Medical, Social and Financial Consequences & Risks of Being Overweight

A review abstracted from the professional literature

by Leo J. Borrell, M.D.

In order to make an informed decision about the long-term use of diet pills, the benefits and risks of being overweight must be weighed against the benefits and risks of using diet pills. This article describes the discrimination against overweight people and some of the risks of being overweight.

Discrimination of Overweight People - Impairs their chances of success The evidence of prejudice against overweight people is overwhelming. Here are a few examples.

1) School discrimination. Colleges have been shown to discriminate against overweight people. Obese high school students are less likely to get into a prestigious college than normal weight students of equal intelligence.

2) Job discrimination. Overweight people are discriminated against on the job. Employers rated obese employees as less desirable when compared to normal weight employees of equal ability. Obese job applicants were rated as having poorer work habits, more likely to miss work, and more likely to fake an illness than non-obese applicants.

After viewing videotaped job interviews of several applicants with equal qualifications, people rated obese applicants to be:

- less qualified

- less likely to be hired

- having poorer work habits

- more likely to fake an illness and stay home from work

- more likely to have emotional problems

- more likely to have problems with fellow workers

44% of employers said they would not hire an obese person under some circumstances; another 16% said they would not hire an obese person under any circumstance.

3) Financial Problems. Obese women were also found to earn $6,700 less than normal weight women. According to a 1974 survey, every extra pound of fat on an executive cost him/her $1,000 a year in salary.

Marriage and relationships. There is a discrimination against overweight people when it comes to likelihood of marriage.

Obese women in their 20’s were 20% less likely to be married than normal weight women. Obese men of the same age were 11% less likely to be married. According to a survey, college students would rather marry a cocaine user, a shoplifter, and a communist before they would marry an obese person.

Doctors’ prejudice. Doctors have also been shown to exhibit a prejudice against overweight people. A group of physicians described their patients who were obese as “weak-willed”, “ugly”, and “awkward”.

Prejudice starts early. Even young children have been shown to be prejudiced against overweight people. Children 6 years old and younger described an obese child shown in silhouette as “lazy, dirty, stupid, ugly, cheats, and liars.”

A drawing of an obese child was considered to be the least likeable by children and adults when compared to: a normal weight child, a child with missing hands, and a child with facial disfigurement. Even obese people rated the obese child as least likeable!

Being overweight is a terrible burden. Most people believe obesity is caused by over-indulgence and lack of will power, an example of personal failure. But is it?

 Health Risks vs Benefits

Being overweight is associated with serious health risks. Researchers have said that obesity (defined as being more than 20% over one’s ideal weight) may be the most important nutritional disorder in the world.

Overweight patients who lose as little as 10% of their weight gain significant health benefits. In a retrospective analysis (looking back after an event has happened) of type 2 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients it was concluded that for each 2.2 lbs of weight loss life span increased by 3 to 4 months. A weight loss of 22 lbs increased life expectancy by about 35%!

When used properly, diet pills can be very beneficial in promoting weight loss while posing very little risk. As with any medicine, the benefits should outweigh the risks.

• Being more than 20% over your ideal weight (BMI greater than 26) results in a 154% greater risk of heart disease and a 53%greater risk of cancer than the person with an ideal weight

• People who are 10 to 19% over their ideal weight are 27% more likely to die than people of the same age who are less than 2% over their ideal weight.

• Women who are more than 40% over their ideal weight are almost 8 times as likely to die from diabetes compared to women of the same age who are of ideal weight.

• Women who are more than 40% over their ideal weight are about 50% more likely to die from breast cancer compared to women of the same age who are of ideal weight.

• Women who are more than 40% over their ideal weight are about 5 times as likely to die from cancer of the uterus compared to women of the same age who are of ideal weight

You have my permission to use this article on your webpage or to distribute it, as long as you acknowledge that this was developed by Dr. Leo J. Borrell of the Weight Loss for Life Program: (713)850-0023 - Positive Changes for Health & Beauty