Ontario’s doctors are praising a move by the American Medical Association to officially label obesity as a disease.

“Ontario’s doctors applaud the American Medical Association for its increased attention and raising awareness of the epidemic of obesity,” Ontario Medical Association President Scott Wooder said in a written statement Wednesday.

The praise follows a vote taken by the American Medical Association in Chicago Tuesday to officially label obesity a disease that must be treated and prevented with a range of medical interventions.

“Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue,” AMA board member Patrice Harris said in a statement on the organization’s website. “The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes and is working to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which are often linked to obesity.”

Approximately one in every three Americans is obese according to the AMA.

In Canada more than half of adults and a quarter of all children are classified as overweight or obese, Wooder said in the OMA statement.

“We see the consequences every day in our offices -- from type 2 diabetes to joint problems, heart attacks and strokes,” he said.

On its website, Health Canada links a number of diseases and health conditions to obesity, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease and some types of cancer.

Over the last few years the Ontario Medical Association has called for a number of measures to be implemented in order to trim the waistlines of Ontarians. They include providing nutritional information about menu items in chain restaurants and high school cafeterias, mandatory physical education in schools and graphic warnings on high calorie foods.

“If we don’t start taking immediate action, obesity will continue to shorten lives, and our health care system will soon be overwhelmed by the demands of a preventable condition,” Wooder said.

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