The Basic Cause Of Obesity

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

To begin with, World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to an individuals (sic) health." Obesity is in itself becoming an epidemic around the globe. Yes, some people may argue that in third world countries it is the exact opposite but it is agreed that obesity is rapidly increasing in many countries around this lovely, somewhat green planet we like to call Earth. Many people confuse someone being overweight with someone who is obese. Being overweight is just being over what is "normal" for someone’s age and height but being obese is being much more over the average weight for a person’s age or height. Pbs.org before-mentioned that "In the United States, where health officials have termed obesity an epidemic, more than 50 percent of the adult population could be obese by 2030 if current trends continue…" With the United States being an example, almost any country with McDonald’s within the vicinity of its general population is experiencing a rather noticeable growth in their country’s obesity rate.

As should be most obvious, with obesity comes risks and not only that but there are consequences for those who choose to stay obese (excluding those who don’t have much of a choice because of genetic factors in their bloodline). One of the most common risks is diabetes, usually type two. Not to mention there is a long list of other risks that are still very possible but not as common such as coronary heart disease, many different cancers (usually colon), hypertension or high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, osteoarthritis (commonly in the knees and ankles), and for women abnormal menses and infertility. On another note, besides health problems many businesses can’t or won’t hire someone who is obese because it might interfere with the work. For example, if a bus driver is obese and has sleep apnea, he may fall asleep at the wheel and endanger the lives of the passengers, other people on the road, which would include their self.

According to news-medical.net, "The basic cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended and maintaining your current body weight indicates you are in caloric balance and to gain or lose weight you will need the balance scale to tip in one direction or another to achieve a goal." Some other causes might also be the environment someone is in, their culture - especially when it comes down to what kind of food that culture most commonly consumes and the way it is cooked -, and their socioeconomic status as well; for example, if "Bob" happens to be a somewhat wealthy man and his social group is wealthy as well then they most likely will eat out more than someone who may be in the low or middle-income socioeconomic class. On the other hand, there are "…genetic factors in disorders such as Bardet-Biedi syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome…" Stress is also another cause of obesity. When a person gets stressed many choose to eat, and not exactly healthy food. When stressed, people tend to choose sweet, salty and fattening foods to ease their stress.

To begin with, the obvious will be clearly stated just for the record. Yes, the United States is the most obese country in the world right now and has been for a long time. This study that came from OECD health data (nationmaster.com) shows the percentage of people in a population who have a greater BMI than 30 kg per sq. meter. Of course the United States made it to number one in the top ten averaging out to 30.6%, Mexico being number two with 24.2%. The "skinniest" countries in the world as of 2005, averaging out to 3.2% are Japan and South Korea. According to who.net or World Health Organization, "…in developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems." It is also said that women have a higher chance of becoming obese than men, but men have a higher chance of becoming obese. WHO also states that approximately 1.46 billion adults worldwide are overweight and "…502 million of them are considered obese."

Obesity is not something that’s bound to happen. It is something that can very well be prevented if someone were to put in the effort to keep active and eat healthy. However, for someone who is already on the path to obesity, it can be stopped. Hypothetically speaking, if you were on your way to becoming obese, you could stop it by cutting some of the unhealthy foods from your diet and eating more vegetables and becoming more active. Take long walks before work, do a few laps in the pool after a long day, maybe even try weightlifting; not saying you have to become a body builder but even exercising just once a day, for thirty minutes, five times a week could turn stop obesity right in its tracks before you become a statistic. You don’t have to do something massive to prevent becoming obese, just "Eat less and move more" (Hoffman and Salerno 40).

