For Immediate Release
July 25, 2007
Oakland, CA – The report released today by the New England Journal
of Medicine is flawed. These so-called researchers took collected
data from an existing study whose focus was not on weight and size,
the same study just used to report that diet soda is just as bad for
you as regular soda, did some data mining and presented selected
results tailored to support their own prejudices. None of their
statistics are standard. Shame on the New England Journal of
Medicine for publishing this insidious report. This is one more
attempt to create hysteria, hatred, fear and prejudice toward fat
people.
As an example of the misinformation, this report stated, "The fact
that the increase in obesity during this period cannot be explained
by genetics…." More and more legitimate research is finding the
genetic link to size. Let's look at an example. Studies by Dr.
Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania showed that:
• 70 percent of the variation in peoples' weights may be
accounted for by inheritance, meaning weight is more strongly
inherited than nearly any other condition, including mental illness,
breast cancer or heart disease.
• There is a clear relation between the body-mass index of
biologic parents and the weight class of adoptees, suggesting that
genetic influences are important determinants of body fatness.
• There is no relation between the body-mass index of adoptive
parents and the weight class of adoptees, suggesting that childhood
family environment has little or no effect on body size."
• Identical twins have nearly identical body mass indexes,
whether they have been reared apart or together.
Bob Schwartz, author of Diets Don't Work found that by putting his
thin clients on weight-loss diets, they gained weight. Maybe we
should take a closer look at the influence of weight loss dieting.
Quite possibly when thin friends go on diets with their fat friends
to lend their support, they end up gaining weight. It has already
been proven that pounds lost plus additional pounds are regained
after one has stopped the severe restrictions of weight loss dieting
in more than 95% of dieters.
We already know that fat people are discriminated against on their
jobs and by insurance and healthcare providers. We believe that
this report indicates that thin people tend to exclude fat people
from their social networks and now proves that there is social
discrimination against people of size. We believe that this report
encourages even further discrimination against fat people. It's
time to stop the discrimination now!
Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit human rights organization
dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA
works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat
people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education,
advocacy, and member support.
On the web: http://www.naafa.org
For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director
National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA)
E-mail: naafa_pr@yahoo.com
July 25, 2007
Oakland, CA – The report released today by the New England Journal
of Medicine is flawed. These so-called researchers took collected
data from an existing study whose focus was not on weight and size,
the same study just used to report that diet soda is just as bad for
you as regular soda, did some data mining and presented selected
results tailored to support their own prejudices. None of their
statistics are standard. Shame on the New England Journal of
Medicine for publishing this insidious report. This is one more
attempt to create hysteria, hatred, fear and prejudice toward fat
people.
As an example of the misinformation, this report stated, "The fact
that the increase in obesity during this period cannot be explained
by genetics…." More and more legitimate research is finding the
genetic link to size. Let's look at an example. Studies by Dr.
Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania showed that:
• 70 percent of the variation in peoples' weights may be
accounted for by inheritance, meaning weight is more strongly
inherited than nearly any other condition, including mental illness,
breast cancer or heart disease.
• There is a clear relation between the body-mass index of
biologic parents and the weight class of adoptees, suggesting that
genetic influences are important determinants of body fatness.
• There is no relation between the body-mass index of adoptive
parents and the weight class of adoptees, suggesting that childhood
family environment has little or no effect on body size."
• Identical twins have nearly identical body mass indexes,
whether they have been reared apart or together.
Bob Schwartz, author of Diets Don't Work found that by putting his
thin clients on weight-loss diets, they gained weight. Maybe we
should take a closer look at the influence of weight loss dieting.
Quite possibly when thin friends go on diets with their fat friends
to lend their support, they end up gaining weight. It has already
been proven that pounds lost plus additional pounds are regained
after one has stopped the severe restrictions of weight loss dieting
in more than 95% of dieters.
We already know that fat people are discriminated against on their
jobs and by insurance and healthcare providers. We believe that
this report indicates that thin people tend to exclude fat people
from their social networks and now proves that there is social
discrimination against people of size. We believe that this report
encourages even further discrimination against fat people. It's
time to stop the discrimination now!
Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit human rights organization
dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA
works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat
people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education,
advocacy, and member support.
On the web: http://www.naafa.org
For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director
National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA)
E-mail: naafa_pr@yahoo.com
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