ABSTRACT
In the United States today, people are literally dying to be thin through weight-loss drugs (e.g., from pulmonary hypertension after prolonged use of fen/phen), very low calorie diets, stomach stapling, rapid weight loss, diet-induced nutritional deficiency, weight fluctuation, and eating disorders. This invisible iatrogenic cause of death results from our cultural understanding of obesity as a serious health threat and the consequences of obesity treatment as necessary and having minimal side effects. In this chapter, I argue that the dominant interpretations of obesity and eating disorders are based on incomplete and imprecise information and are therefore responsible for promoting harmful attitudes toward our bodies and health. To make this argument, first I briefly describe the common cultural meanings of obesity and eating disorders. Second, I describe and critique the many ways that these cultural meanings are based on a selective attention to the research and the inability of researchers and the public to accept certain key findings. Last, I discuss a paradigm change that reflects a more comprehensive approach toward the promotion of good health and the prevention of eating problems.
