Expert calls for total junk food ban to stop obesity 'catastrophe'

thisislondon.co.uk ^ | 01/27/09 | Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor

[TornadoAlley3]

Junk food advertisements which target children should be completely banned, an obesity expert has warned.

Professor Philip James says that drastic action is needed against food firms which he says exploit consumers in the same way as tobacco companies.

The nutritionist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told a conference in London: "We have a catastrophic obesity epidemic and the food industry has had a vast impact on society. The food industry is represented by companies like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Cadbury which are damaging the health of people across the world.

"We want to reform [the food industry's] behaviour and the way they respond is by mirroring tobacco [companies]. They're focused on the Third World for the next raft of profits."

Professor James, chairman of the International Obesity TaskForce, also attacked the Government for inviting fast food companies to join healthy living campaigns. Ministers have introduced curbs on TV advertising of foods to children, especially products high in salt, sugar and fat and new rules ban junk food advertisements on television before 9pm.

But Professor James wants a complete ban on unhealthy foods on TV and the internet as well as a ban on the use of "child-friendly" logos on supermarket food.

A spokesman for Cadbury said: "We only market to adults."

[TornadoAlley3]

Ministers have introduced curbs on TV advertising of foods to children, especially products high in salt, sugar and fat and new rules ban junk food advertisements on television before 9pm.

But Professor James wants a complete ban on unhealthy foods on TV and the internet as well as a ban on the use of “child-friendly” logos on supermarket food.

[TomGuy]

Part of the problem may go back further up the ‘food’ chain—to the growth of produce.

Many future food products (meat, vegetable and fruit) are treated with fast-growth hormones and chemicals. This helps get them to the market sooner.

Those fast-growth treatments may not be removed during the processing and cooking; thus, they transfer during consumption. Once consumed, they tell their new host to ‘grow’.

[LibLieSlayer]

They want everyone to eat Soyent Green.

LLS

[MissCalico]

Just a decidedly unscientific observation but... I've noticed that anywhere smoking has decreased due to nanny-state targeting, obesity coincidentally crops up. (Also allergies and asthma in kids.)

Sometimes there can be unintended consequences to "good intentions".

[RSmithOpt]

Not to worry...people will shape up quick after all their USD’s have been burnt in the fireplace / wood stove......better investment to keep warm than to buy manipulative petrol products ($220 brl oil, $1200 / ton clean coal) to generate electricity or burn in a boiler. A fellar can burn quite a bit of fat off in winter splitting wood by hand twice a week 4 hrs a day. I know and 0 don’t. Dems are working on legislation to make it a felony to burn wood to stay warm and cook on...but then again, the rest of the world will get a pass especially on arab tv.

[RSmithOpt]

You are so right, TG. Stuff the LSM chooses to ignore. It's more important the LSM covers attempts to castrate W for not allowing US soil to be attack in 8 years, than it is to cover common sense solutions to greed driven problems.

Cheap food + cheap labor = more taxable income for the goobermint.

[Colonial Warrior]

ZeroBama gruel is the food of choice for all but the ARISTOCRACY of his ruling class of Dummicrats.

[aruanan]

Professor Philip James is an idiot. I say this as someone with a Ph.D. in human nutrition. He’s substituting for science his desire to control people and to retrofit the world for a socialist paradise. He deserves obloquy and to wind up with the coffee grounds, lemon rinds, and bits of gristle on the trash heap of history.

[Thermalseeker]

I say this as someone with a Ph.D. in human nutrition.

Did you happen to see the article a couple of days ago, I believe it came out of the UK, where "scientists" have discovered that obesity is linked to a common cold virus? I would be curious to hear your comments. I've always thought that obesity was caused by "fork in mouth" disease.....

[HenpeckedCon]

I wonder if all the FReepers who love every smoking ban or tobacco tax increase are listening. Big brother was never going to stop with cigarettes. They are going to come after your cheeseburgers, French Fries etc... After all, it’s for the children.

[aruanan]

But Professor James wants a complete ban on unhealthy foods on TV and the internet as well as a ban on the use of "child-friendly" logos on supermarket food.

There is no such thing as "unhealthy foods," only unhealthy amounts of foods (both too much and too little). More often than not morons like James (and there are a bunch on FR) will say that fast food isn't healthy because it has "empty calories". What these poor boobs don't seem to realize is that one's number one nutritional need is for these "empty calories". You can go without most vitamins for months or years before you start to feel an impact. You can only go a couple of days before starting to feel the effects of not having enough "empty calories."

What James is bitching about is the easy availability of highly nutritious, highly palatable food at historically cheap prices. Yes, if you have too much to eat, you'll have troubles. But if you have chronic under-nutrition, you'll have even more medical problems. The easy availability of food is an expression of the wealth of free western society. I think free western society and his inability to make it do what he wants is what is really giving this schlub a tummy-ache.

[bill1952]

Once consumed, they tell their new host to ‘grow’.

No, they do not. - But a popular myth. Study your biochem.

[bill1952]

You sir, are making too much sense vis a vie popular folk lore.

Be prepared.

[Venturer]

Everyone else is going broke, might as well destroy Pepsi, McDonalds and the rest of them too. That way there wont be anyone working.

[9YearLurker]

What, exposing kids to smokers’ smoke keeps asthma down?

[aruanan]

Did you happen to see the article a couple of days ago, I believe it came out of the UK, where "scientists" have discovered that obesity is linked to a common cold virus? I would be curious to hear your comments. I've always thought that obesity was caused by "fork in mouth" disease...

I heard about this over 10 years ago in grad school. My thesis advisor said it was some researcher working at U of W in Madison. Even if fat cells multiply, you still can't get any fatter than the amount of fat stored in them represented by the energy intake that is in excess of energy expenditure. Of course a complicating factor could be that the excess fat cells could add to hunger signals (via the hormone leptin that is secreted by fat cells) leading to more eating than is necessary for energy homeostasis.

The idea is that if you deplete a fat cell of fat too much, you'll get a hormonal signal basically saying, "Holy crap! Your energy reserves are getting seriously depleted. You'd better start eating so you'll have this energy buffer against future starvation."

More fat cells are normally produced as a response to overloading whatever happens to be the current number of fat cells. This is a physiological response to a nutritional state. If you were able via some other means than excess food intake to cause the number of fat cells to increase to a point that, for a particular level of energy intake, they were all depleted enough of fat stores, it's possible that a hunger signal could be sent out to restock the depleted fat cells. If you eat enough to quiet the signal, you'll be eating in excess of your caloric requirements.

This is why it's better not to gain too much weight than to try to lose it. If you trigger the production of more fat cells, you can deplete them of stored fat and lose weight, but the fat cells won't die until you do.

[Thermalseeker]

The idea is that if you deplete a fat cell of fat too much, you'll get a hormonal signal basically saying, "Holy crap! Your energy reserves are getting seriously depleted. You'd better start eating so you'll have this energy buffer against future starvation."

That's is related to what I've heard referred to as the "starvation reaction" correct?

[Sacajaweau]

The vast majority of people I know do NOT eat out.

One of the noticeable changes of our society is "cubicle" living. No walks to the water cooler, to the office down the hall etc, etc.

Use "stagnant water" as an anology.

We need to aerate our bodies much more...not just at a gym...all day long.

I'm old now but take several trips to the nearby store to get in some walking in a safe environment.

[RU88]

You are so dead on with this. Cigs are just the beginning of this. The attitude is so condescending it's beyond disgusting. What we are seeing is a not so gradual denial of freedoms that have been taken for granted since our country's founding, all in the guise that it's “for our own good.” This idea that we live in the freest country in the world is fast becoming something for the history books.