title: Obesity as a Disease.
abstract: In recent years, obesity and related medical conditions have become leading public health concerns worldwide. Policy measures to combat or prevent obesity have been instated in a number of countries, with varying degrees of success. To stress the importance of obesity as a health issue, many professional health organizations, including the American Medical Association, have defined obesity itself as a disease. While this may be somewhat controversial, the high risk of comorbid conditions in obese individuals, the significant changes from healthy physiology that are present in the obese state, and the need for further public policies to address the public health threat and economic impact of obesity in the population are strong supporting arguments to label obesity as a disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Beth Israel Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 55 East 34th St., New York, NY, 10016, USA. mvia@chpnet.org.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Via
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Mechanick
keywords: Obesity as a disease; Obesity pathophysiology; Public Health Policy