Too Fat to Be a Surgeon General?

The latest idiocy to come out of the media is the accusation that President Obama's nominee for Surgeon General is "too fat". She may be a size 18 or even 20, opines the not so skinny themselves broadcasters and commenters on Fox News.

Hold on a moment, folks! Obama's nominee, Dr. Regina Benjamin, holds a MacArthur Genius Award, is the first African American woman to be elected to the Board of the AMA and the Alabama Medical Association and has served a rural community in Alabama with unselfish dedication. And she might be a little overweight?

What do we want in a Surgeon General? Some have noted that no one called out Surgeon General Everett Koop for being fat, although he was certainly overweight. Jocelyn Elders was not exactly skinny. So why have the purists surfaced now with this kind of attack?

I am calling out these self-righteous (and you can finish this phrase) on this one. Who among you can really cast the first stone here? Who among you is so pure (especially you C Street hypocrites) that you have no vices at all? Never eaten too much. Smoked. Drank. Coveted your neighbor's wife or a woman in Argentina. Lied. Cheated on your income tax?

They cannot attack Dr. Benjamin for her academic or clinical credentials. They are impeccable. They cannot attack her for her service to her clinic, the Bayou LaBatre Clinic in rural Alabama. Her clinic has burned down and been drowned out by hurricanes, but Dr. Benjamin kept it going, often with her own money. They cannot attack her because of her race. To do that overtly would be way too obvious. So how can they attack her? For not being perfectly skinny.

"I thank God that Dr. Regina Benjamin is a fat woman," said Joanne Ikeda, a nutrition specialist at the University of California, Berkeley. "Maybe now we will stop making the assumption that all fat people are unhealthy particularly in light of new data coming from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey."

The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance has taken up the cause of defending Surgeon General Nominee Benjamin. The discrimination against people of "weight" is real, in employment and in civil society. It is not something to joke about. In fact, there is a whole decades-old literature about fat discrimination.

We do not always know why someone is overweight. It could be glandular or genetic. We know that African Americans and Latinos have higher rates of obesity, and it is not always about calorie consumption. Nevertheless, the key issue here is this -- do we require that our public officials be the perfect embodiments of their duties and their message? Frankly, I would much rather have a Surgeon General who talks about obesity because she has struggled with her own weight, than someone for whom it is only a theoretical issue. The same for a President who struggles with smoking but still exhorts himself and all of us to try to quit.

If you believe that imperfection is human and that life experience and academic credentials are more important than dress size, please write your Senator and Congress person and ask them to confirm Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. We are SO lucky to have a doctor who makes house calls helping us understand what we all need to do to lead healthier lives.

Comments

[VotingPresent]

"too Fat" is the new N word

[SabineEden]

You know what bothers me the most about this issue? As one person put it, Dr. Benjamin is not being considered for the job of "National Fitness Guru"--and no one can tell just by looking at her what her fitness level is, anyway. Dr. Benjamin is being considered for the office of U.S. Surgeon General. So, does she have the experience and qualifications for the job? Does she have the brains and expertise necessary to determine what the health issues we, as a nation, should focus on, and what current illnesses threaten us as a collective?

The answers to all of these questions is yes, she does. The basic job of Surgeon General involves informing the public of current health issues and making recommendations on what we should do about them. (You can look this up at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/index.html). Dr. Benjamin is definitely qualified.

I look at it this way. If I had some lung illness, I wouldn't give a fig about whether or not my doctor smoked. I would just want to know that he or she was the best pulmonologist available, and that s/he was up-to-date on diagnoses and treatment.

The truth is that in medicine the same regimen does not work for every person. That is one reason that there are multiple medications for seasonal allergies, for example. So why should weight, as a health issue, be any different?

[InvisiblePolitico]

Dr. Benjamin has the potential to be a wonderful example for the black community. Blacks are 51% more likely to be obese than whites. Obesity is a major health care issue and such a prominent appointment by President Obama will draw attention to the subject. I hope Dr. Benjamin addresses this issue publicly and uses it to change cultural norms (about obesity) in the black community.
Thanks, Kimberly Wilson
http://bit.ly/XZOdf

[agentgreen29]

Why are some people making it seem like she's morbidly obese? She may be on the hefty side, but come on.

Is this really what happens when one can't pick at credentials? How sad.

