Glasgow professor thinks clothing for obese people should carry health warning labels

[LTR]

Oversize clothes should have obesity helpline numbers sewn on them to try and reduce Britain's fat crisis, a leading professor said today.

And new urban roads should only be built if they have cycle lanes, according to Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow.

He is calling for more government intervention with a central agency set up to deal with the problems of obesity.

(snip)

He also wants to see adviceline numbers attached to all clothes sold with waists above 102 cm for men, 94 cm for boys, 88 cm or size 16 for women and 80 cm for girls.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=422917&in_page_id=1774

I don't know how to feel about this. I would assume that most overweight people realize their plight already, and this is just a way of piling it on really thick.

[nashville_brook]

1. seems the UK has the same problem as the US -- in identifying those in need of regulation

i'm sick and tired of government seeking to change the behavior of PEOPLE. they don't have our permission to do that.

they need to stick to modifying the behavior of CORPORATIONS. that's their charge.

[SoCalDem]

7. Perhaps they could attach those labels to the fast food wrappers/boxes/bags

...

HCFS is the culprit here.. and the fact that it's added to almost EVERYTHING, and then lots of that food gets fried, on top of everything else.

The epidemic of obesity seems to follow the same trajectory as the proliferation of fast foods & packaged frankenfoods..

[Igel]

14. HFCS? n/t

[Lex]

15. High Fructose Corn Sugar. nt

[Jed Dilligan]

18. HFCS is a problem, but they don't use it in the UK

No corn subsidies, no HFCS. Their drinks are sweetened with something called "glucose fructose syrup," and the obesity problem is nowhere near as noticeable as here.

[spoony]

22. Golden syrup

It's so far superior to corn syrup it makes me teary-eyed for old blighty.

[Amused Musings]

20. I imagine the problem

is not so much the content (corn syrup in this case) as people not eating right and getting exercise. You can eat those foods (I do) but one must also take the time to exercise (1 1/2 hours every other day) and try to "eat right" most of the time. Of course, keeping this up is very hard to do.

[Lex]

23. Yes, starting an exercise program

is easy--keeping it going is hard work. I managed to keep my New Year's Resolution from last year to exercise 4 to 6 times per week for an hour. Now on to Year 2.

[Skittles]

2. I don't like this idea at all

I am sure the clothes-buying experience is not pleasant right now for overweight folk - this is too much. Better to tackle the other stuff like making healthier food cheeper.

[demnan]

3. What is the point?

It's not the clothes that make a person fat, is it? How about a label on the food? And if that doesn't work why does he think labeling the clothes would. Stupid idiotic idea.

[RB TexLa]

4. There are labels on food

that give the necessary information to prevent obesity.

[Beausoir]

5. Is this a joke?

This guy has wayyy too much time on his hands.

[smitty]

6. The idea for bicycle paths is good but the rest of it is crap.

Do we really need a federal Department of Eating Disorders and Obesity? Maybe the large size clothing can have build-in micro chips that lecture fatties on the dangers of obesity. Enough already.
BTW, I'm 5'10", 164 lbs.

[bleedingheart]

8. oh yeah...great idea to humiliate peope further

yeah..I really wanna go try on bathing suits that have signs on the ass that say ..."wide load" or "I need to eat more salad"...

[quinnox]

9. It's pretty obvious

when someone is grossly fat, they don't need to put labels on their clothes.

[Lex]

12. Maybe a scarlet "F" for fat on the outside of the clothing?

Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

:mad:

[Lex]

10. Giving benefits of some kind to companies who produce healthy foods

free of excessive sugar, transfats, or high fructose corn syrup would be a better way to approach the problem.

[jobycom]

11. Seeking his fifteen minutes of fame, apparently... nt

[timetoleave]

13. As an obese person..

I sure do not need anything else to embarrass me.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. My clothes label would say

"... this item has shrunk ... again ... you as the wearer are still hot"

We need ego-boosting labels.

[timetoleave]

17. That is more..

like it, wish they made those clothes better all mine seem to shrink a lot.

[izzybeans]

19. Yeah Doc we can line em' up make em' wear a patch and relocate them to the Ghetto

:sarcasm:

The cycle lane idea is a good one. Scarlet letters, however, leave me speechless. on edit: well they leave me sarcastic anyway.

[eppur_se_muova]

21. Perhaps this is part of the problem ...

Lard crisis: mince pies threatened as supplies dwindle

Supermarkets fear panic buying in the run-up to Christmas

Helen Carter
Tuesday November 16, 2004
The Guardian

Lard fans regard it as a gastronomic delicacy which makes cakes, pastry and roast potatoes taste fantastic. But others, notably vegetarians, think it is a disgusting animal fat.

It was immortalised as a comedy prop when the former deputy leader of the Labour party Roy Hattersley failed to turn up for a scheduled appearance on BBC TV's Have I Got News for You. He was replaced by a large tub of lard.

But there is now a national shortage of lard and supermarket shelves are emptying. Notices have begun to appear apologising for the European lard shortage.

There are fears of panic buying in the run-up to Christmas when it is traditionally an ingredient in mince pies and Christmas puddings.
***
Supermarkets such as Morrisons have been forced to display signs on shelves apologising for the lack of lard. Somerfield said it had already been forced to limit the number of tubs of lard on sale at each of its stores. It is advising customers to check their local stores to see if another delivery has arrived.
***
more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,2763,1351990,00.html#article_continue

That's right -- panic buying of lard.

Perhaps more lard should be diverted to representing politicians with poor attendance records. Two birds with one stone, and all that.