Fat Acceptance and Arthritis

What Is Fat Acceptance?

Fat Acceptance is a social movement, that promotes changing cultural attitudes, towards overweight and obese people.

Other names for fat acceptance is fat liberation, fat power, big is beautiful, and health at every size.

Advocates of fat acceptance want to change the collective bias about overweight people. They believe that health is independent of body weight.

In February 2016, fashion model, Cheryl Tiegs was criticized, and subsequently apologized, for her comments about Sports Illustrated full-figure cover model Ashley Graham, who at 5’9″, weighs 182 pounds.

Tiegs quoted Dr. Oz, that being over-sized isn’t healthy in the long run.

Fat Acceptance Is Medically Unsound

The outcomes of excess fat aren’t glamorous. Medical studies have shown that overweight and obesity are risk factors for chronic, and sometimes life-threatening diseases such as:

Cancer
Diabetes
Heart disease
Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis and Obesity

Excess weight causes a break down in joint cartilage, causing pain, swelling, and problems moving the joint. Cartilage provides cushioning between the bones. In osteoarthritis, bone rubs against bone, creating joint damage and more pain.

Eventually a doctor will give an obese patient bad news about the effects of carrying around excess weight. An overweight person can expect any or all of the following conditions:

A knee or hip replacement
Ruptured spinal discs
Pain medication
Decline in quality of life
Loss of balance
Back ache

Facts About Obesity and Arthritis

Being only 10 pounds overweight increases the force on the knee by 30-60 pounds with each step.
Overweight women have nearly 4 times the risk of knee osteoarthritis. For overweight men, the risk is 5 times greater.
Even small amounts of weight loss reduces the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
A person who is 100 pounds overweight, puts 400 extra pounds of pressure on their knees.
The more weight on your joints, the greater the chances of cartilage breakdown, and premature damage to the knees, hips and lumbar spine.

Irene Pastore is a native New Yorker, health and fitness blogger, and personal trainer. Irene owns this website, and writes all the blog posts. For her complete bio, visit the About Page.