obesity, an epidemic ?

The International Congress on Obesity starts on September 3 in Sydeny, Australia. Here is a news piece about the "epidemic of obesity".

"Obesity is an international scourge," Prof Paul Zimmet, chairman of the meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, told delegates in a speech opening the International Congress on Obesity. "This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world."

"It's as big a threat as global warming and bird flu," said Zimmet, an Australian diabetes expert.

Other experts at the conference said the cost of treating health problems related to being overweight was immeasurable on a global scale, but was estimated at billions of dollars a year in countries such as Australia, Britain and the United States.

The professor boldly said "pandemic...engulfing the entire world", and I go like - "Did you mean, even in Africa and developing countries in Asia ?". The last paragraph clarified that obesity, right now, is a huge pain in the (fat) butts of Australia, Britain and the United States. That is not actually so surprising. Development, naturally, causes epidemic of diseases of comfort - caused by imbalance due to surplus, and not scarcity. Personally, I think obesity is as much an epidemic as Chain smoking or Alcoholism.

So now, experts and health officials have gathered to "fight" Obesity. Now what ? A war against fat asses ? I believe obesity has a place in Capitalism. As a business, it makes a sustainable industry with such an wonderful prospects. First, you have fast food restaurants serving junk foods, and, then you have diet and other programs to work it out, and, then you have the biotech companies working for technological developments to fight obesity, and, then there are pharmaceutical companies making magic pills to thin you out, and then there are doctors and obesity specialists advising you, and then finally, you would soon have a special obesity-insurance - all of these contribute to an economical system rich and, well... obese. Obesity will live, because it will make money - a lot of money!!!

So, my advise to you is - Invest in Obesity.