Obesity an Epedemic in America

Obesity is an epidemic in America. It has had an alarmingly growing prevalence rate since the 1960’s: almost 34% for adults alone. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010 and rising yearly. Obesity occurs across all socioeconomic groups regardless of race, gender and age. Studies do show that obesity occurs in America’s minority and ethnic populations at slightly higher rates, 25% more than white Americans. According to the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), an alarming 1/3 of U.S adults are obese. Another 1/3 is overweight, leaving 68.8 percent of the total population of the United States overweight or obese! No state met the nation 's Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15%. Rather, in 2010, there were 12 states with an obesity prevalence of 30%. A person is considered obese if he or she has a BMI of 30 or higher, which is a weight of at least 20% more than the maximum healthy weight for his or her height. To be considered overweight he or she must have a BMI of 25-29.
Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem; it is highly hazardous to one’s health! Related obesity conditions include, but are not limited to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, decreased energy, depression and certain types of cancer and kidney disease. Obesity is linked to high blood pressure. Since fat tissue requires oxygen and nutrients, meaning that the blood must circulate more through their vessels to accommodate the extra weight. New blood vessels are actually created to reach fat tissues too! Most times, a diet high in sodium leads to obesity, which also is a contributor to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is the leading cause for heart disease and stroke. Diabetes is developed when a person is obese because having extra fat cells causes a person’s body to build a resistance to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. The sugars in the blood then become elevated because of this insulin resistance. Cancers of the colon, breast, uterine, kidney, and esophagus are associated with obesity, as well as cancers of the gallbladder, ovaries, and pancreas according to some studies. Carrying extra pounds places excess pressure on the joints of the knees, hips and lower back which in turn wears away at the cartilage and causes arthritis pain. Obesity is a contributing factor in five out of the top ten contributing factors of death, according to the CDC, and so has accounted for the #1 leading cause of preventable death since 2008, including obesity related suicides. The good news is, losing as little as 5 to 7 percent of a person’s total weight lowers blood pressure, improves blood sugar levels and lowers the risk of diabetes by nearly 60% in people with pre-diabetes according to recent data from the CDC.
Obesity’s health conditions come at a cost, that being around $1,400 higher than those of a normal weight in an average year, accounting for medications, equipment, and doctor’s visits. In an economic context, the burden of obesity to the U.S. health care system and U.S. taxpayers is at crisis levels and will only increase. Extra medical care for obesity comprises from 5 to 10% of total U.S. health care costs, half of which Medicare and Medicaid finances. Due to its high prevalence and its associations with multiple chronic diseases, worse medical treatment results, complications from even the best medical and surgical care, increased levels of disability, absenteeism from work, and premature death, the total societal costs from obesity in the U.S. every year exceed $254 billion.
Children have been found to be at a higher than ever risk for obesity and those affected by childhood obesity at a young age are predisposed to obesity and severe obesity in adulthood. If a child’s parents are overweight as an adult, there is a 75 percent chance that their children will be overweight. With obese parents the child faces an 80 percent risk of being obese, usually due to the family’s overall poor nutrition choices. There are many reasons why children have become so susceptible to being overweight or obese. With technological advancements, many advertisements of less nutritional foods target younger generations, which in turn increases sales of the unhealthy food. Usually when enough want is displayed the parent will give in and purchase the unhealthy product, which is the goal of the targeted advertisements.
In the recent past, little to no healthy food choices were available to children in schools and in 2009, roughly 94% of schools served a lunch that failed to meet federal standards for healthy school meals. 80% of those lunches served exceeded federal recommendations for total fat and saturated fat. Luckily, more recent laws have been passed on vending machines and baked-good-sales in schools and ground-work is being done to make school lunch choices a bit healthier. Sadly, there is a lack of safe and adequate places for children to play and exercise, and societal fears move parents to keep their children indoors, where they play video games and watch TV. There is also a shortage of adequate exercise programs in the school; gym is usually one-two times per week and recess is usually a total of fifteen minutes at most on an average day. These factors lead to a sedatary lifestyle in American children, thus leading to childhood obesity.
While focusing on the continuously increasing rates of obesity across America, it is important to take into consideration the causes behind obesity. Diets high in added sugars, low-fiber, high-fat and high amounts of carbohydrates can be associated with increased weight gain. Also, a lack of exercise while consuming more than the recommended fats, carbs and calories in one’s diet is a leading cause. But why is it that an unhealthy diet is so common in a nation who is somewhat educated about the importance of healthy food? From the introduction to television and the “TV dinner” that followed in 1953, to the busy hustle and bustle of the average Americans life leads to convenient food choices like fast food. American’s have begun to pay less attention to their food choices and recommended intakes and more attention to availability, ease and cost.
The cost of healthy food choices have risen sharply, to the point where a whole meal containing a over portioned cheese burger, fries and a soda, can be purchased at a fast food restaurant for around $5, yet a salad and a bottle of water would cost around $7, plus the time needed to prepare it. Although fast food is packed with energy yielding carbohydrates, the trick is to consume carbs that also deliver vitamins, nutrients, fiber and other essential elements in a healthy and well-balanced diet. When one meal is consumed but brings the individual to their maximum recommendations for the day, they are losing out on other needed aspects of their diet. Believe it or not, most obese or even overweight people suffer from malnutrition for this reason!
