APPETITE: A STRONG BUT

SUBTLE TEMPTATION
BY: ELMORE B. LUMPAY, M.D., FPSMSI

Key Text:
Do you not know that your body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own; you
were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God
with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

 One of the strongest temptations that man has

to meet is upon the point of appetite. (Ellen G.
White, 1864)

My Papua New Guinea

Experience

day, highly urbanized

countries.
Westernization (influenced by the U.S.) of most
of our diets have contributed a lot to our
unbridled appetite resulting in the increase of
overweight and obese population. It is now an
epidemic in America and has become pandemic
because it has already spread globally.

World Health Organization

(WHO) Report, 2014:
2/3 of Americans are overweight and obese

1/3 of Filipinos have been found overweight and

obese

WHO Definition of overweight and obese:

Body Mass Index (BMI) = weight in kg/height m2
Normal BMI - 18-25 kg/m2
Overweight

>25 -30 kg/m2

Obese

- >30-35 kg/m2

Morbidly obese - >35 kg/m2

 Overweight by >10%: 31% increase risk of

death

Overweight by >20%: 50% increase risk of

dying

Morbidly Obese

 Subtle consequences of being overweight and

obese:
1. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
2. High Blood Pressure
3. Stroke
4. Type 2 Diabetes
5. Metabolic Syndrome

 Subtle consequences of being overweight and

obese (continuation):
6. Osteoarthritis
7. Abnormal cholesterol
8.Cancer
9. Sleep apnea
10. Reproductive problems
11.Gallstones

 Being overweight or obese can also present with

multiple surgical and anesthetic risks or
challenges:
1. Equipment related
2. Surgical skills
3. Anesthesia doses and induction procedures

 My recent personal experience with a female

post-stroke patient who was about to undergo
Open Surgical Cholecystectomy was the most
traumatic.

Is there a way out of this

global malady?
Our body can be likened to a brand new car
except that we are a divine masterpiece and the
car is a mortal creation.

 Gods original diet for Adam and Eve:

I give you every seed-bearing plant on the
face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with
seed in it. They will be yours for food. Genesis
1:29
Non-plant based food was allowed shortly after the
flood but the restrictions were clearly stipulated in
Leviticus 15:1-47.

 According to reports by the American Cancer

Society and Blue Zone Project), SDA members
live an average of 10 years longer than the
American life expectancy of about 79 years
(with 34,000 participants since 1976 conducted
in Loma Linda, California, USA.)

 The U.S. Government has spent over $US69

million to study the health of Seventh-day
Adventists (Adventist Lifestyle Studies). Over
250 peer review papers have been published on
the resulting positive findings. The World Health
Organization and the American Dietetics
Association have modified their position on diet
as a direct result of these findings.

Conclusion
We should be proud that we belong to a denomination that does not
only uphold Gods Divine Law, but including Dietary and Health Laws,
which guide us the right path towards eternal life. As a loving and
liberal God, He has given us a choice to make: Are we going to follow
our own wishes in matters of our appetite just like Eve? Or are we
going to listen to our Creator, who knows what is best for us, and
follow his wishes in what we eat.
Gods message to King Solomon: My son, forget not my law, but let
thine heart keep my commandments, for length of days and long life
and peace shall they add to thee. Proverbs 3:1-2.