Body positivity advocate spars with Dr. Phil over whether obesity causes health problems.

“Dr. Phil” McGraw had an intense debate on last Wednesday’s show discussing whether there was a correlation between obesity and health problems. Dr. Phil warned of the health dangers of ignoring the science of obesity including diabetes and certain kinds of cancer.

Dr. Phil spoke with multiple experts and a guest about the obesity crisis gripping the nation in an episode titled, “Has the Body Positivity Movement Gone Too Far?” Dr. Phil asked his guest Lexi, who advocates “body positivity”, “Would you agree that being obese or being morbidly obese puts you at risk for diseases at a higher level than if you were at a lesser weight and everything else was constant?” Lexi replied, “I would disagree with you from my personal experience, and from what I know working in the body positivity movement for the past few years, and hearing other people’s accounts.”

Dr. Phil replied with a long list of alarming statistics. “The current science says that you are seven times higher risk for diabetes, certain kinds of cancer, sleep apnea, six times higher for high blood pressure, four times higher for arthritis, three times higher for asthma, that you’re higher risk for high cholesterol, inflammation, coronary artery disease. And if you have high blood pressure, you’re 200 to 300 percent more at risk for a stroke.”

Considering the undeniable risks associated with morbid obesity, bariatric surgery is one of the most effective long-term solutions for sustained weight loss. See the bariatric surgery comparison chart below for resolution of comorbidities. Click the image to enlarge.