[DrP]

If the medical community would read the research and stop promoting the low-fat diets that have resulted in this epidemic of metabolic syndrome with its accompanying symptoms of type II "diabetes" and obesity, it would be a great move forward. I disagree about Dr. Benjamin's weight being an issue. I didn't respect Dr. Koop's lifestyle advice either. If "diet and exercise" don't work, then it is the wrong diet and not enough exercise. Cut starch, sugar, and grains (and most fruit) and work out at least an hour everyday enough to sweat and raise your heart rate and the weight problem and health problems are resolved even for people with genetic pre-dispositions to these problems. I know, because I am one of them. If Dr. Benjamin is not taking this advice herself, how can she inspire a nation that really needs to address this problem if we are to solve the "health care crisis." There can be no excuses. If I can do it, anyone can. And my daughter who lost half her body weight, and my brother, and sister. We all follow very low-carb diets and have avoided the terrible health problems that plagued the previous generation in our family. People constantly say "i just can't give up...." some type of food. Yes you can. If you can't, then it is an addiction or food and eating hold an unhealthy control over your life. I'd rather have my feet and eyesight than a doughnut

[ramblin jack]

Americans can come up with all the excuses for why they are such a nation of fat obese people and blaming genes this that is not going to solve it but maybe eating a bit more normally and getting proper excercise would help most.

[Nanomous]

When I weighed 347 lbs at 5'2", this is what I did--if I wanted to out myself, I have witnesses to prove it.

Every other day, I went to the gym. I did 3.5 hour full body workout using about 11 machines and 4 sets with free weights. A sample of my weights--3 sets of 12 each:

Lower back - 365 lbs.
One leg at a time on the duo-squat machine - 370 lbs.
Lat pull in front - 144 lbs.
Lat pull in back - 122 lbs.
Abdominal - 230 lbs.
Wrist curl with free weights - 50 lbs
Seated rowing machine - 180 lbs
Shoulder shrugs - 250 lbs
Leg extension - 250 lbs.

Then I did a half an hour on the treadmill. After all that, I did another half hour swimming. I was 38 years old--and female.

I never looked any different. I just got stronger and stronger. If I tried to diet, I would immediately start gaining weight on that diet. The only thing that kept me steady was to eat as normally as possible.

I was a diabetic, but my cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, pulse, respiration were all perfect. My blood oxygen saturation was an athletic 99%.

Fast forward 15 years. I'm still fat and still diabetic, but these days I've slowed down. I'm taking martial arts, now, instead.

People need to stop judging . Remember that Jim Fixx, the runner, died of a heart attack and Euell Gibbons and Adele Davis, famous nutritionists,

[notrpat]

Why does everyone suggest that all overweight people are fat because of genes or medical issues when NONE of the medical literature supports that argument. People are overweight because they ate too much, don't have access to good healthy food, and don't excerise enough. The surgeon general should be an example for all. If she is going to be SG she should pledge to get fit. THink of the message that would send.

[SabineEden]

I'm sorry, but there IS medical literature to support the claim that genes and medical issues contribute being overweight. I had the privilege of being treated for diabetes by one of the researchers at the Jocelyn Center for Diabetes in Boston, arguably the best diabetes research center in the U.S., who indicated that the proper diet and exercise could not guarantee that a person would be thin. For instance, some people's bodies do not make enough leptin, a hormone that controls when a person feels full. Another expert in the field, a physiologist for whom my sister did lab work told her that medical community had not figured out human metabolism yet, so they didn't know why two people might have the same diet and the same amount of exercise, and one could be fat and the other thin. And there are many studies that support that comment.

So yes, we should eat healthy foods in the right amounts and exercise enough to stay healthy. It just doesn't mean that it will make you thin, and that should be okay. Because in another recent study, it was found that being fat didn't mean that one was sick more often or would die sooner. It turns out that the rates of both are the same in both thin and fat people. The truth is, everyone's metabolism is unique to them, and what works with some people does not work with others.

[Ermengarde11]

I guess it's easier to get respect from the right if you're an overweight radio talk show host, a blowhard, out of control sexually, etc.

Credentials don't seem to matter to many Republicans anymore it would seem, thus the state of their crumbling political party. You can't be a surgeon general if you're "overweight", but you can sure be the voice of the Republican party in lieu of any actual leadership, or so it appears.

[DrP]

I interested in knowing what "diets" you tried. It is more than "calories in, calories out." It does matter what you eat. You must eat for your nutritional type or exercise is for naught. If you are diabetic, I imagine you would do quite well on a very low-carb diet. I eat next to no carbs (just green veggies) and I have no problem with my weight, etc. I have never had an abnormal blood sugar reading, although I had serious hypoglycemia and mood swings just before I adopted my current low-carb life-style. My family has a major history of Type II "diabetes" and those that aren't diabetic yet have emotional and mood swings that are resolved also by low-carb eating, including my formally "ADHD" son.