Factors such as environment, sleep, and skipping meals also play a key factor in the problem of obesity. For example, the streets of most cities and towns are lined with restaurants and fast food stops. Portion sizes at these restaurants are tremendous, and healthy choices are rare. Many Americans don’t get adequate amounts of sleep and studies have found that the less sleep you get the more likely you are to be overweight. Sleepiness can reduce the amount of exercise one want’s to perform, as well as overeating in the waking hours. Most American’s leave the house in a rush and don’t have a chance to consume a healthy breakfast, which causes them to overeat late in the day, leading to obesity. When you skip meals, it tells your brain that you’re in a state of starvation, and begins the process of fat storage, but if you nourish your body consistently throughout the day with healthy foods, the message is sent that regular meals are the norm.
Chronic stress can increase sugar and fat cravings and add fat around the belly, which is associated with obesity and its related health conditions. Stress is also responsible for production of the hormone cortisol, the fight or flight hormone. The problem is your neuroendocrine system doesn 't know that you’re not physically fighting or fleeing, so it still responds to stress with the hormonal signal to replenish nutritional stores making you feel hungry. No physical activity occurs in response to the stress and this can lead to weight gain and a tendency to store visceral fat around the midsection. The "fuel" your muscles need during the fight or flight response is sugar, a reason you crave carbohydrates when stressed, says endocrinologist Ricardo Perfetti, M.D., Ph.D., of Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "To move the sugar from our blood to our muscles requires insulin, the hormone that opens the gates to the cells and lets the sugar in," says Perfetti, who directs the outpatient diabetes program. And high levels of sugar and insulin set the stage for the body to store fat. "So people, who are under stress, metabolically speaking, will gain weight for that very reason."
Sadly, there is a progressively declining rate of access to fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables in most towns and cities. It is in part due to the fact that farmers are paid subsidies by the government to grow crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans as well as raise cows and feed them the corn crops which are used in the creation of unhealthy items such as factory farmed meats and high fructose corn syrup; the number one source of empty calories in the US. That 's why the U.S. diet is so heavily loaded with foods based on the surplus, nutritionally devoid crops of corn, wheat and soy. Government bought foods is whats issued in the school-age lunch programs. Schools are required to feed children certain amounts of cornmeal and cheese by the govornment. Congress and the Department of Agriculture pay billions, and the result is unhealthy food for poor Americans and kids.
Many people may blame obese individuals for their weight, and though there are certain cases where external cues may be to blame for obesity, genetics have also been shown to play a role in obesity. As many as 6% the obese population has an altered gene, which causes those affected to never feel full. There are also a few cases between the obese populations that are rare but lead to obesity, and not for the reasons we would think…
While working as a Certified Nursing Assistant a couple of years back, I met a young man who changed my perception on obesity. Before him, I was close-minded, and thought “how could someone allow themselves to get so large?” He had a rare disorder, called Cushing’s syndrome, caused by a tumor, which was caught after years of gaining weight and only after his gastric bypass surgery. Cushing syndrome is when your body produces high amounts of cortisol, the hormone that helps your body handle stress, and is responsible for the fight or flight response. Normally, in times of high stress, one’s body sends a signal to the pituitary gland in order for it to secrete the hormone that can stimulate the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys to launch this fight or flight response. If this signal is interrupted in your body, in his case by tumors on his hypothalamus gland, the production of cortisol is uncontrolled and overproduced. The body shifts energy to be stored in the form of fat and usually accumulates in the central parts of the body.
I watched my patient battle this condition in our rehab unit. He had surgery to remove his tumors and was on a medication that should have helped him lose weight, as well as previously having had a bypass surgery. He had to learn how to eat the exact right things to give him the nutrients his tiny stomach could put to use in his body. He also worked closely with his physical therapist. He was in poor shape; he had diabetes, high blood pressure, and breathing problems. We became friends; I was inspired by his intense persistence to lose the excess 350 pounds he was plagued with. To make a long story short, he was released after losing 55 pounds which took him more than 3 months to put off, even with his strict exercise regimen. I stay in touch with him on Facebook, and I know he struggles daily with the results from this syndrome. He has lost a total of 220 pounds to date. It’s tough, because I know how people treated him due to his weight just through our talks, and I know it affected his self-esteem. In his case, it wasn’t what he ate, or his lack of activity, it was his internal mis-workings. His battle was long and hard, and I know because he is young he will be able to improve every day, and work to lose his extra weight.
There is no single cause of being overweight or obese and there is no single approach that can help prevent or treat overweight and obesity. Treatment may include a mix of behavioral treatment, diet, exercise, and sometimes weight-loss drugs. In some cases of extreme obesity, weight-loss surgery may be an option. It is a highly controversial subject, and there are so many aspects to obesity that many people are not aware of. I hope that with research and change, society can find a way to decrease the populations plagued by this disease. While researching this topic I took specific notice of the busy population around me. I was surprised to see that more people were overweight then I ever took concern to notice. It’s an epidemic that needs immediate intervention as it affects our lives in more ways than we could ever know whether we ourselves are overweight, a loved one, or America as a whole.

