Being obese causes cancer but...

Minusorange · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:02

We can't say this because it's fat shaming

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48826850

Obesity now causes more cases of four common cancers in the UK than smoking, according to a charity.

Cancer Research UK says bowel, kidney, ovarian and liver cancers are more likely to have been caused by being overweight than by smoking tobacco.

It says millions are at risk of cancer because of their weight and that obese people outnumber smokers two to one.

But its new billboard campaign highlighting the obesity-cancer risk has been criticised for fat-shaming.

Maybe we should tax the fatties like we tax the smokers ? or would that be fat discrimination also despite their immense drain on the NHS simply because they lack any discipline when it comes to diet ?

Participant · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:11

Minusorange said:
We can't say this

Yes we can say it. Hopefully charities ignore those criticising.

Narj · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:19

Hah!

dowie · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:31

The advert isn't shaming in the slightest, it doesn't even feature a person, it is simply informative and plays quite nicely on the old cigarette package branding. Gets the message across quite nicely, tbh.. the twitter outrage is perhaps useful so long as they don't cave into it as it gives more free publicity to the campaign.

Funny how they were probably totally fine with the "smoker shaming".

In fact it would be amusing to see the reactions if they went anywhere close to the anti smoking campaigns... like the pictures of damaged organs on cigarette boxes or TV adverts showing the effects of smoke in lungs etc... do the equivalent re: damage from fat and you'll see some people getting super triggered.

Dis86 · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:39

I'd love to see those 'positive body image' adverts where you have some obese woman dancing in a bikini carry a health warning.

Minusorange · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:44

dowie said:
Funny how they were probably totally fine with the "smoker shaming".

It's absolutely stupid where everybody knows being overweight isn't very healthy and leads to complications later in life and a drain on NHS resources, yet we have people saying we can't call people out on it because it might hurt their feelings ?

I'm sure all those fat people will feel really great when doctors tell them they've got cancer or a heart disease because people thought it was okay to be unhealthy and to love who you are as a person, even if you're lazy and like to pig out on all the foods

Puzzled · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:44

Tax the companies putting the rubbish into the food in the first place. The sugar tax helped force some companies to reduce the amount of sugar put in drinks, just needs to be taken up a level.

If unhealthy food is cheap, quick, convenient and tasty then you can't be surprised people eat it. If those unhealthy ingredients start costing companies a lot more money on the other hand then you can be sure they'll either use less or find healthier alternatives.

dowie · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:46

I'd love to see some more restrictions on fast food and sugary drinks advertising... banning Coca Cola adverts would be hilarious... it is pretty essential to their business and they spend a fortune on it, just to flog sugary water. Some cancerous bowl photos on McDonald's happy meals could be entertaining too.

Minusorange · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:49

MonkeyMan said:
If unhealthy food is cheap, quick, convenient and tasty then you can't be surprised people eat it.

Thing is, healthy food can be equally as quick and not even need cooking like salad and nuts or sashimi

dizzy078 · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:51

Meh. It's not fat shaming. People make their own decisions what they eat. As long as they have the facts there's no one else to blame. Would personally like to see government intervene more on sugary foods. Clearly industry can't self regulate. Neither can people.

rebel rebel · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:00

I like how McDonald's managed to make salads unhealthy.

cheesyboy · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:04

Minusorange said:
It's absolutely stupid where everybody knows being overweight isn't very healthy and leads to complications later in life and a drain on NHS resources, yet we have people saying we can't call people out on it because it might hurt their feelings ?

The link between depression, or just unhappiness, and overeating is real. Not for everyone, but for many.

It's counter-productive to make fat people feel bad about being fat, if your interest is really in helping them lose weight.

krooton · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:09

Narj said:
Hah!

Haha

VincentHanna · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:12

rebel rebel said:
I like how McDonald's managed to make salads unhealthy.

It's always the dressings isn't it?

GAC · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:13

what needs to happen and has been agreed upon time and again by experts, sports people, teachers and even mp's is more sports and healthy lifestyle education. but yet it seems impossible for this to actually happen.

the funny thing is many people will look at this and think "yeah stick it to the fatties" not realising they themselves are obese, the amount of people i knew from school who once they could drive piled on a few stone is really surprising.

BUDFORCE · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:15

MonkeyMan said:
Tax the companies putting the rubbish into the food in the first place. The sugar tax helped force some companies to reduce the amount of sugar put in drinks, just needs to be taken up a level.

If unhealthy food is cheap, quick, convenient and tasty then you can't be surprised people eat it. If those unhealthy ingredients start costing companies a lot more money on the other hand then you can be sure they'll either use less or find healthier alternatives.

Nope, that won't work, and will just punish the rest of us, plus those companies because of people's lack of self control.

It's a sad world we live in, when there are people struggling with obesity, while others are starving.

It's never okay to be grossly overweight.

rebel rebel · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:18

VincentHanna said:
It's always the dressings isn't it?

Yes they contain a load of calories and sodium. Also I'm not sure how clean it is to have salad just sitting there. In the US, cyclospora parasite outbreaks in their resturants been linked to the salads.

Andrew_McP · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:18

I was raised in an era when 'if you can pinch more than an inch' was the societal guideline. Now we have the incredibly generous BMI scale, and people don't even want to take that seriously. Having said that, as a dementia carer I can safely say cancer isn't necessarily the worst way to shuffle off this mortal coil.

(If this sounds a bit grumpy, it's because I'm three weeks into getting back under the pinched inch and what I really want is to be eating pork pie with salad cream followed by a box of Magnums, not typing!)

Stephanie Peterson · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:18

I am fat and have cancer so ... this is right

neckbeardthethird · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:19

Im not sure a tweet from some random dude (which got a whopping 8 retweets) is a sign that no one is allowed to point out that there is a link between obesity or cancer.