[samaire]

I am overweight and I agree , I dont think the surgeon general should be fat. We talk about health care but what is really more important is our diet and what is in our food. Read, The Omnivore's Dilemma. These big corporations are killing off the small farmers and us. This needs to be a serious position within the government and the person needs to practice what they preach-health and fitness. She does not qualify for either.

[epiphany2009]

Did anyone object when C. Everett Koop, an aging, bearded, over the hill, bespectacled, balding, white haired pot bellied white dude (who seem to relish wearing his captain uniform) was nominated to be Surgeon General? Short memory people? Or are the objectors showing a preference to Santa Claus? Was he supposed to represent healthy living and lifestyle in America? C'mon dudes and dudettes..­......the latest nominee's credentials seem impeccable and that's what we should be focused on.......n­ot her size!

[drjj]

This is the kind of nonsense which obviously passes for "truth" on leftie sites like HP. Bergthold mischaracterizes the debate in a way to rationalize and distort the very real concerns here.

It's pretty clear that 1. Benjamin is seriously overweight --it has nothing whatsoever to do with being "perfectly skinny" (typical distorted hyperbole). 2. Overweight is a major and growing cause of excess morbidity and mortality in this country, worse than all other Western nations 3. Many other serious chronic diseases incl. diabetes, heart disease and hypertension, are either caused or exacerbated by obesity.

And actually the causes of obesity are well known, and really have little or nothing to do with genetics or "hormones"--it's simply an energy imbalance between intake (food), and output (activity). Seems to be that the person proposed to be the country's leading physician should model the types of behavior we wish to encourage.

Teeth-gnashing and feel good crap about her background really don't solve the problem of her dysfunctional problem with food, and given the position for which she's nominated, it probably is important enough to look for candidates better able to exemplify healthy choices.

[swkidder]

Actually you have a little more reading to do. The most recent science on obesogens demonstrates clearly that pre-natal exposure to certain environmental toxins permanently changes the expression of certain genes to make the unfortunate child more vulnerable to gaining weight. Likewise, continued exposure to these same environmental toxins makes both children and adults more vulnerable to weight gain. Neither exposure dooms an individual to weight gain, but they do "up-regulate," i.e. turn on certain genes that increase the propensity for weight gain. So I'm afraid you have to add epigentic factors to over-eating and under-exercising. And, you are dead wrong about the lack of effects of both "hormones" and "genetics" on the propensity to gain weight.

[DonCosenza]

Those chemicals: fat and carbs.

[ZoeyMO]

Unfortunately, you are talking to someone who hasn't been there, done that and really doesn't have a clue. Those people are not going to listen until they have an episode in their lives that changes their metabolism or the metabolism of someone dear to them. When they watch themselves or a loved one eating the same way and gaining a lot of weight, then they will understand.

[permissionmag]

I expect the Surgeon General to be held to a higher standard of health than other people, just as I expect the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be more disciplined, the Poet Laureate to be more eloquent, the Secretary of State to be more diplomatic, or the Treasury Secretary to be better at his personal financial dealings.

While there are always cases of people whose weight is caused by physical or mental illness or other health problems, the majority of Americans are fat because they aren't treating their bodies well. If we have a fat surgeon general, we're basically telling Americans not to worry about eating healthy or exercising, since the person who's supposed to be the role model can't even do it.

In all the rush to overhaul our healthcare system, let's not forget that the best health care plan is to start with wellness.

[ZoeyMO]

"If we have a fat surgeon general, we're basically telling Americans not to worry about eating healthy or exercising, since the person who's supposed to be the role model can't even do it."

Bullshit. You don't know what her story is or her messages about weight. Yes, overweight is a huge issue in this country (no pun intended). But demonizing people who experience it is certainly NOT the answer. A surgeon general who is overweight but who is eating well and exercising is a MUCH better role model for overweight people than a skinny person who has never encountered weight difficulties in their lives. In addition, you wouldn't have any complaints about a surgeon general who was completely UNFIT but happened to be skinny. We all know skinny people who are nowhere near as fit as some overweight people.

For the record, I am a woman in my late-40s who has had three children and is resasonably thin and fit, but I WAS overweight most of my life through college. I lost weight on diets, but found my mental health destroyed. It wasn't until I could accept my body at whatever weight it was that I could finally stop dieting and get back on the road to physical and mental health. THAT'S wellness.

