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  3. With obesity now affecting 29% of the population in England, and expected to rise to 35% by 2030, should we now recognise it as

With obesity now affecting 29% of the population in England, and expected to rise to 35% by 2030, should we now recognise it as

admin2022-03-23  158
问题     With obesity now affecting 29% of the population in England, and expected to rise to 35% by 2030, should we now recognise it as a disease? Obesity, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be adversely affected, meets the dictionary definition of disease, argues Professor John Wilding. He points out that more than 200 genes influence weight. "Thus body weight is strongly influenced by biology—it is not an individual’s fault if they develop obesity." Yet the widespread view is that obesity is self-induced and that it is entirely the individual’s responsibility to do something about it. Recognising obesity as a chronic disease with severe complications rather than a lifestyle choice "should help reduce the stigma (耻辱) and discrimination experienced by many people with obesity," he adds.
    Professor Wilding disagrees that labelling a high proportion of the population as having a disease removes personal responsibility or may overwhelm health services, pointing out that other common diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, require people to take action to manage their condition. He suggests that most people with obesity will eventually develop complications. "But unless we accept that obesity is a disease, we are not going to be able to tackle it," he concludes.
    But Dr.   Richard Pile, a physician with a special interest in diabetes, argues that adopting this approach "could actually result in worse outcomes for individuals and society." He believes that the dictionary definition of disease "is so vague that we can classify almost anything as a disease" and says the question is not whether we can, but whether we should, and to what end.
    If labelling obesity as a disease was harmless then it wouldn’t really matter, he writes. But labelling obesity as a disease "risks reducing autonomy, disempowering and robbing people of the intrinsic (内在的) motivation that is such an important enabler of change." What’s more, making obesity a disease "may not benefit patients, but it will benefit healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical (制药的) industry when health insurance and clinical guidelines promote treatment with drugs and surgery," he warns.
What does Dr. Richard Pile think of the dictionary definition of disease?
选项 A、It is of no use in understanding obesity.
B、It is too inclusive and thus lacks clarity.
C、It helps little to solve patients’ problems.
D、It matters little to the debate over obesity.
答案B
解析 细节辨认题。定位句提到，理查德.派尔医生认为，字典上对疾病的定义“如此模糊，以至于我们几乎可以将任何事物归类为疾病”。也就是说，疾病的定义范围太大，缺乏清晰度。因此本题答案为B)。A)“它对了解肥胖是没有用的”、C)“它对解决病人的问题帮助不大”和D)“这与对肥胖的争论无关”三项在原文中均未提及，因此排除。
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