Obesity In America

ENG 101 SL1

26 June, 2006

Obesity in America

Obesity in America is a continually growing problem and even worse our own children are sharing in this problem. A commentary in the Washington Times reports that sixty million Americans are obese. What really is the meaning of obese? Obese is having a body mass index of thirty percent or more. In recent years, the percentage of obese Americans has risen. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of obese Americans rose from 22.9 in 1984-1994 to 32.2 in 2003 and 2004. The study also says if you throw in the number of "over weight" Americans (body mass index of 25 to 29.9) the total jumps to 66.3 percent of all Americans (Alfred A18). Why are we steadily becoming heavier as a nation, primarily because of our eating habits, genetic and metabolic causes and an excess of inactivity. As more and more people of our nation deal with obesity, they also have to deal with major health problems such as high blood pressure, heart attack and Type II diabetes that all stem from being obese.

Initially, the eating habits we have started all the way back in our mother's womb says an ABC News broadcast of "A Closer Look." The food the mother eats has some effect on the taste and smells in the amniotic fluids to a seven month old fetus. By age two, they have already developed some of our eating preferences. This means the more fatty foods we feed our children when they are young, the more they will depend on them as an adult. Our eating habits also have come from our fast-paced lifestyles which include the availability of the fast food restaurants. Having twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week access to these ready to eat meals have caused us to leave the kitchen and the more nutritious meals behind. Having the high calorie and large portions of fast food at a low price ready when ever and where we are is of course very tempting. It also starts a chain reaction of events that lead to over weight and obesity if consumed in large amounts. Over consumption of foods like these lead to over eating, less exercise and increased body fat. With that you fall straight into reduced fitness, increased stress, sleep disorders, low energy and back to the desire to eat. Our schools are also causes of bad eating habits. Most schools in the country are starting to deal with the problem of lunches that are too early in the day and have a poor selection of food. Of course, when you say to most school age children you can choose between this pizza and this salad, they choose the pizza. If they are having lunch at ten thirty or eleven in the morning this leads to snaking during the rest of the day. With the eating habits of the individual being a great cause of obesity, their genetics play a part as well.

Although obesity is not always in our control, genetics also play a major role in this problem. A child's body fat is closely related to that of their parents. A child with one parent who is over weight or obese is sixty percent more likely to being obese themselves, and a child with both parents who are over weight or obese could have as high as a ninety percent probability of obesity (Sizer and Whitney 324). Genetics play a major part in how fast or slow the body gains or losses weight. There are a number of theories to support this, such as Enzyme theory which says excess fat storage may stem from elevated concentrations of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and the Fat cell number theory which states body fatness is determined by both the number and size of fat cells. There are also the set-point theory and the Thermogenesis I, II and III theories (Sizer and Whitney 325). Although genetics do not mean that obesity is or is not inevitable. They make it likely, and the environment must provide the means to make it happen. With or without genetics in your corner, it also comes down to your activity level.

Has anyone even seen someone park in the handicapped parking spot at the grocery store and walk not handicapped to the entrance? Or noticed a person waiting longer for an elevator then it would take to walk a flight of stairs or driven around a Wal-Mart parking lot for twenty or thirty minutes just to get the closest parking spot. I myself have been guilty at times. The biggest factor in the obesity rate in America is excessive inactiveness. In today's world of computer and video games, children are starting at a younger age to stay inside and sit on their butts and play games, instead of getting outside and climbing trees and throwing the ball with friends. The television has become so much a part of our lives that we have to record the programs we missed by being away. Also we have modern inventions in the work place that have taken the place of a lot of the strenuous, physically demanding jobs. Only one percent of energy used today in farm and factory work is human muscle power compared to the thirty percent used over a hundred years ago. A study showed that obesity increases by two percent per hour of television watching per day (Sizer and Whitney 327). Most schools don't seem to be helping with the problem of obesity in our nation either. A column in the Badger Herald written by Emily Friedman finds that only one state in the country makes daily physical education mandatory. Most states let students sit out of classes like gym because they either have signed up for another academic class or may be on an athletic team, even though there are a lot of people on most school's athletic teams that merely sit the bench and don't try during the practices so they could really use the exercise. A lot of today's obese American's are not obese because they eat too much, but because they move too little. Being physically active allows people to eat enough food to regain the nutrients they have used instead of putting more on top of that of what they have not used.

Obesity can lead to a number of different health issues, one of the least deadly but most popular is high blood pressure. One half of Americans aged 55-64 have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stoke- and two in five are obese according to Health, United States 2005(Obesity, High Blood Pressure). High blood pressure is an increase in the amount of blood your heart is pushing through the body with every heartbeat. The increase in pressure thickens the heart muscle, which makes it work harder, while as the heart, muscle thickens the harder it is to contract and relax. This strain on the heart over time could lead to heart failure. High blood pressure is a very common effect obesity has on the body simply because the more a person

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