First off, the United States is the "fattest" country in the world as of 2005, tipping the scale at 30.6 percent of the people who call the United States home are obese or "…have a BMI greater than thirty kilograms per square meters." During the years of 2009 and 2010, "…more than one-third of the United States adults (35.7%) were obese." In the United States, one in every three women is obese. Here in the United States, health officials have now labeled obesity an epidemic. "…More than 50% of the adult population could be obese by 2030 if current trends continue…" Now-a-days in the United States, children are the most tragic victims of this obesity epidemic. One of the main reasons this is true is because of the technology coming along. The Xbox, Play Station 3, smart phones, iPhones, iPads, tablets and laptops are some of the main pieces of technology that keep children and teens occupied and distract them from going outside and being active. It may just be because of technology but it could also be the fact that parents aren’t as active either nor are they as motivational about going outside and playing games like they used to be. Adding on to that would be our advertising businesses, they advertise fast food restaurants and they make sure there are certain commercials that do attract children such as McDonald’s Happy Meal commercials, the kids of course love Happy Meals from McDonald’s probably because the toys that are included in the meals. Sodas and juices are other causes of obesity in children in America. "One-fourth of American teens drink an average of four sodas a day, which is equivalent of an entire extra meal in terms if calories" (Hoffman & Salerno 79). Does this make juice a healthier option? To answer that question; no, juice is not always a healthier option than soda. "Juice has nearly the amount of sugar as soda" (Hoffman & Salerno, film). Juice is usually just high fructose corn syrup, massive amounts of sugar, and fruit flavoring; now does that sound healthy at all? Of course it doesn’t. For a healthier choice parents should give their children water as a healthier beverage.

Not long ago, the Morelli family had been obese and unhealthy. They knew they were becoming more and more obese and not getting any thinner. Ron, the father, weighing in at 430 pounds, and his son Mike at 388 pounds at the age of eighteen! Ron’s wife, Becky was obese as well, after having her second son Max, she weighed about 260 pounds. She told herself plenty of times that she was going to lose weight, mainly because one day someone had asked her, "When are you due?", horrifically, she wasn’t even pregnant, just big. Moments like that made the Morelli family want to get moving and lose the weight. When the father-son team of Ron and Mike joined the cast of The Biggest Loser, they began their new workout the first day at the ranch. That day marked a life changing experience for them as well as Becky and Max. Becky had decided to start a new diet for Max and her. Ron and Mike had their own diets at the ranch and it definitely wasn’t a Big Mac with a large order of French fries, more like a "Taco salad, white fish seasoned and grilled to perfection, and corn tortilla wraps with cheese" with a glass of water of course. That was just the beginning; they had found a solution to a problem that has made not only their family miserable but many families across the United States and around the world. For someone who is obese, if they don’t want to become a part of the statistics it would be best to start a new diet, maybe not completely starve themselves but only eat about 1500-1800 calories a day and work out at least 5 times a week for about thirty to forty-five minutes, but again nothing major, just take a walk for half an hour or do a few sit-ups and push-ups, maybe even go for a jog.

We as the human race, not just in the United States but around the world need to make the same effort as the Morelli family and stop this epidemic before it becomes inevitable that our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren become obese and we won’t be able to stop it. Make a change, get active, and eat healthy!

Work Cited

"What is obesity?" http://www.news-medical.net/health/Causes-of-Obesity-and-Overweight.aspx NP - Web – 3/15/13

"Obesity by Country" http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity OECD Health Data NP - Web - 4/12/13

World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/obesity/en/ NP - Web – 3/15/13

"Strategies and Solutions for My Community" http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/communityStrategies.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Web – 1/29/13 – 3/15/13

Hoffman, John & Salerno, Judith A. "The Weight of the Nation: Surprising Lessons about Diets, Food, and Fat from Extraordinary HBO Documentary Films" New York: St. Martin’s, 2012. Print. Film. 3/15/13

Kessler, David A. "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2009. Print. 3/15/13

Morelli, Ron, Becky, Mike, & Max. "Fat Family/Fit Family: How We Beat Obesity and You Can Too" Barnes & Noble. The Penguin Group, 2011. Print. 3/15/13

Miller, Talea. Pbs.org. "Obesity Rates Rising Worldwide, Half of U.S. Could Be Obese by 2030" Web. PBS. PBS, 8/25/11. 4/17/13