The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) believes that children should not be referred to as obese by the medical industry, government, or anybody else. NAAFA believes that referring to children as obese creates an environment in which children feel shame about their bodies. According to NAAFA, the stigmatization of large children has increased over the last 30 years. In fact, overweight children are more likely to be both victims and perpetrators of bullying, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. Obese children were more than twice as likely to be intentionally left out of social activities as their normal-weight peers. When obese children were asked to rate their quality of life, they ranked their happiness as low as young cancer patients, reportedly because of teasing and weight-related health problems.
NAAFA would prefer to embrace a variety of body types, even those that are larger, while encouraging healthy eating and physical activity. Medical professionals use the statistics about stigmatizing obese children and the emotional damage it is likely to cause as an additional reason to encourage weight loss. No one knows for sure whether removing the label of obese when referring to an obese child will make the child feel more comfortable with his or her body, but the issue can raise sensitivity about the stigmatization these children are likely to experience.
Although there is much that scientists do not understand about this disease, it is clear that weight and physical activity play a role. The more fatty tissue that a person has, the more resistant his or her body’s cells will be to insulin. Being sedentary is also a risk factor. Physical activity not only controls weight but also helps to burn glucose and is believed to help the body be more sensitive to insulin.
To understand best how obesity and type 2 diabetes are linked, it is important to understand how glucose works in the body. Glucose is the source of energy for the body’s cells and comes primarily from food. After eating, insulin, which is a hormone, is released from the pancreas into the bloodstream. Insulin is like a gatekeeper for the sugar to get into the cells. Without insulin, the bloodstream could be full of sugar but a person’s cells could not access it and he or she would feel lethargic. In a properly working pancreas, insulin levels decrease in response to a drop in blood sugar levels. When the blood sugar dips too low, perhaps because too much time has elapsed since the last meal, the liver releases stored glucose to keep glucose levels at the appropriate range. For people with type 2 diabetes, this careful balancing act does not work properly, resulting in a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream or a potentially fatal situation if the blood glucose falls too low.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate the body’s blood sugar level. If the blood sugar is not kept in control, this excess blood sugar may deposit in areas of the body and cause severe long-term consequences. People with diabetes are more prone to heart disease, blindness, kidney damage, and nerve damage.
This nerve damage is referred to as diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy can cause tingling or even the loss of feeling in arms, feet, or any part of the body. This loss of feeling can enable cuts to go unnoticed, which can lead to infections. These infections can become so severe that amputation is the only treatment. Diabetic neuropathy is more common among diabetics who have had diabetes for more than 25 years, those who are overweight, and those who have poorly controlled blood sugar levels. In addition to neuropathy, type 2 diabetes also increases a person’s risk of heart disease, blindness, and kidney damage.
Source: "Drugs The Straight Facts: Weight-Loss Drugs," Chelsea House, 2009
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