WORKS CITED!!!

1. Centers for disease control and prevention. “A growing problem.” Web. 06 Mar 2013. 2. Fredericks, Carrie., Obesity, Current Issues. San Diego, California, 2004. Print. 3. Walker, Sebastian, Zeina Awad, Josh Rushing, Anjali Kamat. “Fault lines: fast food, fat profits: obesity in America.” Aljazeera. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. 4. Ingram, Scott. Want fries with that?; obesity and the supersizing of America. New York, New York, 2005. Print. 5. Cardello, Hank. Stuffed; an insiders look at who is really making America fat. New York, New York. 2009. Print. 6. Whitney, Sizer. Nutrition; concepts and controversies. Belmont, CA. 2008, 2011. Print.

Obesity: An American Epidemic!
A controversial subject
For the sake of nutrition
Written by: Lauren O’Hara
Friday April 19, 2013.

Cited: 2. Fredericks, Carrie., Obesity, Current Issues. San Diego, California, 2004. Print. 3. Walker, Sebastian, Zeina Awad, Josh Rushing, Anjali Kamat. “Fault lines: fast food, fat profits: obesity in America.” Aljazeera. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. 4. Ingram, Scott. Want fries with that?; obesity and the supersizing of America. New York, New York, 2005. Print. 5. Cardello, Hank. Stuffed; an insiders look at who is really making America fat. New York, New York. 2009. Print. 6. Whitney, Sizer. Nutrition; concepts and controversies. Belmont, CA. 2008, 2011. Print. Friday April 19, 2013.