25 Jun 2004
Tobacco control style tactics needed to fight obesity epidemic

Thirty years ago, I had a rather heated argument with my step-father over marijuana. He was, of course, adamantly opposed to any "drugs", and would loudly proclaim this while sucking down a beer and smoking a cigarette.

I told him that by letting the government control "drugs" now, we were essentially giving them carte blanche to regulate tobacco, and that someday, he'd be buying his smokes from the same source I used for mine.

Kenny died in 1994, but the year before, we revisted this subject, and he actually apologized, and acknowledged that I had been right. He speculated himself, at that time, that the next great target of the "war on fun" (his words) would be either sugar or fat.

I agreed with him, and we were right.

Global strategies similar to those used against the tobacco industry are needed to tackle the obesity epidemic, argue researchers in this week's BMJ. Diets across the globe are being shaped by a concentrated and global food industry that is fiercely resisting public health attempts to promote healthy eating, write the authors. The food industry tactics are similar to those used by the tobacco industry -- supplying misinformation, use of supposedly conflicting evidence, and hiding negative data.

(link) [Science Blog - Science News Stories]

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