[John Harvey]

I have been fighting the battle with my weight since 1969. It took being diagnosed as diabetic to finally lose much of my excess weight. I have a great doctor but he never seemed to understand how hard it is to lose the excess. He is thin as a rail. In my case it took another doctor sending me to a dietitian to finally put the pieces together.

I have been on several dietary restrictions because of different medical problems for many years. It had gotten to the point that my plea was tell me what I can eat not just eat less and exercise more. After an hour with the dietitian I knew what I could eat and how much to eat. I could have saved much money and possibly have avoided getting diabetes if the doctor had simply sent me for some help years ago when I first went to him. Dr. Benjamin probably would have understood the problem unlike my current doctor who have never had an ounce of excess fat in his whole life.

[ZoeyMO]

I agree. I'd much rather get advice from someone who has "been there, done that."

[tjinc]

It all boils down to racial "coding" by the white republicans. "Too fat" means "too black".
That said, I don't see her as being at a healthy weight.
However that doesn't disqualify her from being the surgeon general. She has impeccable credentials.

Nice try, righty-tighty wingers!

[Lorianne]

Wait a second. It's white Republicans who are going after this nominee?
Who exactly?

[DrP]

This is not a question of right vs left. I am considered by many acquaintances to be just "short of Stalin" in terms of political left leanings. (A bit of an exaggeration - I am not a Communist - just very progressive and supportive of Socialism in many areas). However, because I am a bit of a "militant" on the subject of diet/exerc­ise/obesit­y, I do not support Dr. Benjamin as Surgeon General. I believe that the medical establishment, the food and pharmaceutical industries, and the Federal Government (thank you George McGovern, Ancel Keys, and the "Food Pyramid") have mislead the public about "healthy diet" and are primarily responsible for the obesity/"diabetes" epidemic in this country. We do not need another "authority" figure telling us what to eat who obviously is not eating properly herself. I would respect Dr. Benjamin were she to read the science and determine that her genetic background (already acknowledged as having a family history of hypertension and "diabetes,' which is very prevalent among African-Americans) makes her a prime candidate for a very low-carbohydrate diet accompanied by a minimum of 300 minutes of moderate to intense exercise a week (about an hour a day of running, biking, etc - not after dinner strolls!) Were she to start promoting these guidelines, and adopt this lifestyle herself, then I could support her for SG.

[TchoupitoulasCanal]

The mistake that is being made here is that most folks are correlating weight with health. As a nurse, I've seen some 'skinny' patients who were greater health risks than women who were 'heavy'.

Neurological impairment, cardiovascular diseases, and other disorders that have a high genetic component don't care if you're skinny or fat. Too bad the fear-mongers at FOX don't seem to understand that very basic principle.

[Triglyceride]

It's not a mistake to correlate weight with shortened life. It's a numbers thing. The longer the belt the shorter the life. Sorry. The only thing that increases lifespan is caloric restriction. Skinny monkeys live longer than fat ones; have lower triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure. Even if people could just ditch processed carbos such as flour and sugar their weight would start to drop. Now, if you consider longevity and lack of chronic degenerative diseases such as clogged arteries and diabetes separate from health , then our definitions differ.

[KaluMa]

Um not necessarily so. I know quite a few vegans who, by some standards would be considered overweight. These people don't even eat honey as an animal by product. I even know some who have had lap band surgery and still never lost that much.
On the other hand, I know a lot of skinny people with cancer, kidney disease, and digestive issues.

[SabineEden]

Actually, there was a recent study that indicated that just being fat did not mean that one would have a shorter lifespan. The lifespan of fat people as a group and that of thin people as a group is the same.

[LyssaBarnes]

Slim does not equal healthy. Case in point: Michael Jackson.

I have worked with quite a few healthy people that either died suddenly or as a result of terminal illness. All of them were under 50 and all male.

[jackie1234]

how does a person have a terminal illness and be healthy?

Did the healthy people who died suddenly have an accident? otherwise, if they had a stroke, they weren't healthy.

[LyssaBarnes]

One was a heart attack. The others were different cancers, fast and furious. Dead within a year.

These were guys who worked out, didn't drink much or smoke, ate organic foods, meditated, the whole shebang. You would figure that the one who developed cancer would have the best chances of recovery because of their lifestyles. This was not the case.

Perhaps we have the wrong idea about what makes a person healthy.

[nilotic]

MJ was not slim; he was underweight when he met his demise. Additionally, more serious factors are likely to blame for his untimely death (i.e. substance abuse).