Is obesity a disease?

REEDLEY, CA - OCTOBER 21: Seventeen year-old Marissa Hamilton stands on a scale during her weekly weigh-in at the Wellspring Academy October 21, 2009 in Reedley, California. Struggling with her weight, seventeen year-old Marissa Hamilton enrolled at the Wellspring Academy, a special school that helps teens and college level students lose weight along with academic courses. When Marissa first started her semester at Wellspring she weighed in at 340 pounds and has since dropped over 40 pounds of weight in the first two months of the program. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children in the US ages 6-19 years are overweight or obese, three times the amount since 1980. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Marissa Hamilton

Delegates of the American Medical Association are meeting until Wednesday this week. One issue they'll consider is whether to classify obesity as a disease. Currently, obesity is recognized as a medical condition.

At their annual meeting in Chicago today, delegates of the American Medical Association have officially endorsed recognizing obesity as a disease. Opponents to the labeling argue that obesity is a risk factor for health problems and a reflection of someone's eating habits and chosen lifestyle.

Proponents, however, say that obesity has underlying metabolic and hormonal causes and designating it a disease would encourage a more direct response in fighting this national epidemic. This is not just a philosophical debate; upgrading obesity to a disease has important financial implications for the health insurance industry and for employers.

Is obesity a disease or is it a result of lifestyle choices?

Guests:

Dr. Scott Kahan, Director of the National Center for Weight & Wellness in Washington D.C. He also teaches at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Paul Campos, Professor of Law at the University of Colorado and the author of “The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health” (Gotham, 2004)