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Surprising Science —

The “McVictim Syndrome”

McVictimization teaches Americans to think that obesity is someone else’s fault. The truth: In the vast majority of cases, obesity is a preventable condition.
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McVictimization teaches Americans to think that obesity is someone else’s fault — and therefore, someone else’s problem to solve. The truth: In the vast majority of cases, obesity is a preventable condition. So those of us in the medical community must be candid with overweight patients about the risks they face and the rewards of better health choices. But it’s also time for American policymakers to show the same level of candor. …And the simplest explanation for the dramatic rise in obesity rates — roughly doubling as a percentage of the total population in just a quarter-century — is the surge in our daily caloric intake.

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