Is
A
Disease
Obesity is a disease that affects one in three members of the American population. The trend of obese Americans has continually increased since 1960, and is not showing signs of slowing down. More than half of the adults in America are considered overweight or obese, and about thirty-four percent of the total population in the U.S is either overweight or obese. One is considered “overweight” if the body mass index, or BMI, is twenty-five to twenty-nine kilograms. “Obese” is any number thirty or greater (Hateweight.com). Obesity is the cause of at least 300,000 deaths in the U.S every year, second only to smoking (American Obesity Association). There are many causes of obesity, some of which are environmentally related and others are geneticly related. Genetics from an obese relative can be passed from generation to another; this form of obesity is hard to control without proper treatment (Hateweight.com). The American culture has been the biggest cause of obesity. All of our surroundings and social environments have greatly influenced obesity. Most social events revolve around food or drinks, which are usually unhealthy for the body. Food itself has become a reward; young children are often rewarded for good behavior with a “treat” (American Obesity Association). This treat is often a child’s favorite candy or sweet. Adults also use food as a reward. Successful business transactions between companies are often celebrated with food and drinks. Employees often stop after work to have drinks and possibly dinner to celebrate. Alcoholic drinks are very high in fat and have no nutritional value. Also, most restaurant food is high in fat and calories. Another factor which is the cause of this disease is lifestyle. People are no as physically active as they should be. They have become more dependent on someone else to do their work for them. An example if this would be fast food restaurants. Why make dinner when you
Bibliography: www.hateweight.com www.obesity.org www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesity.html http://www.obesity-online.com/ http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/