Research Essay: Obesity & Nutrition

ENG 111/ENF 3 TRANG LE
Professor Dianne Stepro
December 8th 2013
Eating is one of my hobbies. I used to discovered lots of places with special food anytime I was free. I remembered my favorite food is fried chicken and cheese sticks. Eating these food day by day made me overweight, and the doctor said I had a heart problem. He said I was lucky because some other people were diagnosed obesity. It took a lot of effort for the obesity people to get back to the normal weight. America, where fast food is everywhere with a very affordable price, was one of the most country having a highest rate of the obesity. Although there are some main reasons that lead to serious consequences, obesity is not a very bad thing and can be prevent by ourselves. The first topic will focus on the physical reasons that lead people to obesity. Environment is one of the most important reason that affects, encourages obesity. For example, the tight work schedules leave people no free time to exercise; the lack of neighborhood side walks or safe places to exercise; the lack of access to healthy foods makes people gain unnecessary fat. Beside, junk food is a major reason, also. The characteristic of junk food is lots of fat contain, and difficult to digest, which resulted in gaining weight to whom eating it. The last main physical reason is the lack of energy balance. According to the “What causes overweight and obesity?” article, to maintain a healthy weight, your energy in and out have to balance exactly overtime. Overweight and obesity happened over time when you took in more calories than you used. The second topic shows how some mental issues can lead to obesity as well. Some people tend to eat more when they have depression or stress. There are some certain hormones, that the body released, can increase the tendency to store fat, gain weight when you’re in stress. Alcoholism is not only an addiction but also a reason that leads to obesity. Any kind of alcohol beverage adds fat more to the body. People who drink on a regular basic will have potbelly, and have a high potential to obesity and heart diseases. The last but no least reason is genes and health problems. In fact, the amount of fat stored, and where the fat carried in the body are affected by genes. According to “What causes overweight and obesity?” article, your chances of being overweight were greater if one or both of your parents were overweight or obese. Children adopt the habits of their parents. In addition, there are some diseases from hormone problems that cause obesity, for example, hypothyroidism, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone. Therefore, it will slow down the metabolism and makes the body gain weight quicker. A study in the “Hypothyroidism and obesity. Cause or effect?” article had shown that overall thyroid dysfunction was found more in obese individuals with varying degree of significance. About five to ten percent of women of childbearing age were affected by PCOS to gain a high level of androgens hormones, which make people obese. Obesity can lead to a major consequence in people’s health. Obesity can make a stress on our heart, lungs, and bones. Furthermore, the article “Health effects of obesity” had pointed out a lot more health diseases that caused by obesity such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, joint problems, sleep apnea, cancer, psychosocial effects, and so on. Michael Fumento said in an interview of the “Obesity” article that few fat people really knew how much harm they were inflicting upon themselves, pointing to the mountain of scientific evidence linking obesity with various diseases and conditions such as infertility. The risk of death rises with increasing weight. A study showed that each year, obesity related conditions caused an estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the US. People had diabetes are obese at a rate of over 80 percent. The second consequence is that obesity creates the weight discrimination and economic downturn. Society considers that fat people have to take the responsibility for their condition, their body. Therefore, many obese people were treated rudely, courtesy than thinner people. Some are making fun with the body of obese people by calling them “fatty”, or “a rolling bread.” The “Obesity” article had quoted a sentence from Sally Smith, who said fat people were taught to feel guilty and blamed themselves for the failures of weight loss programs, and to expect and accept rejection, mistreatment and discrimination regarding their weight. Obesity takes part in the economic downturn, especially on the U.S health care system. In 2008, the costs of medical care for the obesity in America were about 147 billion. Medical costs are associated with obesity directly and indirectly. The costs come from preventive, diagnosis, treatment services, and also the morbidity and mortality cost. As a comparison, the lifetime costs of obesity provided by the government are greater than the lifetime costs assessed by the smokers. Obesity can be reduced and prevent by ourselves through better diet. The best way to lose weight is to reduce the caloric intake. By counting calories, eating good meals, exercising more often, you can control your weight. Vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and fruit are not only contain less calories but also improve one’s health condition. Fiber was studied that it could prevent hunger pangs and keep you full longer. There is a collection of choice such as, brown rice, wheat bread, broccoli, spinach, etc. Dividing your food into five small meals during a day can keep you up with your metabolism and reduce the amount of sugar in your blood. Drinking water is not less important. Ten glasses of water can help you flush out the toxins. Drinking a glass of waer before eating can reduce the hunger. In addition, there are many activities held to courage the obese to have to better life style as well as some policies from government with the same goal. There are many weight loss camps achieved for adults and childrens. They can not only learn how to lose weight but also have fun, learn new skill, and gain confidence. These camps empower people to fight against the weight discrimination, support them to stand up and live their own way without feeling depression. Soda taxes is a topic which was disscussing these day. If the law was passed, placing a high tax on soda would discourage Americans from consuming unhealthy beverages, which is a crucial first step toward making the U.S. healthier as a whole, quoted from “Soda taxes” article. Beside, limiting advertises by news or revised rules during television programs may help reducing the childhood obesity epidemic. In conclusion, obesity is not a problem that can be solved in a short time. The reasons that cause obesity come from many perspectives, genes, health problem, environment, daily diet, and so on. The effect of the obesity is now increasing more than the past that gains many problems for people’s health as well as the country’s economic. People bring themselves to obesity; and only them can get themselves out of it. With the help from many resources, they can acknowledge themselves to prepare a better meal. The community and government also help the obese people by organizing a lot of weight loss camping, and establish new law to prevent the incresing of obesity. There’s nothing that can stop you being a better person. All you need is resolve, commitment that you want to get rid of fat, and you can do it. WORKS CITED: “Health Effects Of Obesity.” Stanford: Hospital & Clinics. Stanford hospital & clinics, 2013. Web. 08 Dec 2013. Med, Saudi J. “Hypothyroidism And Obesity. Cause Or Effect?” NCBI. National center of biotechnology information, 29 Aug 2008. Web. 08 Dec 2013. "Obesity." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 9 May 2003. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. "Soda Taxes." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 18 Dec. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. "What Causes Overweight And Obesity.” NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. NHIBL, 12 July 2012. Web. 08 Dec 2013.

Cited: “Health Effects Of Obesity.” Stanford: Hospital & Clinics. Stanford hospital & clinics, 2013. Web. 08 Dec 2013. Med, Saudi J. “Hypothyroidism And Obesity. Cause Or Effect?” NCBI. National center of biotechnology information, 29 Aug 2008. Web. 08 Dec 2013. "Obesity." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 9 May 2003. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. "Soda Taxes." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 18 Dec. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. "What Causes Overweight And Obesity.” NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. NHIBL, 12 July 2012. Web. 08 Dec 2013.