Causes of Obesity in the United States of America - Research Paper Example

Task Causes of Obesity in the USA Obesity Obesity is a health in which there is surplus body fat. This body fat usually accrues to the level that it might have an unfavorable impact on healthiness. This excess fat often results in diminished life expectancy and heightened health issues. Obesity also heightens the probability of an individual getting numerous ailments. These ailments encompass heart ailments, diabetes, disruptive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and various kinds of cancer among others. Body Mass Index (BMI), which contrasts mass and height, describes individuals as overweight. Obesity is a health state typically caused by a mixture of unwarranted food energy ingestion, absence of physical activity, and genetic vulnerability. In certain situations, obesity is as a consequence of genes, endocrine turmoil, prescriptions or psychiatric ailments. There is also evidence to sustain this supposition that certain obese individuals ingest little. Nonetheless, they gain weight as a consequence of slow metabolism. Typically obese individuals have significant energy expenditure than skinny individuals as a result of energy needed to sustain a heightened body mass. Obesity also defines the condition of having at least over thirty percent of the idyllic body mass for an individual’s height. It describes the condition of having disproportionate amount of fat relative to one’s lean muscle in the body (Haslam and James 31). Obesity is a principal, avoidable cause of demise globally, with heightened frequency in adults and kids. Numerous authorities internationally suppose that obesity is the most severe public health quandary. It is a condition extremely stigmatized in the contemporary world. In addition, obesity is usually perceived as a sign of affluence and fertility in certain regions of the globe. The causes and repercussions of obesity have brought about varied health calamities in this century. The most significant causes of this health condition are escalated blood sugar, consumption of wrong foods and limited exercise. These impacts usually result in increased medical expenses, unwarranted family costs, devastated lives and unhealthy kids. It also results in elevated rates of diabetes. The figures of individuals with diabetes in America are overwhelming. Obesity costs the nation a lot of cash as a consequence of heightened medical costs. America hosts the most obese individuals in the globe. This implies that two thirds of the American populace is overweight. There are varied components of contemporary life that have added to the causes of this health condition and its detrimental impacts to people’s lives. However, there are interior mechanisms that have a significant impact including an individual’s appetite, metabolism as well as satiety from foodstuff. Varied individuals suppose that obesity is as a consequence of behavioral matters. Nonetheless, obesity could also result from hormonal as well as genetic quandaries, which develop insufficiencies in internal body operations causing obesity (Barness and Optiz 10). Causes of Obesity The foodstuffs individuals consume daily contribute to their well-being. These foods supplies with the crucial nutrients they require for vigorous bodies and the calories essential for energy. However, overconsumption of calories results in obesity. An individual gains weight when he or she consumes more calories than the body utilizes. The body, consequently, transforms these excess calories into fat. At the outset, fat cells augment in size. However, when these cannot expand anymore, their number escalates. This health state, nonetheless, has innumerable causes. This implies that age, sexual category, genes, ecological elements as well as psychological makeup might cause this medical condition. With regard to genes, obesity is an ailment that runs in family units. This is usually as a consequence of genes as well as mutual diet and lifestyle behavior. Another significant cause of obesity is emotions. Certain individuals overeat as a consequence of depression, frustration, irritation, and boredom, among others. These reasons usually have nothing to do with starvation. This, however, does not imply that overweight as well as obese individuals have varied emotional issues than other individuals. It implies that their emotions impact individuals eating behaviors. In addition, environmental aspects also contribute to obesity. The most significant environmental element is lifestyle. An individual’s eating patterns as well as activity levels impact his or her health. Overindulgence and inactive habits are the most vital risk elements for obesity. Moreover, the sexual category influences how fast an individual gains weight. For instance, males have stronger muscle than females and, consequently, males burn a lot of calories even while just sitting. This explains why females can gain more weight than their male counterparts with similar calorie ingestion (Discover Magazine 2). Furthermore, age is another aspect that might contribute to obesity. For instance, individuals have a propensity to lose muscle