[maxerickson]

The AMA recently recognized obesity as a disease. Of course, that does not end the argument about whether it is a legitimate medical condition.

And plenty of the 35% of adults that are obese have problems like insulin resistance and high blood pressure (both of which are certainly medical problems). They are also generally at higher risk for cardiovascular problems.

There are probably many people who are told they have metabolic syndrome but fail to understand that this may be (at least partially) a result of their weight problems, not simply a cause of it.