From Medical News Today:
The causes of obesity are complex and individual, but it is clear that chronic overeating plays a fundamental role. But when this behaviour becomes compulsive and out of control, it is often classified as “food addiction” – a label that has generated considerable controversy, according to a McMaster University psychiatrist and obesity researcher.
In a commentary appearing in the Dec. 21, 2009, issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), Dr. Valerie Taylor, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster and director of the Bariatric Surgery Psychiatry Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and her co-authors argue that food addiction in some individuals may be a reality and needs to be considered in the management of weight problems.
“The concept of addiction is complex, and the delineation of its defining characteristics has fostered considerable debate,” Taylor and her co-authors write. “Despite a lack of consensus, researchers nevertheless agree that the process involves a compulsive pattern of use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.”
Food addiction can be compared to other addictive behaviours, as both food and drugs can cause tolerance, or an increase in the amount required to achieve intoxication or satiety. Withdrawal symptoms such as mood changes can occur after discontinuing drugs or during dieting. As well, after gastric surgery for obesity, a subset of patients exhibit other addictive behaviours.
“The concept of addiction does not negate the role of free will and personal choice,” Taylor and co-authors write. “It may, however, provide insight into why a some individuals with obesity continue to struggle.”
The authors conclude that therapies traditionally applied to the area of addiction may be helpful in managing weight problems, which are often viewed through the same lens.
“The current ‘blame’ mentality that is often applied to individuals with obesity needs to be re-examined,” the authors write. “Although medicine may not yet accept compulsive overeating as an addiction, we cannot ignore evidence highlighting the role played by biologic vulnerability and environmental triggers.”
So there’s a new report out yesterday that projects 103 million Americans will be obese by 2018 — that’s 43% — up from 31% in 2008. That’s quite an increase, and imagine the costs associated with the co-morbidities that are associated with obesity..
Mr. Thorpe concluded that the prevalence of obesity is growing faster than that of any other public health condition in the country’s history. Health care costs related to obesity — which is associated with conditions like hypertension and diabetes — would total $344 billion in 2018, or more than one in five dollars spent on health care, if the trends continue. If the obesity rate were held to its current level, the country would save nearly $200 billion a year by 2018, according to the study.
So while reading this little article — and thanks Eggface for linking it up — I remembered an article I read last year – this one right here that called Bariatric surgery “cost effective” !! Heya, this might be an answer!
The cost of the most common type of weight-loss surgery, which typically runs between $17,000 and $26,000, is offset within two to four years by medical cost savings, according to a new study.
The findings, published in the September issue of the American Journal of Managed Care, may increase pressure on health-insurance companies to cover gastric bypass surgery. Some insurance plans specifically exclude weight-loss surgery, despite medical evidence of its effectiveness as a treatment not just for obesity, but also for related conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
“The most cost-effective treatment for obesity is bariatric surgery. If you do that, within two to four years, you will get your money back,” said the study’s lead author, Pierre-Yves Crémieux, a health economist and principal at Analysis Group Inc., an economic consulting firm in Boston. “We have identified the break-even point for insurers,” he added.
So maybe, just maybe we can get people to listen? Fixing obesity with a gut-rerouting can be a cost-effective solution. I don’t advocate it for everyone — those who won’t take care of themselves, follow the vitamin regimen, etc. shouldn’t get sliced and diced. I know, hard to weed out the crazies. But here, here is a way to help cut health care costs that people are bitching about in the country. Rather than tell those of us who have the surgery that we shouldn’t do this, doctors should help us and learn more about it, and hey, maybe even educate more patients about it to help save lives.
Well, a girl can dream, right?
