It's all been an illusion

This story Australian story didn’t make the news here, but should have.

The two-day Bio-pedagogies Conference at Wollongong University begins tomorrow. Its focus is to bring reason and science to the hysteria being generated in schools with the claims of a global obesity epidemic....and normalizing things for our chlidren.

Obesity epidemic an illusion, experts say

AUSTRALIANS aren't getting fatter at all, according to a group of academics who claim the obesity epidemic is a money-wasting illusion....The conference organiser, Jan Wright, says the commonly reported belief that Australians are generally fat, and growing all the time, is a “beat-up” with its own agenda. “There's no epidemic,” says Professor Wright, associate dean of education at the University of Wollongong, which will host the event.

“There's not these radical increases in terms of overweight and obesity like everybody thinks, so the entire argument is wrong from the start.”

Prof Wright says there is no longitudinal figures to support expanding waistlines... She said many industries – especially fitness, food and pharmaceuticals – have a vested interest in perpetuating the obesity “myth” because they can make money out of the solutions.

Many scientists also support the concept because, says Prof Wright, there is a huge amount of funding thrown at the area by governments. “Money is a huge motivator for people to support the position that there is an obesity epidemic,” she said, “but millions of dollars are being wasted.”...