Once upon a time, people talked about the French paradox. People there ate rich, fatty foods but did not gain weight like other countries did. But the paradox has caught up with the French people and obesity rates there are skyrocketing. To combat the numbers, Pierre Dukan, the author of the Dukan diet is suggesting a controversial idea to the candidates for the French presidency. In a new book that should be on the shelves in the nation by the end of the week, he offers over one hundred tips and suggestions but it is the one that he has already discussed, in an open letter that has caused the most uproar. That suggestion calls for giving extra points to French high school students on their baccalaureate exams if they meet certain weight criteria.

The baccalaureate, similar to the US's high school diploma, is required to enter into university studies and is important to both students and their families. Dukan suggests that students who are within their ideal weight should be able to claim that option during the exam, earning extra points. Students who are entering their secondary education over that ideal weight would be able to earn even more points on their exam if they have managed to lose enough weight by the end of the two years. Students who have accomplished that task would receive twice as many points as a reward.

Dukan's diet is popular but not without it's critics, some calling it to difficult and too rigid to comply with as directed. Over ten million copies of the book have been sold worldwide in several different languages. The suggestions for points on an educational test based purely on weight were included in an open letter to the sixteen French candidates for the presidency. The other suggestions were included in the book which is being released. Another of those was the creation of a healthier version of fast food which could be served to the French youth. Dukan has reportedly met with McDonald's executives with what he dubbed the "McDukan burger" but that suggestion has failed. That burger would have eliminated the white bread bun that is traditional with the restaurant, replacing it with oatmeal bread instead.

The World Health Organization reports that just over fifty percent of the population of France is now overweight or obese. Since the 1960's, the number of overweight people in that nation has exploded, becoming, as Dukan suggests, more than just a health problem but a political problem as well.