Is Paula Deen the Appropriate Diabetes Celebrity?
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?Novo Nordisk…ignore the media outcry?and keep Ms. Deen.? |
This story is all over the media. Noted celebrity chef, known for her fatty recipes, announced she has Type 2 Diabetes. She also is working with Novo Nordisk as a spokesperson. The drug industry critics are screaming that Paula Deen is a bad choice to represent a drug company. After all, she is pitching recipes that are filled with unhealthy fats and it is ironic she is telling us to get treated.
Despite the outcry from the media, I think Ms. Deen is exactly the kind of spokesperson most of overweight America will listen to. The purpose of a celebrity is to get attention for the condition. Ms. Deen is like older Americans. She is overweight and has a questionable diet. She ended up with what many obese people will face, Type 2 Diabetes.
I hate to say this but most of the obese will not change their diet. They will not lose weight. They will not enroll in the Biggest Loser to shed half their body weight. Those fat cells are there for good and so is their craving for donuts. That is not a good public health message but it is reality. Ms. Deen is not someone to give diet advice. What she is saying is that if you are at risk; get diagnosed and get treated. Of course we all know it is much better to prevent Diabetes with good diet and exercise. How is that working out for America so far? Let?s face it; we are not likely to prevent obesity without some new drug to turn off our desire for junk food.
Given the real world situation of our love of high sugary, starchy foods, we need more people diagnosed earlier and aggressively treated to prevent the costly complications of diabetes. If Paula Deen takes a pill, and keeps eating high carb processed foods, that is sad, but is reality for most of us. What we need is someone who the public identifies with and who can motivate people to get tested and treated. I know physicians feel the obligation to push diet and exercise to their patients at risk or at early stage diabetes. That is the right message. I also know most physicians know that advice is unlikely to be heeded and medication is the likely outcome.
My mother called me yesterday to tell me she has blood sugar of 196 and her doctor wants to put her on a medication. She said no, she wants to try diet first. Admirable goal for my mom, but she is 83 and is not likely to succeed due to her lack of willpower. I told her not to wait before starting the pills but she will give it a month. I fear her waiting because of the damage her body will face.
Ms. Deen is being accused of hypocrisy and somehow selling out to the drug industry. On the contrary, I think her message is, ?I eat wrong, I know it, I will try to eat better but more likely will continue to eat wrong, but I am not going to let Diabetes destroy me, so I am taking pills to treat it.? I know the drug critics would rather have Ms. Deen say she became a Vegan, ran marathons, and now has blood sugar of 70. Better to have Ms. Deen tell us to get diagnosed and treated and prevent costly complications. My advice to Novo Nordisk is to ignore the media outcry and keep Ms. Deen as a spokesperson. As a taxpayer, I want Ms. Deen and millions of others like her to get diagnosed and treated with cost effective pills. I cannot control what they eat and if they stay fat. I?ll take the next best alternative which is early treatment with pills.
Bob Ehrlich, Chairman
DTC Perspectives, Inc
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