Reframing obesity may end the diagnosis debate, but the health challenges remain
Obesity is one of the world’s biggest health challenges, causing a mass of shorter, unhappier lives and a mounting burden on already overstretched healthcare systems.There is no doubt that more people than ever before are living with excess body fat, and there is no doubt about the dangers of doing so.Obesity has the ability to harm every single organ in the body, and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and mental illness.But at the same time, the idea of obesity as a disease itself has been at the centre of one of the most controversial and polarising debates in modern medicine.The row is rooted in the fact that while some people may tick the box of being obese, currently determined as having a body mass index (BMI) over 30, they show no signs or symptoms of ill health, and their organs are in perfect working order.
Other people currently not classified as obese – because their BMI is below 30 – may in fact have serious undiagnosed health problems as a direct result of excess body fat around their body.A new report, authored by dozens of the world’s leading experts and published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, aims to finally settle the dispute.They argue that there needs to be a “reframing” around obesity to avoid millions of people being misdiagnosed, and ensure only those who need treatment are offered it.First, they are proposing a more accurate way to diagnose obesity.Instead of relying only on BMI, they say other measures must also be used, such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio or waist-to-height rati – an important change, because people can store excess body fat in different areas of the body.
Some may store it around their waist or their organs, such as the liver or the heart,This is associated with a higher health risk compared with when excess fat is stored just beneath the skin in the arms, legs or in other body areas,Health professionals should also now look for signs and symptoms of ill health in the patient caused by excess body fat, the experts said,Second, a shake-up of how the condition is classified is being proposed, with two new categories: clinical obesity and pre-clinical obesity,The changes aim to help reduce stigma and improve patient management.
Those diagnosed with clinical obesity could be offered weight-loss drugs, while those with pre-clinical obesity could be offered advice to become healthier and avoid getting heavier.However, while the proposals may help end the debate over diagnosis, the larger challenge – curbing obesity – remains.Measures such as eating more healthily and slowly, becoming more active, getting better sleep, managing stress and limiting screen time, can help people reduce their risk of developing obesity.But it would be unwise to think people can rely on education and willpower alone.Governments, companies and communities must also do much more to help people overcome or avoid obesity.
That includes promoting active travel so people can rely less on cars, cracking down on junk food advertising, and tackling destructive food environments saturated with unhealthy food choices.
Thames Water says it will raise base pay of bosses if Ofwat limits bonuses
Troubled Thames Water has threatened to increase the salaries of its executives if the industry regulator sees through on plans to limit bonuses for the bosses of water companies.The company, which serves more than 16 million customers across the London area and the Thames valley, is attempting to stabilise its debt-laden finances. It has told Ofwat that it intends to raise base executive pay.Thames told Ofwat that the bonus proposals would make it hard to attract talent to the sector, according to a report submitted in early December by the company’s regulatory strategy committee to the regulator’s board, the Financial Times reported.“We have made it very clear to Ofwat that, if it proceeds with its proposals, it is highly likely that base pay will need to be increased to compensate for the loss of performance-related pay plans,” said the report by Jonathan Haskins, the chief risk and compliance officer at Thames Water
Escalating armed conflict is most urgent threat for world in 2025, say global leaders
Global leaders have said that escalating armed conflict is the most urgent threat in 2025 but the climate emergency is expected to cause the greatest concern over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum.Ahead of its yearly gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos next week, the WEF asked more than 900 leaders from business, politics and academia about the risks that most concern them.Looking ahead to the coming 12 months, 23% of respondents feared “state-based armed conflict”, as Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine and a series of other deadly clashes continue, including in Sudan and Gaza.With devastating wildfires continuing to rage in Los Angeles, the second-most common risk highlighted for 2025 was “extreme weather events”, singled out by 14% of respondents.Throughout last year, a series of dramatic floods, droughts and fires underlined the impact of the climate crisis on weather patterns, with scientists finding that global heating makes such events more likely and, in many cases, more extreme
Chinese officials reportedly discuss sale of TikTok in US to Elon Musk
Chinese officials have reportedly held preliminary talks about a potential option to sell TikTok’s operations in the US to the billionaire Elon Musk, should the short-video app be unable to avoid an impending ban. Another option is that Musk acts as a broker in a deal to sell the app.Beijing officials prefer that TikTok remains under the control of its Chinese parent, Bytedance, but have discussed other options including a sale to Musk, Bloomberg reported. The Financial Times reported on the same day that the officials had discussed the preliminary possibility of Musk functioning as a go-between for Bytedance and any potential buyer that would prevent the app from being shut down.“We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson said, responding to the report
Could Keir Starmer’s AI dream derail his own green energy promise?
Keir Starmer this week launched a plan to bring a 20-fold increase in the amount of artificial intelligence (AI) computing power under public control by 2030.But the race to build more electricity hungry AI datacentres over the next five years appears to work against another government target: to plug in enough low-carbon electricity projects to create a clean power system by the same date.The green goal was already considered to be “at the outer limit of what’s achievable” by Fintan Slye, the chief executive of the National Energy System Operator (Neso), which is responsible for delivering the net zero target. But the enormous energy appetite of an AI boom has raised concerns that the government may end up derailing the clean power pledge just months after making it one of its key election promises.To meet the 2030 target based on current power use, the government believes Britain needs to double its onshore wind, triple its solar power and quadruple its offshore wind capabilities
Jayden Daniels is perfectly suited to give the No 1 seed Lions a nasty shock
The quarterback may be a rookie but he doesn’t play like one. And his skillset could well help the Commanders spring a surprise in Detroit on SaturdayThere’s a legitimate argument to be made that if you’re a rookie NFL quarterback, and your team makes the playoffs, you are no longer a rookie. By your first postseason game, your opponent has a full season of your game tape and tendencies, you’re playing with more on the line, and the experience is completely different in both importance and intensity.In the case of the Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, we may have to forward that point a bit. Because Daniels, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, rarely looked like a rookie when he was
The Spin | South Africa in the Test Championship final should be celebrated not belittled
Claim the Proteas got there ‘on the back of beating pretty much nobody’ shows lack of respect for their achievementsSouth Africans were still celebrating their side’s passage into the World Test Championship final, secured after the fast bowler Kagiso Rabada cosplayed as Brian Lara in a nerve-jangling two-wicket win against Pakistan, when Michael Vaughan sought to pour cold water over the parade.Speaking on Fox Cricket the former England captain, who left his post in 2008 after losing a home series against South Africa, declared that the Proteas got to the final “on the back of beating pretty much nobody”. He said Temba Bavuma’s team didn’t “warrant being in the World Test Championship final with whom they have played over the last two years”.All triumphs have caveats. Would England have won the 2019 World Cup without a lucky bounce off Ben Stokes’s sliding bat in the final? Would Vaughan have received an OBE if Glenn McGrath hadn’t rolled his ankle in the warmup before the second Test of the 2005 Ashes? We’ll never know, but there is a difference between what-ifs and straight falsehoods, and Vaughan’s comments require closer scrutiny
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