Childhood obesity and consumption of fizzy drinks: Diet is not that important in obesity

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7456.54

BMJ 2004;329:54 (3 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7456.54

Letter

Childhood obesity and consumption of fizzy drinks

Diet is not that important in obesity

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Editor—Managing risk is concerned with a hierarchy ofcontrol in which controlling a dangerous environment is thebest strategy for limiting risk—for example, taking peopleoff operating machinery by automating processes. The study byJames et al on preventing childhood obesity by reducing theconsumption of carbonated drinks seeks to limit the risk ofobesity but its method, using health promotion, is analogousto walking around a factory with a megaphone shouting: "Watchyourselves on those dangerous machines!"¹

Life is not that complex despite our attempts in medicine topretend that it is. My generation ate more junk food than thispoor generation could ever dream of. In the 1970s we ate porkpies, scotch pies, Spam, corned beef, cake, biscuits washeddown with dilute orange squash. I was, however, fit and slim.How can this be so?

Childhood obesity is not caused by diet but by a lack of . . . [Full text of this article]

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Des Spence, general practitioner

Maryhill, Glasgow G20 9DR destwo@yahoo.co.uk

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