Hey guys Tara here for Dnews - and if you're the type of person who's constantly worried

about your weight, then do we have the story for you!

It's been almost a year now since the American Medical Association officially classified

obesity as a disease. One of the hopes behind this was to raise awareness to the growing

problem of obesity, but new research suggests that the classification may be doing more

harm than good. A study published in the April issue of Psychological

Science, recruited over 700 participants to take an online survey related to health and

weight. They calculated the BMI of every participant - some obese, and some of average weight - and

then asked them to read one of three articles. The first article was a standard public-health

message about weight, another was a NYT article describing obesity as a disease, and the third

was an article specifically stating that obesity is NOT a disease.

The findings show that obese participants who read the article classifying obesity as

a disease, placed less importance on health-focused dieting and reported less concern over their

weight, compared to obese individuals who read the other two articles. They also chose

higher-calorie food options when asked to pick a sandwich from a provided menu. Meaning

the "obesity as a disease" mentality actually led to unhealthier food choices.

Crystal Hoyt, the researcher who spearheaded the study, says "the term disease suggests

that bodies, physiology, and genes are malfunctioning. By invoking physiological explanations for

obesity, the disease label encourages the perception that weight is unchangeable."

However, they're not disputing the fact that obesity should be classified as a disease.

Rather, the aim was to understand how public-health messages can have unintended consequences.

The most interesting aspect of the study, I think, is that the people who accepted the

disease classification but made unhealthy choices anyway - reported greater body satisfaction

than any of the other groups. So they may be unhealthy - but at least they're happy!

What do you guys think? Should obesity be classified as a disease? And does knowing

that it is, affect your food choices? Let us know in the comments below and for more

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