The Obesity Myth asks: lifestyle choice or genetic disease?
Thursday 17 August, 2017
News Release
New three-part documentary series premieres 7:30pm, Monday 4 September on SBS
TRAILER FOR MEDIA USE
Fifty years ago obesity barely existed. Today, almost two out of three Australian adults are either clinically obese or overweight*. So why, in the midst of a global obesity epidemic**, are obese people judged, criticized and shunned, rather than being supported to improve their health?
The Obesity Myth is a new three-part documentary series, produced for SBS by the award-winning CJZ (Go Back to Where You Came From, Gruen), which challenges the commonly held view that obesity is the result of lifestyle choice.
The series follows the staff and patients at Melbourne public hospital Austin Health, where doctors are using new research to treat obesity as a genetic illness which is in alignment with the World Health Organisation's classification of obesity as a disease.
Through stories of hope, determination and adversity it reveals the broader challenges facing Australian society and medical systems as they try to deal with the global obesity epidemic**.
International obesity expert Professor Joe Proietto is the head of Austin Health's Weight Control Clinic. He believes people are obese because of a certain genetic pre-disposition which means they experience significantly more hunger and need to eat more food to feel full than a thin person. Professor Proietto's approach to weight loss is sought after - patients often wait up to two years for an appointment, and treatment begins with an extremely low carb diet, often followed by appetite suppressing medication.
For patients who struggle on Professor Proietto's diet, the last resort is bariatric surgery, where most of the patient's stomach is permanently removed, or a lap band or balloon is inserted into the stomach. Headed by Ahmad Aly, Austin Health's bariatric clinic performs 80 operations each year under the public health system.
The Obesity Myth follows several Weight Control Clinic patients including Karen, a 40-year-old wheelchair-bound woman who tips the scales at 246kg and has been a patient at the clinic for over 12 months but is showing little progress; 27-year-old vlogger and musician, Flick, who spent all of her schooling years as the biggest kid in class; Tracey, a vivacious 48-year-old mum-of-two who has lost over 73kg in 12 months and is taking a chance and coming off her appetite suppressant medication after reaching her goal weight; and greyhound-loving Wayne who was diagnosed with weight-related diabetes as a teen and is now facing foot amputation aged 40.
Bariatric Surgery patients featured in the series include former New Zealand national gridiron player Robert who weighs more than 200kg and faces premature death if he can't lose weight; Huss, a Lebanese Australian boxer who is struggling to deal with the challenge of eating significantly less food post-surgery; and Lebanese-born author and academic Marie who's weight gain was a symptom of hormone-balancing medication and has put unbearable pressure on her prosthetic legs.
SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said:
With almost two-thirds of Australian adults tipping the scales as overweight or obese, the issue of diet and health affects millions across different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The Obesity Myth is an important program that will help break down barriers to social cohesion by sharing the deeply personal stories of those who have struggled with obesity, and challenging commonly held views that obesity is the result of lifestyle choice.
Alongside The Obesity Myth, SBS will offer a range of content exploring the wider issues of diet and health throughout September, including in-depth articles online via sbs.com.au/obesity, curated programming on SBS On Demand, an episode of Insight investigating eating disorders, a Dateline documentary looking at the most obese country in the world and a number of stories across SBS World News platforms.
The three-part documentary series The Obesity Myth is produced by CJZ for SBS and airs Mondays at 7.30pm from September 4 on SBS.
Join the conversation #TheObesityMyth
Trailer for media use: https://youtu.be/_1wZuGvDDic
Screeners and some images are available at the SBS Media Centre.
*Australian Bureau of Statistics - http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4364.0.55.001 2014-15 Main%20Features Overweight%20and%20obesity 22
**World Health Organisation - http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/obesity/en/
ABOUT CJZ
CJZ is a multi-award winning Australian production company that produces more original prime-time series than any other production company in Australia. CJZ, which was formed with the 2012 merger of Cordell Jigsaw and Zapruder's Other Films, produces Drama, Factual, Entertainment and Comedy programming across all commercial networks, public broadcasters, free-to-air and cable. Signature CJZ programs include the ground-breaking format Go Back to Where You Came From (SBS) that won an International Emmy Award in 2013 and the 2012 Rose d'Or as the best television program in any genre and is now the most awarded factual program ever to come out of Australia.
ABOUT AUSTIN HEALTH
Austin Health comprises the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre. Austin Health operates 980 beds across acute, sub-acute and mental. Austin Health is an internationally recognised leader in clinical teaching and training, affiliated with eight universities. In addition, it is the largest Victorian provider of training for specialist physicians and surgeons. During 2013-14, Austin Health completed 95,142 inpatient admissions,177,027 outpatient attendances and 75,366 emergency a
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
The Obesity Myth asks: lifestyle choice or genetic disease?