and add fat as these individuals get old. Their metabolism, in addition, slows down. These two factors diminish their calorie needs. As a result, an aging individual consuming a lot of calories might end up having obesity. Obesity sometimes results from consecutive pregnancies due to baby fat accumulation. There are also various medical conditions and prescriptions that foster obesity. However, these are not the usual causes of this health condition compared to overeating and sluggishness. Examples of these causes encompass Cushing Syndrome, dejection, certain prescriptions such as steroids as well as antidepressants among others. Despite all these causes, obesity is also connected with other eating problems. These eating quandaries include binge as well as bulimia. The circulation of an individual’s body fat also plays a significant role in influencing one’s possibility of getting obesity connected health issues (Loos and Bouchard 9). Major Causes of Obesity in the USA The cause and impact of obesity have to encompass the horrendous costs. There has been a significantly high expense for alterations in lifestyles. The Times Magazine reports the nation’s expenditure on diet connected ailments as an overwhelming $147 billion per annum. In addition, poor dietary preferences extract a tremendously high value with regard to sickness and vulnerability to ailments. The cause and repercussion of obesity are extreme expenses and sickness. The U.S. Centres for Disease Control has correlated surplus fat to twenty dissimilar health matters. Varied critics suppose that 80% of conditions of type 2 diabetes are as a consequence of surplus body fat. This surplus fat also increases chances of ailments such as gallstones, cardiac ailments, arthritis, certain cancers particularly breast cancer. Obesity is also connected with stroke, liver ailments, cardiac diseases, and blood pressure (Schurchan 14). Obesity is typically as a consequence of accumulation of extra fat in the body. It is referred to as a chronic ailment similar to diabetes as well as increased blood pressure. It has innumerable, grievous repercussions for one’s health, and it is a significant cause of avertable deaths in the USA. Obesity is a pandemic in America and various developed nations where over two thirds of the American populace is overweight. This figure also includes at least five kids. Almost a third of the kids have obesity. Obese people are still increasing in America significantly as a result of abundance of food – the fact that physical activity is voluntary. Every year, many American nationals use billions of cash on dieting. This encompasses diet foodstuffs, volumes of pills, etc. In addition, $75 billion is utilized for treating varied ailments connected to obesity. Additionally, commercial enterprises utilize a projected $20 billion failure in output every year from nonattendance as a result of ailments brought about by obesity. Poor Lifestyle Choices The significant causes of obesity in the U.S. are poor everyday existence patterns brought about by two significant factors: low quality diet and insufficiency of physical exercise. These two aspects have developed a massive obesity quandary in America principally with regard to childhood obesity. In addition, obesity in the U.S. is also caused by overconsumption of fast foods. These foods contain exceptionally increased levels of fats as well as carbohydrates that the body does not require. The caloric levels for those individual’s consuming fast foods on a daily basis has extremely increased. Consumption of Fast Foods Poor diet is a significant part of the obesity quandary in America. Most Americans do not consume the required every day supply of healthy food. As a substitute, fresh products and nourishing fibre have been reinstated by fatty hamburgers as well as pizza. Fast food eateries have become extremely common in the contemporary landscape. The lifestyles of many American nationals have significantly transformed since the 1970s. Many adults go to work daily, leaving no one to handle home meals. This also encompasses the cooking and preparation. As a result of decreased cooking time, fast food eateries have emerged to cater for these families. The commercial food sector has also significantly grown. In addition, processed foods, which are cheap and fast to get ready, have been increased in the food outlets. However, these foods are glycemic foods with a lot of fat. This situation has significantly resulted in varied American nationals consuming foods that are not recommended for proper health. This has resulted in the high number of individuals with obesity in the U.S. Varied marketers have principally targeted schools for kids. The significant aim of these marketers is to supply high glycemic foodstuffs such as sodas as well as snacks. For instance, the manufactured food sector utilizes corn syrup as well as other glycemic preservatives that increase blood sugar. These preservatives also contain fat storage. This elucidates why the cause and impact of obesity have been influenced by these existence alterations (Priesnitz 8). The consequences of alterations in many American’s lifestyles have resulted in