Reacción a "Focusing solely on weight loss to treat obesity may be more harmful than beneficial"

Obesity is not a choice or the result of a lack of willpower. In this sense, the article emphasises the idea of moving away from addressing this problem through individual strategies such as weight loss interventions. Evidence supports the view that, at the individual level, these types of interventions generate guilt and damage physical (e.g. eating disorders) and mental (e.g. anxiety or depression) health.

At the population level, they promote social stigma. And, as the review also points out, they have not even been shown to be effective or sustainable strategies—either in the medium or long term—for reducing the burden of disease or the social or economic costs associated with obesity.

Beyond individual behaviours, the important thing would be to focus on the collective. In other words, think about living conditions (how much does it cost to eat healthily? How much time is available for cooking? What kind of menus are offered in schools, hospitals, or nursing homes?). Obesity, like most health problems, follows a clear social gradient: those who are most vulnerable are the most affected. In fact, the WHO has estimated that, in Europe, inequalities in educational attainment may account for up to 26% of obesity in men and up to 50% in women.