The Bioinformatics Blog (part 2)

Blogs, webpages and rants are out there to be read, to inspire and to establish dialogue. This blog page at the rather bluer than necessary Torygraph has an unnecessarily harsh dig at the obese poor. As someone who has lived with the indignity of X(n) sized trousers I can read this article with a mix of mirth and anger.

While the proletariat with TV dinners may show susceptibility to obesity, is there not a correlation with BMI and career. At bioinformatics meetings there is typically a Gaussian distribution of phenoforms and I would argue that whilst sitting at a computer as a productive “middle-class” bio-IT professional that background consumption of coffee (with full-fat milk), donuts and other fat and carbohydrate enriched snacks and a slightly more sedentary than absolutely necessary work style can lead to more issues.

The article in the telegraph has a cheap dig at a consequence, not a cause? Why is obesity such an issue – it seems to be the easy availability of pre-processed foods; easily digested and stored by the body. The lazy are more susceptible to the easy gratification from these well (synthetically) flavoured foods, and a viscious cycle is born. I am uncomfortable with the politicisation of this problem – let us consider the stereotypical gentleman of 150 years ago; a comfortable diet of meats and fortified wines and the corresponding problems with gout, diabetes and girth …