Nicole Saphier, MD is a physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and bestselling author of 'Make America Healthy Again.' Her opinions are her own and not reflective of her employers.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has left a terribly bad taste in my mouth.
The fit, 62-year-old former police officer held a ceremony Friday to sign a law banning discrimination based on height and weight in employment, housing, or public accommodations.
Now that's something nearly everyone can agree on.
People should not be denied jobs, apartments, services or otherwise based on their size. And if the mayor stopped there, I wouldn't have had any objections.
But he didn't.
When asked to respond to critics who see this new law as a step back in the fight against obesity - a condition that is literally killing Americans every day - Adams got it all miserably wrong.
'Science has shown body type is not a connection to if you're healthy or unhealthy, and I think that's a misnomer we are really dispelling,' the mayor said.
Excuse me? Mister Mayor, you're not a doctor. You'd better leave this one to the professionals.
First of all, 'body type' is not a term used with any specificity in the medical field. But in the context of this question and answer, I assume that Adams was talking about 'body habitus' - the shape and size of the human body, commonly referred to as the physique.
And to say that the physique is not connected to well-being is 100% false.
Shame on you, Mayor.
Of all people – he should know this. After all, Adams cured his own failing health.
It's a story that that he tells again and again.
When asked to respond to critics who see this new law as a step back in the fight against obesity - a condition that is literally killing Americans every day - Adams got it all miserably wrong.
Nearly a decade ago, he woke up one morning with groggy vision and tingling in his fingers.
He went to the doctor and discovered he had type 2 diabetes. After making the conscious decision to alter his lifestyle, commit to a healthy diet and adopt an exercise regimen, Adams reversed his diagnosis and changed his life for the better.
But since Adams won't do it, allow me to set the record straight: Excess weight directly affects nearly every aspect of an individual's physical and mental health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 75% of adults are overweight or obese, costing the U.S. health system $173 billion annually.
Obesity increases the risk of various debilitating diseases.
Hormonal and metabolic changes in the body can trigger heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, many cancers and even infertility. Extra fat accumulation can lead to depression and sleep apnea, which significantly reduce quality of life. Excessive weight increases mechanical stress on the joints and can cause arthritis.
For all these reasons, being overweight and obese are associated with premature death and long-term disability.
These are facts.
For too long, our political leaders have danced around this growing national epidemic.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that people who were obese had a higher risk of severe illness and even death from a COVID infection. Yet, there was never a concerted campaign to encourage Americans to drop a few pounds.
Yes, it's true that individuals of normal weight can also be unhealthy. A thin person can have elevated triglyceride-levels, high-blood pressure and a litany of other conditions and habits that put them at elevated risk. But to claim that excess weight is not also linked to health is just flat wrong.
Worst of all, Adams missed an opportunity to encourage overweight New Yorkers – young and old – to get their act together.
Nearly a decade ago, Adams woke up one morning with groggy vision and tingling in his fingers. He went to the doctor and discovered he had type 2 diabetes. (Above) Eric Adams before and after his diabetes diagnosis
Hormonal and metabolic changes in the body can trigger heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, many cancers and even infertility. Extra fat accumulation can lead to depression and sleep apnea, which significantly reduce quality of life.
As a doctor who delivers cancer diagnoses daily, I know first-hand the dangers of failing to tell people the truth about obesity.
Fat cells produce the hormone estrogen, which is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. More fat cells mean more estrogen and the greater the prospect of a potentially life-threatening condition.
I can't express how many times devastated women have told me that they wished they had been warned that excess weight presented such a dire threat to their lives.
But nonetheless, Adams' attitude is part of what he called a 'progressive health agenda.'
It is a growing belief that any emphasis on personal responsibility over individual weight is harmful and even counterproductive.
Numerous recent studies have called out so-called 'weight-based stereotypes' that suggest overweight and obese people lack self-discipline and willpower. But the cold-hard truth is that in many cases that's true.
Over-eating coupled with a sedentary lifestyle is guaranteed to cause weight gain. On the flip side, self-control and lifestyle changes are the most effective ways to achieve a healthy weight once other medical conditions have been ruled out or effectively managed.
Nicole Saphier, MD is a physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College and bestselling author of 'Panic Attack.' Her opinions are her own and not reflective of her employers.
The vast majority of individuals can control lifestyle factors that impact health, such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress management. Simple lifestyle changes can have major benefits.
According to the CDC, being physically active at least 30 minutes a day strengthens the heart and improves its efficiency, reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels and can result in weight loss.
Prioritizing quality sleep can make it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Inadequate rest can disrupt appetite-regulating hormones and is associated with increased hunger, cravings for high-calorie foods, and a higher risk of obesity.
Even drinking more water (11-13 cups daily according to Mayo Clinic) can help to reduce excess weight. Drinking water throughout the day helps with digestion, keeps the body hydrated, and can help reduce calorie intake if replacing high-calorie beverages.
Obviously, America needs to take a different approach.
Adult and pediatric obesity rates continue to climb nationwide. Desperate doctors are recommending children get invasive surgeries, like gastric bypass procedures, to help them lose weight. An increasing number of adults are relying on medications, like the appetite suppressant Wegovy, though they often find that they pack the pounds back on when they stop taking the drugs.
We cannot continue ignoring and coddling a self-indulgent nation in crisis.
No one wants overweight and obese people to feel bad about themselves, but neither should they be fed a fantasy.
Weight is directly related to health. It's that simple.
If an overweight person wants to improve their health, they should eat less and exercise more. And if Adams is truly interested in improving the lives of obese New Yorkers – he would have that made clear.
