Leland Curry, Natasha Edlefsen, Sarah Katz, Kiana Khojastehfar,

Kasey Mullen, Madeline Stocks

12/05/08

Period 1

The Causes and Effects of Obesity

    "58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese."¹ These are the horrifying statistics of the United States. Obesity is one of the leading causes in American deaths. "Nearly 4 million children ages 6-11 and 5.3 million adolescents ages 12-19 were overweight or obese in 2002, the most recent year for which data are available."² America's society is so fast paced, these days, that it makes it difficult to cook one's own meals, causing people to resort to buying fast food, which has little to no nutritional value. Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has increased to such an extent that health may be negatively affected. While junk food and lack of physical activity, eating disorders, and genetic health problems cause obesity; diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure are a few of the effects of this dangerous epidemic.

    The main cause of obesity is the combination of unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity. The action of unhealthy eating, along with no activity for the body, results in a slower metabolic reaction. As stated by Winkled, obesity increases the risk of acquiring diabetes, "a syndrome of disordered metabolism resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels caused by heredity or environmental causes."³ Diabetes is an effect of obesity. Some contributory causes include eating disorders and genetic health problems. Binge eating and emotional eating patterns, types of eating disorders, become bad habits which one cannot get rid of, making it easy to gain weight, which increases the risk of obesity.

    The immediate cause of obesity would be the assuming opinions of laziness. People often assume that obese people are lazy and lethargic, or have nothing to do with their lives. On the contrary, obese people are normal people with normal agendas but may suffer from health problems underneath the stereotype. These stereotypes bring us to the remote, or less obvious, cause, health problems. "Severe obesity is a serious health condition that can lead to an earlier death. An individual who is 20% heavier than his or her ideal weight (determined by standard medical and insurance data) is considered obese."⁴ There is a variety of health problems associated with obesity such as thyroid problems. "That is because the thyroid gland, which is shaped like a butterfly and is located right below the Adam's apple, outputs crucial hormones that essentially regulate the body's metabolism."⁵ Therefore, a person can not tell whether or not the cause of the obesity is from a health problem or not.

    America's lifestyle has changed over the years, with it so has America's waistlines. Lack of knowledge amongst people has prevented the hidden causes of obesity over the years, and some think that it is just their loved one's slothful actions. To add to that, America has grown into a fast-paced society. The unhealthy drive-thru food has cut down time for many, yet there is still no time found for working out. If people cannot spot these causes and find a way to balance food and exercise, then America is in for some heavy trouble.

                                                                                               Bibliography

Aaron Zibeon Sanchez, "What is type 1 diabetes?" http://www.helium.com/items/1211884-types-of-diabetes. (accessed: December 2, 2008).

"Health Problems Related to Severe Obesity", Healthlink, http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/984434798.html

Lisa Owen, "Obesity Poses Health Problems for All Ages," Health News, http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/255/63.

"Thyroid Problems and Obesity", Professor's House, http://www.professorshouse.com/family/health/thyroid-problems-obesity.aspx (accessed December 3, 2008).

"Weight Statistics Adults Children, Obesity Related Diseases", Obesity Statistics, http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/statistics-obesity.htm. (accessed: December 2, 2008).

 "Weight Statistics Adults Children, Obesity Related Diseases." Obesity Statistics, http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/statistics-obesity.htm.