Obesity: Threatening or Nonthreatening?

Is obesity a threatening or non threatening disease? This issue has been a problem not just for the United States but around the world. The dictionary definition of obesity is “condition of being grossly fat or overweight.” Symptoms can include pain in the back or joints, binge eating constantly, fatigue, pot belly, and snoring. The simple treatments for obesity are pretty clear physical exercise and changing your diet. Obesity has been linked to many tragedies such as: obesity effects 1 in 6 children in the United States, Obesity is linked to more than 60 chronic diseases, and obesity causes more deaths than being underweight. I believe that obesity is a threatening disease, and will become more lethal if we don’t take action now. While obesity is a very serious matter, there are some who will argue that obesity isn’t a serious matter and that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. In this paper I will explain and tell you why obesity is a very serious matter.

Obesity has recently been linked to having effects on the brain. There was a article I found which discussed the effects of obesity on the brain. The article talks about how food specifically junk food has a big impact on obesity around the world, the article also talked about how the brains circuits react around different food scenarios (Shell and Ruppel, 2019, p.38-45). Kevin Hall, who works at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, has done some experiments where it shows that the food that we eat, pulling it apart and making these sweet snacks is the reason that obesity rates have risen (Shell and Ruppel, 2019,p.38-45). Hall conducted two experiments where he studied if carbohydrates do play a role in weight gain (Shell and Ruppel, 2019,p.38-45). He had participants stay in the hospital for a few weeks controlling what they ate. At the end of his first experiment the conclusion was that reducing carbohydrates didn’t help in weight or fat loss (Shell and Ruppel, 2019, p.38-45). His second study which showed a new reason for weight gaining was due to the fact that people ate more of ultraproccessed foods then unprocessed when they should’ve been eating as much or little.

Participants who ate the ultraproccessed foods gained two pounds in two weeks.(Shell and Ruppel,2019, p.38-45). Barry M. Popkin who is a professor at the university of North Carolina described Halls experiments “ seminal, really as good as a clinical trial as you can get”(Shell and Ruppel, 2019,p.38- 45). Dana Small who is a neuroscientist at Yale University, has researched why people tend to use substitute foods instead of real foods. She studies the impact of food environments on the brains circuits (Shell and Ruppel, 2019, p.38-45). Small says “If the brain doesn’t get the proper metabolic from the gut, the brain doesn’t know what food is in there” (Shell and Ruppel, 2019,p.38-45). Small did a neuroimaging studies on the brain that showed the sensory cues (smells, color, and texture) that entail with high calorie foods which activate the striatum a decision making part in the brain (Shell and Ruppel, 2019, p.38-45). Small says “This is the where ultraproccessed foods become a problem” (Shell and Ruppel, 2019, p.38-45). As you can see in the article, the brain plays a big role in what we decide goes into our stomachs and that Hall’s experiments actually helped us understand why people tend to gain double their body weight.

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Everyone doesn’t want their kid to be overweight let alone obese, obesity is starting to affect young children starting at the age of 2. This article focuses on the increasing rate of obesity of children, while leading them to be bullied and discriminated (Mithers and Lynn, 2001, p.108). It starts off by first explaining how obesity rates in 1960 children ages 6-11 were only four percent obese, in 1980 it spiked to seven percent, and by the early 1990’s it was at thirteen percent (Mithers and Lynn, 2001, p.108). According to Gerald Berenson M.D.” a 10 year old whose fifteen pounds over their weight limit will have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and low levels of HDL (good cholesterol)” (Mithers and Lynn, 2001,p.108). “Even with kids ages 2-5, being overweight is linked to elevated blood pressure” says Dr. Williams (Mithers and Lynn, 2001,p.108). The health problems overweight children aren’t just physical but verbal and mental (Mithers and Lynn, 2001, p.108). William Dietz M.D. director of Nutrition at the CDC, explains that overweight kids “become early targets of systematic discrimination while also being associated with laziness and sloppiness” (Mithers and Lynn, 2001, p.108). I found this article to be very interesting, I had no idea that obesity could effect children s young.

Over the years obesity has grown to become the number one public health hazard in the United States. The article focuses on obesity in the US with accusations towards the government having exaggerated the obesity epidemic (Gibbs and Wayt, 2006, p.76-83). The National institute of Health said that “ excess body weight during midlife including overweight is associated with death” (Gibbs and Wayt, 2006, p.76-83). In 2005 journalist Jay Olshansky and David B. Allison explained that due to the obesity epidemic “ the steady rise in life expectancy during the past two centuries may come to a end soon” (Gibbs and Wayt, 2006, p.76-83). The article also talks about how scholars who are overweight blame public health officials and the media for exaggerating obesity (Gibbs and Wayt, 2006, p.76-83). Campos who is a professor of law at University of Colorado Boulder says “ health professionals are giving advice to maintain a BMI (body mass index) in the ‘healthy weight’ range that is impossible for individuals to maintain” (Gibbs and Wayt, 2006, p.76-83). Oliver who is a political scientist at the University of Chicago explains that “ small groups of doctors and scientist who are all funded by either the government or the weight loss industry, have created a very unrealistic definition of obesity” (Gibbs and Wayt, 2006, p.76- 83). He goes on to explain “ They have inflated claims and distorted statistics and they have ignored the complicated health realties associated with being fat” (Gibbs and Wayt,2006,p.76-83). The article shows how obesity has affected many lives and explains why the government and health officials aren’t taking the matter seriously.

You would think everyone wants to keep their weight in control and not become overweight or obese, I did say there were some people who do not see obesity as a serious matter. This article talks about how society attempts to scold “fat and unhealthy” people are only relevant if they engage in some sort of physical activity (Bogart). Laura Bogart explains that being fat doesn’t result from moral values, that it can be a reflection of someone’s individual character (Bogart). Bogart explains that due to her catastrophic injury, budget, and work that she is overweight and should not need any sort of defense (Bogart). Virgie Tovar says that “ There is incredible cultural impetus to be ‘healthy’ and ‘health’ is framed by a personal/individual responsibility” (Bogart). Bogart talks about when she broke her ankle, she spent two months in bed and when she started her physical therapy that she had to use a cane because of the weight she gained (Bogart). She explains how she wasn’t the “good fatty” no more, due to the fact she was eating all junk food while sitting on the sofa, then se realized something (Bogart). She realized that she became more in touch with herself as her walks became shorter and after coming home from working eight hours she managed to finish the first draft of her book (Bogart). One day when she went to a neighborhood picnic one of her neighbors said “ Honey I used to see you walk all the time ” (Bogart). Bogart simply replied with “ I don’t care” (Bogart). As you can see Bogart doesn’t seem to care about her weight anymore because she thinks that doesn’t define a individual, she thinks that everyone’s appearance shouldn’t be based upon their waist size or bra size.

Obesity is already the number one health hazard in the United States, while some may brush it off and say “ I don’t care”, they very much should care. If we don’t take action now this could just be as bad as the HIV epidemic back in the 1980’s. Parents and children should all educate themselves on diet and some sort of exercise. The government should be advocating to the schools and weight loss industry to push these ideas first. If you have seen the Disney movie Wall-e, that is how our future generations will end up looking like. I myself used to be obese after high school due to sports injuries, I turned to fast food and in 2 years I gained almost 100 pounds. Since then I have gotten back into a moderate diet where I still treat myself every now and then while also hitting the gym 5 times a week maximum. It is possible to be done and everyone just has to commit both mentally and physically