Letter: Many groups feed off obesity problem

Friday, Jan. 13, 2006 | 8:08 a.m.

It would seem that Paul Campos' Jan. 11 column, "Obesity epidemic is a myth driven by gluttons for money," didn't address all sides of the obesity issue. His thesis is that government agencies and the drug companies created the myth in order to promote and sell worthless weight-reducing methods and drugs. That may be true, but what about the industry that promotes and sells food? Television, magazines and even billboards constantly bombard the American society with all kinds of fattening foods that look oh so good to eat.

We are taught from childhood to waste not, want not. We eat and eat until it is all gone (well that is a good enough reason as any to clean the plate). Go to the buffets in Las Vegas and you see people become gluttonous pigs beyond all belief.

The greater majority of the American people are overweight, and I am not talking about what the charts say but what common sense says. Look anywhere you go and I bet you that the majority of people you see are obviously fat (excuse me, overweight). So, since the American public loves to make money and there is a wide-open niche in the obesity business, and since once weight is easily put on and difficult if not impossible to remove, there is a never-ending supply of people willing to plunk down money to lose weight.

Obesity is a reality and the food, drug, weight-reducing and medical professions rub their collective hands together in glee at the money they will make off food addicts.

Foster Eubank

Henderson