Obesity Is A Disease?

Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003)  In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical

Obesity has played a major role in media over the last decade. With growing concern over the issue, a controversy over whether obesity is a disease itself or not has developed. Obesity, by definition, is a condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body, usually indicated by a body mass index of 30 or greater. According to the currently accepted definition of disease, a condition of the body or one of its parts that impairs normal functioning and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms, it can be concluded that obesity does not meet the criteria to be classified as a disease.

Recently, a lot of debate has gone around about whether or not obesity is considered a disease or not. It is very difficult to pinpoint one sole reason obesity is occurring in people, there are many different justifications for what causes a person to become obese. Obesity is a disease that is currently sweeping the entire world. Percentages of not just adults, but children are skyrocketing like never before. People have never been so overweight until now. I am going to examine why obesity is considered a disease through a scientific, economic, historical, and futuristic lenses.

People are usually identified as obese based on their Body Mass Index (BMI). The average BMI is ranged from 18.5 to 24.9, and overweight BMI is 25-29.9 (Defining Overweight and Obesity, 2012). When a person’s BMI reaches 30 and above, he or she is probably obese. At least one out of three people in United States suffer from obesity which means one third of the nation population needs treatment. In 2013, obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association. The debate for obesity as a medical disease has never stopped ever since. However, while smoking and alcoholism are addictive and harmful, we hardly consider them as diseases. So why should obesity be a medical disease? Does labeling obesity a disease help calm the epidemic? If obesity is not a disease, how should we label it?

Is obesity really a serious health concern or is the “epidemic” merely a result of highly fabricated, misleading ideas of politicians and the media? The article, Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic? By W. Wayt Gibbs featured in the May 23, 2005 edition of Scientific America, raises this question. Most health experts and average people believe that obesity is one of the most prevalent health concerns today, resulting in increased risk for other major health issues; such as; heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and the chance for early loss of life. However, other researchers are suggesting that the consequences of being overweight are being blown out of proportion. Naturally, they do

Obesity is an illness, and it is becoming a pandemic, according to an article by Karl Persson 34% of the United States population is classified as obese and these numbers are expected to hit 50% by the year 2030 (person, 2015). To put into perspective ,30% seems like a small number but

Obesity has been measured or defined in various ways. Many researchers have differing opinions on the origins and effects of obesity. The rapidly increasing rates of obesity are often linked to a high calorie diet and little to no physical activity. Although obesity is seen as a disease that affects a person’s weight, it actually affects a lot more than that. Obesity can affect individuals in both adolescence and adulthood, their families, and the healthcare system. From an outside viewpoint, obesity looks like a disease that careless, inactive people develop. Not always is this the case. Obesity is not a disease that affects solely the weight of a person. To be considered obese, your BMI (body mass index) would have to be 30 or higher. Almost 70 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. Not only does obesity affect the weight of a person, it can also lead to increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, and many other things. Questions posed on this dreadful disease by many people are on the origin of the disease, the effects and exponential growth of the disease, and the actions that are being taken to help provide a healthier environment for Americans and to establish programs and preventative methods across the country to help fight the ever increasing obesity rate.

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess fats have grown and accumulated to the point of harm, and a shortened life expectancy. Obesity is a problem that has been more prominent in the 20th and 21st century and is now a main concern for both society and the government. It is the citizen’s duty to resolve this epidemic known as obesity in the United States.

Obesity is the condition of being largely overweight. Rogan Kersh has a PHD in political science from Yale University and is also a professor at Yale University. Kersh says, “The continuing rise in obesity rates across the United States has proved impervious to clinical treatment or public health exhortation,” in his article, “The Politics of Obesity: A Current Assessment and Look Ahead” (Kersh). This quote shows that despite treatment, obesity is still prevalent in America. Many Americans are not aware of the prevalent issue of obesity; obesity is an expensive disease to treat, and it is also likely to lead to severe health implications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease,

The epidemic of obesity has been a major problem in the United States and around the world since around the late 20th century. The United States ranks among the top most obese countries on the planet at around 35% of the population (Adult Obesity Facts). Recently, the American Medical Association (AMA) has officially recognized obesity as a disease (Fitzgerald). This decision in turn has caused a large amount of controversy and debate among professionals from different fields as to whether obesity should be considered a disease or not. Should obesity be considered a disease? Or should it be defined as strictly being a lifestyle choice? The proponents of labeling obesity a disease state various advantages in doing so. However, at the same time,

Obesity has become the silent killer in American society. It is a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases including the four leading causes of death. Obesity can be linked to stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, all serious health problems that can be fatal. Obesity is linked to 300,000 deaths annually in the industrial world (Flamholz, 2001). Often in society and in the medical community there exists a lack of understanding that obesity is in fact a disease and needs attention, otherwise the rates of many diseases will continue to climb.

Merriam Webster defines obesity is a condition characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of body fat. Carey Rossi points out “In one day the AMA classified 78 million adults, and 12 million children deemed to have a medical condition that needs treatment.” In the United States obesity, has become a major health epidemic. People are gaining weight in mass, and are also being diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease and, cancer, every day. Changing the problem has become an issue, and what can be incorporated to help slow down, or fix the issue has become the problem. Defining Obesity as a disease will discourage people from healthy eating, drinking water, and exercising. Secondly it could affect people’s mentality by making them

Attention Step: How many of you all know of someone who is overweight? How many of you all know of someone who is dead because of weight problems? Obviously, a serious factor that is going on across the United States is obesity. According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness written by the authors Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt and William Atkins, the definition of obesity means that it is a health condition where an excessive amount of body fat is inside the human body. This excessive body fat can cause health related issues including illness, disability, and worst of all, death (Carson-DeWitt and Atkins 615).

To determine whether obesity is a kind of disease, we need to understand the psychological and physical effect of obesity. Based on our daily experience, I can find that the effect is obvious and significant. But we still need to do further research to find out the extent of these two kinds of effects.

    Two thirds of American adults are obese or overweight. Obesity is a silent killer that is taking over the United States slowly but surely. People do not typically realize how serious obesity is and it gets joked about, humiliating those who are affected. Obesity is not a joke, it is a disease that is killing everyone’s family, friends and neighbors. Obesity alone is detrimental to the health of an individual, it causes many adverse effects to the body that are often difficult to repair or cure.