Science Sound Bite: A Scientific Look at “Young, Obese and in Surgery” by Anemona Hartocollis

 

This post is a response to Young, Obese and in Surgery by Anemona Hartocollis of the NYTimes

In the majority of cases, trying to “cure” obesity with surgery to shrink the stomach is like trying to “cure” allergies with surgery to shrink the lungs.

Why?

Researchers have proven that overeating isn’t the cause of obesity. Overeating is a symptom of a deeper hormonal issue, which is caused by low food and exercise quality. Obesity is no more of a quantity problem than allergies are. The cause is quality of what’s going into the body…not the quantity.

Regardless of the size of a person’s stomach, if it’s filled with low-quality food, that person’s health will suffer and their body fat percentage will rise in the long term.

We don’t solve problems by treating symptoms (overeating). We solve problems by fixing causes (repairing hormones). Fortunately, researchers have proven that we solve the hormonal problem causing obesity by eating more—but higher-quality food—and doing less—but higher-quality—exercise.