. These include orlistat and sibutramine as well as rimonabant, which has just been approved.

More than a million anti-obesity prescriptions are issued every year - more than eight times the number handed out nine years ago.

The BMA said the proposal on treating obesity as a social problem would be "borne in mind" when developing future policy.