“Linda Bacon, author of Health at Every Size, told the Orlando Sentinel, “The AMA just determined that some people are sick based on how they look.” Bacon argues that BMI “defines someone’s physical appearance, not their health.” The essence of Bacon’s arguments is that the AMA’s decision focuses on the appearance of health, rather than health itself. The AMA’s decision uses a potentially inaccurate measure of individual health status and gives people with a high BMI a new and potentially stigmatizing label of disease. In so doing, is the AMA’s vote and the subsequent debate distracting from broader strategies to promote healthy lifestyles?”
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