TOO FAT.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17645, 23 December 1922, Page 6

TOO FAT.

A physician is most frequently consulted by women wh6 seek advice on account of the loss of good looks which obesity entails. The condition of "fat, fair, and forty" is not one which is appreciated by most women. Thus, apart from all sorts of inconveniences and discomforts which accompany it,-obesity often causes considerable riiental distress. _ Then, again, the deposit of fat necessitates 'carrying about an excess of inert material which, by disposing to less exertion, tends to "aggravate the condition. ' Sooner or later fat is deposited in and around the heart, embarrassing its action and causing shortness of breath. Apart from some rare conditions, it can hai\ly bo doubted that ordinary obesity of middle life is due to a disproportion between the intake of energy in the form of food and its output in the form of muscular work. This disproportion may be caused by excessive consumption of food, and it is pjobably correct that we" are all liable to eat too much after forty years of age. But many stout persons are moderate eaters, and in these cases the disproportion arises from inadequate oxidation of the food, associated with excessive absorption of those materials which produce fat. In addition, many "fat people have a fatal liking for those very foods which aggravate their condition, and some of them, who declare they "eat nothing," take numerous lumps of sugar in their tea and plaster butter on their bread. So long as obesity is compatible with good health, its reduction is not really called for. In any case, rapid reduction is seldom advisable, and by no means free from danger. One pound weight per week for the first month, and subsequently a pound per month until the normal is reached, is what should be aimed at. Adherence to a few simple rules is j usually sufficient. The output should be increased by taking more exercise, and the intake limited by dieting. Sugar, honey, jams, and pastry are forbidden, and bread should be reduced to two ounces daily. Green vegetables are beneficial, but potatoes, carrots artichokes, and beetroot should not be taken. Pats, especially cream, are forbidden, and very little butter is allowed. It is usual to forbid drinking with meals, and, as few people relish dry meals, this has the effect of reducing the quantity of food eaten. Alcohol, being a sparer of fats, is best avoided altogether by the corpulent, but the least injurious form is good whisky well diluted. A glass of hot water on rising and on going; to bed is useful.