Obesity Addiction Research Paper

"Though I have never heard of the obesity crisis, it is obvious that obesity is an issue". This is the opening statement of the paper I wrote at the beginning of the semester, which is unbelievable now. I have learned so much about the obesity crisis: when it began, what lead to it, how it affects the country, how obesity effects an individual, what contributes to it, what other countries have done and are doing to battle the issue and what we can do in America to combat it, along with the process of reliable research and how important it is to question what might seem obvious. Maybe the popular opinion is the truth, but maybe, such as in the case of the obesity crisis, it is as far off as it can get. In just a few months, I have gone from

Obesity within adults is a prevalent problem in the United States, with over 51% of all adults suffering from obesity by the year 2030 (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity, or the state of being excessively overweight, is sometimes a result from what is known as food addiction. Much like an addiction to a substance, to be addicted to food is to constantly crave a certain food item (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity and food addiction tend to coincide with each other. That coexistence is shown primarily in the documentary Super Size Me, in which director Morgan Spurlock focuses on the way fast food and food addiction affect the human body.

Different factors are responsible for obesity in children and adolescents. The cause of obesity was widely agreed, that eating too much and exercising too little. Food is energy, unless you use that energy; however, it will be store as fat. Nevertheless, once someone becomes obese, it is often not as easy as simply eating less and moving more will resolve the situation. From genetic to behavioral, and environmental, the imbalance of calories intake, calories have been use for the purpose of growth, development, metabolism and physical actives. Children usually consume their calories by means of food or beverages. When those foods are not utilize, for energy activities, it leads to obesity. Obesity could be consider, has been

According to “The Food Addiction,” overeating is the same as a drug addiction because as we increase our consumption rate we are increasing our desire to have more. The more we have the more we want because it is readily avaible for us. On the other, “The Food Addiction,” states that modern foods have an overwhelming affect to our biological feedback networks. This is because it disrupts our hormone regulation, such as hormones that control our appetite and weigh

We like everything in an instant. Individuals like fast cars, fast communication, and most of all we love fast food. Having things in life come in an instant seems great but there is a price to pay. Therefore, fast food may be convenient but it is costly. Although, fast food may save you time now, it will cost you years of your life later. Most foods that are quick and convenient are full of refined sugars, carbohydrates and other processed food. Sadly, these attributes of convenient food causes many of us to overeat. Dr. Lustig referred to individuals who eat a lot as “gourmands.” Sadly, there are a number of things that happen when we consume sugars, carbohydrate and fats. First, due to overeating an individual may have higher levels of leptin. Leptin is a protein produced by fatty tissue and believed to regulate fat storage in the body. According to Stephan Guyenet, when we become leptin resistance when our brain does not know when we are full therefore we overeat. Leptin resistance comes from a high consumption of sugar. Dr. Lustig suggest that sugar in the presence of insulin creates fat. I believe that obesity is direct effect of another underlying issue. Correspondingly, we all know the effects sugar has on our bodies, but yet we continue to consume it in high quantities. In my opinion, sugar is a drug and many people have an addiction to it. Sugars sends the same signals and high levels of dopamine to brain just as drugs. For example, I have an uncle who weighs about 900 pounds. He was not always this big, so what happened? As a child, he ate a lot of sugary foods and food that contains a lot of fat. Not only did my uncle eat unhealthy, but he was not very active. Therefore, there was a combination of factors that contributed to his massive weight gain. Obviously, his body started to become leptin resistant at some point. If you become leptin resistance and have an addiction to sugar then you

Adult overweight and obesity have become a worldwide issue that has very dangerous consequences on health. World Health Organization defines obesity as the “epidemic of the 21st Century”. WHO reports show that 1.9 billion people with 18 years age and older are overweight, and 600 million of them are obese. In the United States, obesity is a serious problem today that results from overconsumption of high-fat food and sugary food with lack of exercise. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention reports show that the obesity rates are above 20 percent in all states. Overweight and obesity have become a major public health issue because of their high rates of mortality and morbidity. People who are considered overweight or obese are at increased

History suggests that overeating is a choice, an addition similar to smoking cigarettes caused by lack of will power, boredom or simple gluttony. With new research, society is beginning to learn there is more behind obesity than just a choice or addition. For instance, a

Dalton revisits the controversial issue of whether obesity should be declared a disease or not. In the author's opinion, obesity is not a disease. With that in mind, this book will offer a sound basis for my assertion that obesity cannot be regarded a disease but a contributing factor to ill health.

Obesity can be defined as someone who has excess body weight than what is considered healthy. Many individuals are unaware that more than third or 35.7 percent of adults are considered obese in America. Obesity is an important topic to my family because my great grandmother died from type 2 diabetes caused by her obesity. Many Americans today are unaware to their addiction to fast food and the health risks connected to obesity. Unless there is a cultural and behavioral change among Americans, obesity will continue to spread, and health problems will keep sky rocketing, but obesity can be prevented.

An addiction is defined as a strong, uncontrollable need to take drugs, drink alcohol or carry out a particular activity, such as gambling.

Obesity and drug use both have risk factors that could lead to fatal consequences. According to a study by Volkow et al, (2012) both drug addiction and obesity can be defined as disorders in consistence with the fact that both drugs and food have powerful reinforcing effects by dopamine in the limbic system. Additionally, Volkow’s research uncovered discoveries through brain imaging that common features between drug addiction and obesity are defined with similar brain circuits. The results suggest that both obese and drug addicted individuals suffer from impairments in dopamine pathways, which regulate neuronal systems associated not only with reward sensitivity and incentive motivation, but also with conditioning (memory/learning), impulse control (behavioral inhibition), and

Becker and Murphy theory on addiction provides insight on the pleasure that is harmful to one's health that even rational people with an understanding of the effects of the addiction still make a choose to partake. Public awareness and education of obesity are imperative for the American people. Reducing obesity, improving nutrition, and increasing activity can help decrease healthcare cost, and reverse a broad range of diseases. By improving one's lifestyle, causes them to feel better, enhance their work productivity, and reduces their mortality rate (Folland, Goodman, & Stano 2013).

According to 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than two thirds of US adults are overweight or obese1 generating an estimated health care cost of $150 billion2. Increasing obesity prevalence may be attributed to a decrease in energy expenditure and an increase in intake of foods rich in sugar and fat, increase in snacking prevalence and energy density of snacks consumed3. Feeding is a complex behavior involving the integration of physiological energy needs and the pleasure derived from food consumption. Hypothalamic centers regulate energy-need based feeding, whereas the consumption of palatable foods, such as foods rich in fat and sugar, is regulated by the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. The two

Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well.

Obesity is certainly a bad addiction, it is one of the most common bad habits, because it is easily accessible and it is cheap. This