‘Body positivity movement’ is making Aussie women FAT and leading to an increase in diabetes and fertility issues, claims doctor turned MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah

A doctor turned politician has spoken out against the ‘body positivity movement’ for ‘normalising weight gain’ in young women.

Melbourne Labor MP Dr. Michelle Ananda-Rajah called out the trend of downplaying the harmful effects of excessive weight gain – including diabetes and fertility problems.

Speaking at a parliamentary inquiry into diabetes on Thursday, Dr Ananda-Rajah said more and more overweight women are facing health problems.

“There’s been a body positivity movement,” she said Herald Sun reported.

‘My concern as a health professional is that… it normalises weight gain in young women and this can lead to subsequent problems, especially if they become pregnant.

“They gain weight during that pregnancy and can’t move that weight anymore, and that just leads to other problems later in life.”

‘I want to ensure that women are in optimal mental and physical health during their childbearing years, as this has implications for maternal and child health, especially in relation to diabetes.’

Body Positivity encourages Australians, especially young women, to accept their bodies, regardless of size or shape, and reject weight as the only indicator of health.

One of the leaders of the movement is Taryn Brumfitt, 2023 Australian of the Year.

Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt (above) is one of the leaders in body positivity and told Australians in a recent interview: ‘We’re not supposed to talk about how the jeans don’t fit’

In an interview on Thursday, Brumfitt focused on the negative toll self-criticism has on Australians and how it shortens their “short” lives, saying that “we’re not supposed to talk about how the jeans don’t fit.”

“I want women to know how much they are sidelining themselves in life by saying negative things about their bodies,” Brumfitt said. Marie Claire Australia.

‘…We were not born into the world hating our bodies. It’s something the world has taught us.’

Butterfly Foundation spokeswoman Melissa Wilton described body positivity as essential to medicine, with the health of many Australians suffering from weight-focused systems such as the Body Mass Index (BMI).

‘The movement is important because many people with experience of both diabetes and eating disorders have told us that the stereotypical narrow focus on weight as a measure of health has led to them not receiving compassionate and adequate care and their health problems often being overlooked were seen. Mrs. Wilton said.

Endocrinologist Dr. However, Melbourne’s Sarah Price said 50 per cent of female patients at the Royal Melbourne Hospital were overweight or obese.

Endocrinologist Dr. Sarah Price from Melbourne said several overweight women, who are at higher risk of diabetes, have become dependent on the diabetes drug Ozempic (above) to lose weight, worsening global shortages of the drug.

She added that many more women in pregnancy planning clinics were using Ozempic injections – a crucial diabetes drug that is currently in short supply worldwide due to its weight loss side effects – to meet weight restrictions for IVF treatments.

“The reality is that women are using these drugs in huge numbers right now,” Dr. Price said.

‘I work in a clinic that treats people before IVF who have medical problems, metabolic problems, that prevent them from continuing with IVF.’

When asked whether body positivity affected her patients’ weight, Dr. Price said, “I think we need to redefine obesity as a biological disease and a disorder of appetite regulation.”

She added that prescribing drugs like Ozempic comes at the expense of those who need them most, including diabetics, and can promote disordered eating.