Major Causes and Effects of the Obesity Epidemic - Essay Example

Major Causes and Effects of the Obesity Epidemic Introduction Obesity, otherwise known, as chubbiness is a medical condition whereby, surplus body fat accumulates beyond normal and results to adverse effects health wise. For decades, Americans have been dealing with many difficulties that relate to academics, politics, and finance. America has undergone many tribulations including the great depression of the 1930s and recently, the terrorism attacks of 2001. These extremely aggressive acts of mutiny directed towards the already ailing American citizens add to external force of terrorism, a threatening oblige that is plaguing America since the 1960s. Unhealthy eating, however, is one thing that has grown to become a silent killing factor among many Americans. Unhealthy eating among Americans is causing illnesses related to diet contributing to unprecedented and unnatural deaths (Adam 1). A problem that American people encounter and unfortunately will continue to struggle with for quite sometime. Practice of will power and limitations is an urgent need in order to focus constantly on combating food cravings and tasty temptations. This paper will seek to examine the major causes of obesity epidemic and its effects and arguably recommend on how to combat the epidemic. The major causes of obesity Factors in modern life of the Americans Documented evidence put into limelight that fifty percent of all United States citizens are overweight. Some medical practitioners argue that, overeating is not the major reasons for the Americans’ heftiness. This is converse to the countless stakes wishing to benefit from obese persons. Given that statics, most doctors deduce that one in five Americans is obese and most worrisome is in danger of suffering from adverse health problems. This draws the conclusion that, until American citizens are serious and dedicated to honesty about this epidemic, the country will never realize working solutions. The cult of eating fast foods or junks will only continue making them fatter. With reference to medical analysts, the real problem stemming obesity among Americans is finding unbiased researchers who find it worthless putting the cart before the horse and not influenced by beneficiaries whose main goal is fat prejudice. Cognitively, the main cause of obesity among American people does not fall under increased gluttony rather factor brought about by modern lives of Americans (Adam 2-3). Burned out glands Medical specialists are pointing out that endocrine systems of most Americans are under pressure due to many and diverse issues. This means that almost every American citizen is under stress. For the past twenty years, there has been continued insistence regarding fast-paced lifestyle incorporated with extended log workweeks. Additionally, the average number of working hours in a day has increased. Most bothersome, men and women are working round the clock in order to meet their increasing and impeding daily needs. These trends are portraying Americans as gerbils on the ever-spinning wheel of a hamster. Presence of over reacted schedules is common among the American people cell phones and bulging day planners cloud their hands (Motluck 562-63). The rampant phenomenon of bragging about not having time to rest is becoming the new and latest sign of success. All these factors are adding massive pressure on the endocrine system leading to stress which happens to be a major of obesity among most people. Stress, in addition, best known as a hazardous factor for the endocrine system, is on the rise among everyone. This is because of the reason that the modern society is becoming overwrought with consistent pressures and this is not at all good to people’s hormonal systems responsible for controlling metabolism. A particular type of stress, rampantly referred to as the “fight or flight syndrome” is common among Americans. Research findings put across that most Americans pump out steady streams of high hormones aimed at dealing with daily tones of grinds that include high-pressure jobs, traffic jams, societal angst, and noise pollution. These adversities occur in their lives for not just a number of seconds required to pop out a wolf off the bushes like the way our ancestors contended with, but for many hours. These factors amount to huge and chronic stress that takes much higher as opposed to acute stress and as a result, they account to some of the major causes of obesity that Americans have to endure (Motluck 564). Fatigued bodies It is observable that, many Americans have very few hours of paying off their sleep debts since they keep on bragging about the less time they spent while asleep. Studies show that, in the olden days where there were no such things like electricity, people used to sleep for more than nine hours per day. Today, most people take only five to six hours to rest. The latest scientific findings reveal that lack of sleep results to high levels of cortical and ill effects on the hormonal system (Motluck 565). In fact, doctoral aspects of research bring forth that sleep poses an adverse effect on body weight. In this case, they entail that disorders associated with sleep have been experimented of putting additional pounds upon unwilling victims. A number of those suffering from sleep apnea disorders have died of obesity, fact-findings reveal. Effects The most recent health report indicates that obesity is on the rise in America towards epidemic proportions. According to clinicians, statistics reveal that almost two-thirds of American people are now overweight. They argue that, the major cause of obesity epidemic in America is morality. They exclaim that, with reference to Americans eating habits, gluttony is not limited to religion’s conventional sphere. Legitimatizing of gluttony within public health and medicine is adding to the calamity. For at least twenty years, any suggestion that can use morality or parental admonition as a method of fighting the curse of overeating encounters stiff opposition from the so-called parenting gurus who claim that food should never be a dinner table battle. This widely propounded notion depict advising Americans not to eat too much is counterproductive. Most worrisome is the fact that not eating too much leads to stigmatization, which can result to low self-esteem, eating disorders, and bad body image (Rosa and Eschholz 557). Recommendations and conclusion Academic studies prove that, apart from bodily health effects that obesity causes, it also delivers the sufferer into stigmatization. Actually, Americans hate fat people. Fat are part of a class where it is always open season for open disdain and jokes. However, it is illegal to discriminate fat people in Michigan and San Francisco. Obesity leads to death since it is a killer disease. With this respect, this paper recommends that, all Americans should put an end to some stereotypical notions especially those related to morality. People claim not eating too much is counterproductive and leads to stigmatization although no warnings about the consequences of too much eating or overweight (Adam 4). Overweight related warnings are numerous. Therefore, they should set in place measures that can reduce obesity epidemic drastically. In conclusion, it is cognitive and observable that Americans are facing a slow terminating overweight related disease and it is taking a heavy toll on their budgets. Hence, they should initiate research mechanisms that will bring uncompromised results and shine light on this issue thoroughly. Works Cited Adam, Rodriguez. Fat People. Retrieved from http://www.lbcc.edu/English/documents/FatPeople.pdf on April 4, 2012. Pg 1-4. Motluck, Alison. “Supersize Me: It’s Time to Stop Blaming Fat People for their Size.” Models for Writer: Short Essays for Composition. Tenth Edition. Boston: Bedford, 2010. Print. Pg 562-565. Rosa, Alfred and Eschholz, Paul. Models for Writers, Tenth Edition. pg 557. Read More