Physician who claimed obesity can’t be treated with diet and exercise joins Biden administration
A physician who came under fire for comments claiming that obesity is more of genetics than lifestyle in a “60 Minutes” interview earlier this month is now a member of the Biden USDA’s 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which will help determine dietary standards for Americans over the coming years.
Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, a doctor specializing in obesity medicine at Mass General Health in Boston,
claims diet and exercise have little impact on the disease that affects nearly half of all Americans, so what does she think people should do about it?
“
The number one cause of obesity is genetics,” Stanford told CBS’ Lesley Stahl.
“That means that, if you were born to parents that have obesity, you have a 50 to 85% likelihood of having the disease yourself even with optimal diet, exercise, sleep management, stress management,” she added.
Stanford elaborated during the interview to claim that an overwhelming majority of U.S. doctors hold a bias toward obese patients.
“Are you saying that doctors don’t understand obesity? Doctors?” Stahl asked.
“Doctors do not understand obesity,” Stanford confirmed.