Food Research
Can Obesity Influence Your Life?
In the world today, especially in America the rise of obesity is heavy on the minds of the people. The word overweight often gets misused to replace the word obesity, but in fact they are different terms completely. According to Charles E. Menifield, Nicole Doty, and Audwin Fletcher “overweight refers to increased body weight in relation to height” (83), being overweight may or may not be due to increases in body fat or due to an increase in lean muscle. While obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass, the amount of body fat includes concern for both the distribution of fat throughout the body and the size of the adipose tissue deposits. The causes of obesity in America are vast in number but here are three main reasons; over indulgence, health problems, and entertainment.
The causes of obesity can be related to over indulgence of food and sleep. Clearly, a major cause in the obesity epidemic is the overwhelming number of fast food restaurants, and more importantly, how often individuals frequent them. There are many factors and forces that have contributed to these epidemics. In the words of Jeffrey L. Fortuna, “they include the emergence of fast food establishments” (57), the availability of soda and other so-called “junk food,” much greater portion size, insufficient intake of Omega 3 fatty acids in comparison to the more ubiquitous Omega 6 fatty acids, and insufficient physical activity. The consumption of large quantities of palatable foods is also a factor. Sleep is a vital necessity for people. In pediatric studies, demonstrated by K. E. Jones, R. K. Johnson, and J. R. Harvey-Berino, had cross sectional studies have found that children less than 10 years old with less than ten hours of sleep per night have an increased risk for being obese. A study done by Sturm in 2002 found obesity in the USA related to 36% more in health-care costs compared to people with a healthy
In the world today, especially in America the rise of obesity is heavy on the minds of the people. The word overweight often gets misused to replace the word obesity, but in fact they are different terms completely. According to Charles E. Menifield, Nicole Doty, and Audwin Fletcher “overweight refers to increased body weight in relation to height” (83), being overweight may or may not be due to increases in body fat or due to an increase in lean muscle. While obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass, the amount of body fat includes concern for both the distribution of fat throughout the body and the size of the adipose tissue deposits. The causes of obesity in America are vast in number but here are three main reasons; over indulgence, health problems, and entertainment.
The causes of obesity can be related to over indulgence of food and sleep. Clearly, a major cause in the obesity epidemic is the overwhelming number of fast food restaurants, and more importantly, how often individuals frequent them. There are many factors and forces that have contributed to these epidemics. In the words of Jeffrey L. Fortuna, “they include the emergence of fast food establishments” (57), the availability of soda and other so-called “junk food,” much greater portion size, insufficient intake of Omega 3 fatty acids in comparison to the more ubiquitous Omega 6 fatty acids, and insufficient physical activity. The consumption of large quantities of palatable foods is also a factor. Sleep is a vital necessity for people. In pediatric studies, demonstrated by K. E. Jones, R. K. Johnson, and J. R. Harvey-Berino, had cross sectional studies have found that children less than 10 years old with less than ten hours of sleep per night have an increased risk for being obese. A study done by Sturm in 2002 found obesity in the USA related to 36% more in health-care costs compared to people with a healthy
Cited: Escobar-Chaves, Soledad Liliana, and Craig A. Anderson. "Media and Risky Behaviors." Future of Children 18.1 (2008): 147-180 Fortuna, Jeffrey L. "The Obesity Epidemic and Food Addiction: Clinical Similarities to Drug Dependence." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 44.1 (2012): 56-63 Premier. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. Henry S. Kahn, et al. "Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Youth with Diabetes in USA: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study." Pediatric Diabetes 11.1 (2010): 4-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. Jones, K. E., R. K. Johnson, and J. R. Harvey-Berino. "Is Losing Sleep Making Us Obese?" Nutrition Bulletin 33.4 (2008): 272-278 Menifield, Charles E., Nicole Doty, and Audwin Fletcher. "Obesity in America." ABNF Journal 19.3 (2008): 83-88 Sudhakar Sattur, et al. "Obesity in Adolescence Is Associated With Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Hypertension." Echocardiography 28.2 (2011): 150-153