Response to "New drug aims to fight obesity-related problems in Britain"
Url: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/europe/view/258017/1/.html
This article is about how scientists in Britain have discovered a new drug which can cope with obesity-related problems, using hormones which restrain the user from eating too much by mimicking the stomach feeling full. That way, obese people would not eat so much and would reduce weight.
This seems like a solution to the obesity problem in Britain, which incidentally records 30,000 deaths yearly due to obesity cases. However, using drugs would not solve such a problem. As I understand it, the problem is that some people in England feel that such a drug is the easiest solution to obesity. In a society where physical appearances and being fit matters, the need to slim down exerts a great pressure on those who are deemed as fat and therefore "unsightly". These people see this new "hormone drug" as the key to their troubles: pump in the appetite-controlling hormone, sit back, and slim down.
There might be unforeseen consequences, however, such as the possibility of the excessive usage of the drug. It could lead to "under-eating" and even death. Another case would be anorexic symptoms. Although this new drug has opened another road in the fight against obesity, I feel that education might be the best method to resolve the problem. Much like drug abuse, the users of such a drug should be educated and cautioned, and the distribution of the drug controlled. It is best to refrain from taking the drug, so obese people should be encouraged to shed weight the hard but safe way.
This situation shows the human nature of wanting to do things the quick and easy way, and how people subject to pressure from the society. This situation can be looked at from both sides. The obese people might be driven to take drugs and other hazardous ways to slim down quickly because of the way the society works. I too have found myself teasing my overweight friends on more than one occasion, and I do not really understand how it is to be the subject of cruel jokes and ridicules. Therefore, it is not really fair for me to judge the obese people in England as the way I do. In their prospective, it might be rational to pursue such a method to cut down on eating food.
In conclusion, I believe that the society is partially to be blamed for this problem. It is not so much of what the trend is in a society, but it is how ordinary people on the streets, including myself, view these obese people. This not only applies to England but to societies worldwide. If we could view them in a better light, and if both the society's people and the obese were to be educated, then the society itself would become a better place to live in. The people on the streets would not be prejudiced against the obese, and the obese would know of better ways to slim down and lead a healthy lifestyle.
This article is about how scientists in Britain have discovered a new drug which can cope with obesity-related problems, using hormones which restrain the user from eating too much by mimicking the stomach feeling full. That way, obese people would not eat so much and would reduce weight.
This seems like a solution to the obesity problem in Britain, which incidentally records 30,000 deaths yearly due to obesity cases. However, using drugs would not solve such a problem. As I understand it, the problem is that some people in England feel that such a drug is the easiest solution to obesity. In a society where physical appearances and being fit matters, the need to slim down exerts a great pressure on those who are deemed as fat and therefore "unsightly". These people see this new "hormone drug" as the key to their troubles: pump in the appetite-controlling hormone, sit back, and slim down.
There might be unforeseen consequences, however, such as the possibility of the excessive usage of the drug. It could lead to "under-eating" and even death. Another case would be anorexic symptoms. Although this new drug has opened another road in the fight against obesity, I feel that education might be the best method to resolve the problem. Much like drug abuse, the users of such a drug should be educated and cautioned, and the distribution of the drug controlled. It is best to refrain from taking the drug, so obese people should be encouraged to shed weight the hard but safe way.
This situation shows the human nature of wanting to do things the quick and easy way, and how people subject to pressure from the society. This situation can be looked at from both sides. The obese people might be driven to take drugs and other hazardous ways to slim down quickly because of the way the society works. I too have found myself teasing my overweight friends on more than one occasion, and I do not really understand how it is to be the subject of cruel jokes and ridicules. Therefore, it is not really fair for me to judge the obese people in England as the way I do. In their prospective, it might be rational to pursue such a method to cut down on eating food.
In conclusion, I believe that the society is partially to be blamed for this problem. It is not so much of what the trend is in a society, but it is how ordinary people on the streets, including myself, view these obese people. This not only applies to England but to societies worldwide. If we could view them in a better light, and if both the society's people and the obese were to be educated, then the society itself would become a better place to live in. The people on the streets would not be prejudiced against the obese, and the obese would know of better ways to slim down and lead a healthy lifestyle.
posted by link at 9:26 PM
1 Comments:
glad that you have more than 1 take on this issue. indeed quick fixes are really prevalent in our society look at the no of slimming ad in our national paper.
perhaps could relate it back to a singaporean context so as to show that you are able to apply knowledge in different contexts.
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