One of the largest fast-food chains in the world, McDonald’s, is an Olympic sponsor. This has caused much controversy in the UK, where health problems caused by obesity are on the increase. Discuss.
Nowadays, with rapidly global economic development, a wealth of food corporations are expanding their businesses. An increasing number of fast-food chains have had a marked effect on the way we live. Fast-food is very popular in modern life, because it caters for our fast-paced lives. However, many studies claim that fast-food is associated with obesity (The Health of The Nation,1992,P21 ). This essay will analyse the advantages and disadvantages of fast-food and in the following essay I will discuss the relationship between obesity and fast-food.
In the first place, we should define the term obesity. Obesity is described by the World Health Organization(WHO) as “a disease in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be adversely affected.” (Ewles.L,2005, P80) Throughout the world, obesity has been increasing at an unprecedented rate. This is true not only for industrialized societies, but also for developing countries. (Barnett.A.H and Kumar.S ,2008,P3) “In 1995, there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another 18 million under-five children classified as overweight . As of 2000, the number of obese adults has sharply increased to over 300 million. In developing countries, it is estimated over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems.” Indeed, the rate of obesity has been exploded in last 20 years. (Ewles.L,2005, P80) Today, it is accepted that obesity is one of the biggest threats to public health.
Fast food such as hamburgers and hot dogs are often high in sugar, salt, cholesterol and trans fats. The intake of these elements can lead to marked obesity. The support from the national study, compared to the days before fast food, energy consumption was over 187 kcal per
References: Barnett. A.H and Kumar S.(2008) 2nd Ed .Obesity and diabetes. pub. Wiley-Blackwell Oxford .UK. Ewles. L.(2005) Ed. Key topics in public health: essential briefings on prevention and health promotion. pub. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. UK Larsson. B. (1981) The health consequences of obesity, International journal of Obesity.pub. Oxford University Press . UK. The Health of The Nation (1992) Key Area Handbook :Coronary heart disease and stroke .pub. Nation white paper. UK.