their consumption of these glycemic foods more than any other nation in the globe. The most accepted carbohydrates eaten by Americans include soft drinks, jam, potatoes, rice, pizza, French fries, cereal, muffins, etc. Most of these foodstuffs are usually available in fast food eateries which products contain a lot of saturated fats. These fast foods are tremendously popular since they seem cheap and extremely convenient. This contributes to most individuals’ inclination to eat a lot of red meat. These foods also taste marvellous. The nation, consequently, requires healthy weight loss plans for the obese individuals. These programs should enable individuals to utilize them within their households without massive costs. Lack of Physical Exercise The subject of limited physical activity in America is a crucial component of the obesity quandary in the nation. Varied American nationals usually live an extremely sedentary lifestyle nowadays. They do not walk to the groceries or playing grounds with the children, but mostly drive to these places. They also drive to theatres to watch a movie or video game. All these alterations n lifestyle have been brought about by advancements in technology. Even diminutive chores of daily existence have become extremely sedentary. For instance, as an alternative to walking across to put off lights, one can simply clap to shut the light. The utilization of technology has also decreased the need to work. For instance, for those individuals with online occupations, they can comfortably execute their duties at home. This is without the need to drive to work. There is also the option to home school one’s kids. The kids, consequently, have a sedentary life without having to go to school or participate in extracurricular activities. There also the accessibility of advanced technology where an individual can perform all household chores by the click of a button. In addition, this could also be achieved through clapping of hands as well as utilization of one’s voice. In addition, availability of home delivery services aggravates the obesity issue. Most individuals stay in their households where everything can be done without them having to move. Additionally, there is also the culture of working and working without any exercise. All these elements have contributed to increase in the number of individuals with fatness in America (Yang and Kelly 23). Too Little Sleep and Medications Most Americans work during daylight as well as at night. As a consequence, varied individuals have extremely limited sleeping time. This has a significant impact on these individual’s body weight. As varied Americas continue sleeping limited hours, obesity conditions are increasing rapidly. Hormonal alterations are also caused by the absence of sleep. This can, consequently, result in heightened appetite leading to consumption of more food than the body requires. This situation has been caused by the rising cost of existence and escalated unemployment levels in the nation. Most individuals are required to guard their jobs so as to avoid being fired in this hard economic period. Conversely, medical personnel have persisted recommending more prescription medicines to Americans. These medicines encompass steroid hormones, sedatives, diabetes medicines as well as contraceptives. The aforementioned medicines consequently cause alterations in the body, which might result in overeating and mass gain. For varied nationals, obesity is a genetic condition. While family affiliates share genetic connections, other explanations include analogous dietary, outlook, lifestyle, and physical activity behaviours, which all develop obesity (Kushner 5). Conclusion Obesity is a significant issue in America. The high number of individuals with this health state calls for drastic changes. This is particularly so in people’s lifestyles as well as work plans. For instance, there is the need to partake in healthy and vigorous lifestyles. Americans should embrace healthy diets by reducing fats in the meals and increasing fibre consumption. There also a need to consume abundant whole and fresh products, as opposed to processed as well as preserved products. There is also the recommendation for adequate physical exercise every day to burn excess calories. Furthermore, there is the need to reduce the utilization of technology in everyday existence so as to encourage exercise. Works Cited Barness, L.A., and J.M. Opitz. Obesity: Genetic, Molecular, and Environmental Aspects. Am. J. Med. Genet, 2007. Print. Discover Magazine. Health and Medicine/Obesity. Kalmbah Publishing Co, 2012. Haslam and James. Obesity. Lancet, 2005. Print. Kushner, Robert. Treatment of the Obese Patient (Contemporary Endocrinology). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2009. Print. Loos, R.J., and C. Bouchard. FTO: The First Gene Contributing to Common Forms of Human Obesity. 2008. Print. Priesnitz, Wendy. Natural Life Magazine: Are You Dying to Lose Weight? Life Media, 2012. Print. Schurman, Aysha. The Causes of Obesity in America. Life 123 Inc, 2012. Print. Yang, W., and T. Kelly. "Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity." Epidemiol. 2007. Print. Read More