The Problem of Overweight in the US - Essay Example

Obesity Obesity has become an issue of global concern owing to the alarming rise in the statistics of the people suffering from this condition. Obesity has been marked as an epidemic in the United States of America and it has been assessed by experts that if the current situation is left uncontrolled and the causes of obesity are not tackled, 44 percent of the people in every state of the United States would become obese by the year 2030. Obesity is basically measured in terms of the body mass index which is mainly a calculation based on the weight and the height of an individual. If a person has a body mass index above 30, he is labeled as obese. A body mass index between 25 and 29.9 suggests that the individual is overweight. According to a survey of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States in the year 2012, 35.7 percent of the adult Americans were identified as obese. 16.9 percent children between the ages of 2 to 19 years were also marked as obese. The rates of obesity have greatly increased over the last three decades and this has raised alarms owing to the morbidity associated with this condition (Begley). Obesity is led to many causes amongst which the principal causes include reduced physical activity, an increase in junk food consumption as well as genetic factors. The causes of obesity need to understood and controlled to tackle this issue as it is an underlying cause of major pathological conditions. Obesity is associated with many health concerns. It increases the risk of an individual for the development of pathologies like diabetes mellitus, cancer as well as cardiovascular diseases. The rise in the statistics of obesity would directly lead to an overall increase in the number of people suffering from these health conditions and hence, this would pose a burden on the healthcare system of the United States. The healthcare costs that are incurred by obesity related illnesses annually are approximately $147 billion in the United States currently but it is feared that with such a sharp rise in obesity over the years, these costs would greatly increase (Begley). The consumption of fast food has been marked as an important cause of obesity. The definition of fast food as put forward by the United States Department of Agriculture is “food purchased in self-service or carry-out eating places without wait service.” The fast food industry has greatly bloomed over the years. In the year 1953, fast food sale was only 4 percent of the total food sales eaten by people outside home. But these sales reached to 40 percent in the year 1995. Statistics have also shown that up to 7 percent of American residents consume food at a fast food outlet every day. Fast food does not have a high nutritional value and cannot be considered as a healthy diet. It is low in fiber, vitamins and minerals like calcium and contains a high content of fats and fructose. It also has a high glycemic index. There is a strong correlation between fast food intake and obesity. It leads to an increase in the levels of insulin and resistance to insulin both centrally and peripherally in the body. This leads to an increase in the appetite of a person and hence leads to obesity (Isganaitis and Lustig 2451, 2452, 2459). Genetic factors are another important cause of obesity. The genetic makeup of every individual is different and it has been proposed that the effect of food may be different for every person. People who are genetically predisposed to becoming obese either have greater appetites in comparison to others or they may have a greater tendency to retain the fat in their body and thus lead to increased fat storage and obesity (Garde 11). A research conducted by the University of California Los Angeles on mice upheld the effect of genes on obesity. The research was based on a period of sixteen weeks where different mice that possessed different genes were fed. The weight gain was different for all the mice and though they were all fed the same diet, a few mice gained greater weight in comparison to the others. Researchers used the results of this study to uphold the claim that genetics have an effect on obesity and the genes of certain individuals give them a higher susceptibility to become obese (Miles). Physical inactivity and the lack of exercise is another important cause of obesity. The change in the lifestyle of people over the years has contributed greatly to the epidemic of obesity. New technological innovations have greatly improved the living standards of the people but they have led to other problems like obesity. The modern forms of transportation as well as the possession of personal cars have led to reduced walking. Automatic machines have replaced the manual ones and this has also led to a reduction in manual work and labor and hence reduced the burning of calories. Indoor entertainment systems like televisions have greatly increased and this has led to a reduction in the outdoor recreational activities. The computer and the internet have also given the privileges of doing most of the work while at home or sitting and even activities like shopping can be done without going out. These technological advancements have led to a great reduction in the physical activity of the people and hence, they have served as an important factor towards the promotion of obesity (Preuss and Bagchi 864). The epidemic of obesity is an important matter for the healthcare agencies owing to the great rise in the statistics of obesity as well as the health care issues associated with it. Obesity has led to an increase in the number of people suffering from conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. There are many causes of obesity amongst which the important ones include the rise in the consumption of junk food, genetic factors as well as a reduction in the physical activity of the people. These cause need to be understood and assessed in depth to provide for good solutions to overcome this epidemic of obesity. Works Cited Begley, Sharon. “Fat and getting fatter: U.S. obesity rates to soar by 2030.” Reuters. 18 Sep. 2012. Web. 13 May 2013. Garde, Amandine. Eu Law and Obesity Prevention. Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, 2010. Print. Isganaitis, Elvira, and Robert H. Lustig. "Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity." Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 25.12 (2005): 2451-62. Print. Miles, Kathleen. “'Fat Genes' Determine Obesity, UCLA Study Says, In Addition To Diet And Exercise.” Huffington Post. 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 May 2013. Preuss, Harry G, and Debasis Bagchi. Obesity: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Prevention. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, 2013. Print. Read More