Obesity : Obesity And Food Addiction

“During an average binge, you may consume from 3,000 to 5,000 calories in one short hour. After it ends, panic sets in and you turn to drastic measures to “undo” the binge, such as taking ex-lax, inducing vomiting, or going for a ten-mile run. And all the while, you feel increasingly out of control” (Smith, Melinda. Bulimia). The final eating disorder discussed in this paper is binge eating. Binge eating disorder is known as overeating or a period of uncontrollable eating. Binge eating is becoming more and more common here in america because of the large quantities of food sold daily. Although, binge eaters do not purge after eating, they still feel shame or guilt after eating like a bulimic (Anorexia, Nervosa).

Obesity and being overweight are very common worldwide issues around the world, especially in the U.S. There are more than 3 million cases per year. By changing your lifestyle such as diet and exercise, losing weight can seem effortless. Desirable junk/fast food or even irresistible fast food commercials can tempt you to do the unthinkable. We are all victims of this advertising war. Quick-service restaurants (QSR) generate these advertisements in hope to attract more consumers or to increase their popularity rates around town. These commercials bombard our state of mind only to convince us to buy unhealthy food for worthless money. The increase in fast food commercials in the U.S. has led to an increase in both QSR revenues and the obesity rates. Regulating commercial frequencies will lead to a decline in the obesity rate. Our country has more than enough issues that frequently affect our population. Despite these alarming cautions, the food industries with their advertiser use every available media outlet to promote and sell their products. Pushing food and drinks high in sugar is unethical and unjust. We learn to

The obesity epidemic has now become one of the most pressing issues of our time. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) said “...obesity has more than doubled worldwide since 1980. In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults (39 percent of Earth’s adult population) were overweight. That includes 600 million who were obese” (Kiener 2015). In the United States, slightly more than one third of adults are obese (FRAC 2016), and obesity-related deaths make up 18% of all deaths, which is now more than three times more prevalent than once estimated (Fox 2013). For most of its history, however, many have misinterpreted obesity as a lifestyle problem that effect only “lazy” individuals when the opposite is true. Obesity is an issue that goes beyond

The obesity epidemic proves to be an issue in America and continues to grow with time. In simple terms, obesity is a disorder where the subject has increasing amounts of fat, leading to health problems in the future. This epidemic has steadily increased in American bodies for decades and researchers have tried to find the root causes of this problem. Though there is controversy as to what is the primary cause of this rising epidemic, it is clear that there are many factors that contribute to the fluctuating weight gain among many American citizens. With these factors, there are multiple perspectives of the epidemic. One of the primary perspectives is that an unhealthy diet contributes to obesity in Americans; with the popularity, convenience and cheap prices of fast food, statistics have shown direct relations of increasing obesity rates with an unhealthy diet. A secondary factor of rising obesity rates is the lack of exercise or activity in the body. Without a way to burn off excess calories, they sit in your stomach and there is not a good alternative to burn them off like in a workout. Additionally, with the strong presence media plays in society, there is an idea that women have to be stick-thin as the norm. As a result, there is a new perspective that being overweight is due to societal standards of skinny figures and the increasing media, creating weight bias. These different perspectives all provide a basis for researchers to explore this issue and find ways to

Despite the overwhelming evidence that Americans are among the most overweight across the globe, this issue is constantly ignored. We hear about obesity being one of the most prevalent issues in America yet through the years this issue seems to worsen. Although Obesity may not be taken seriously by many, it is one of the leading health issues in America today.

“The percentage of children aged 6–12 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012” (cdc.gov). Subsequently, the obesity epidemic has continued to increase over the past few years in the United States. There are many different aspects that have contributed to the obesity epidemic. For example, many people today choose to be convenient instead of eating healthy, which results in the consummation of processed foods. Processed foods have a significant effect on the risk of obesity. With a current society always on the go, adults and children have become more susceptible to junk and fast foods. As a result this has caused an increase in the energy intake which results in storing fat thus gaining weight. In addition, having less to no physical activity is also a contributor to obesity. For example, sixty minutes of physical activity is needed for the prevention of obesity (ncbi.gov). These contributions to obesity results into the many different health risk. With this in mind, I believe as a student, schools have the influence to help prevent young students from childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a condition where a child has unnecessary grossly fat. Many children who are overweight suffer from medical to self-esteem issues. These issues can have a big impact on a child’s educational success. Therefore, there are ways that schools can get involved to help prevent young students of becoming obese and in the process help students

Such was this author’s case who never saw the affliction of binge eating as an indication that something was wrong underneath the person. Or that the very act of eating more than the stomach’s fill and craving for more food was a disorder called ‘binge eating.’

What is obesity? A condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body; obesity is when someone is so overweight that it is a threat to their health (“What is Obesity?”). Obesity is an increasing global health problem. Corpulence is an important matter because of the astounding magnitudes that this disease has reached in the past 30 years (“Health and Aging”). Obesity is the reason for nearly 10 percent of the national medical budget, which in this country it cost about $150 billion yearly. It is estimated that one in six children and one in three adults are obese. Obesity is an epidemic not only in the United Stated but in several other parts of the world. The top four countries being Mexico, New Zealand, Chile, and Australia; worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 (Richard “Obesity Rates”). Obesity is the main cause of death, related to heart disease, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes, and several other health risks. In order to better comprehend obesity, it is important to explore exactly what obesity is and the potential causes of, what types of diseases, issues related with obesity and some of the paths that could be taken to aid the situation. What can people as individuals do to prevent being overweight or obese? At hand there is no simple resolution to the obesity epidemic. Obesity today is described as an “epidemic,” one of the most substantial health threats to Americans (especially the

Obesity basically means having too much body fat. Not being overweight for your height, having too much muscle, or water in your body. What exactly is obesity? “Obesity is a condition that is associated with having an excess of body fat, defined by genetic and environmental factors that are difficult to control when dieting. Obesity is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is a tool used to measure obesity. Obesity increases your risk of developing related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea, to name a few. Many individuals are affected by obesity and are not aware of it” (O.A.C, 2016). Causes of obesity vary from person to person, but most are from the same reasons. Taking in more calories than your body can burn leads to obesity because your body stores the unused calories as fat. Typical causes are eating too much food than your body can use, drinking too much alcohol, and not getting enough exercise. Many obese people who lose large amounts of weight and gain it back think it is their fault. They blame themselves for not having the willpower to keep the weight off. Many people regain more weight than they lost. Today, we know that biology is a big reason why some people cannot keep the weight off. Some people who live in the same place and eat the same foods become obese, while others do not. Our bodies have a complex system to help keep our

Obesity to some may not be technically a disorder or disease. Although those skeptics may have some excellent points the American Medical Association has officially reviewed and determined obesity to be a disorder. Obesity is simply just excess or extreme amount of body fat. Obesity is one of the most controversial health topics considering the amount of disagreements about it being an official disorder. One of the major disorder criteria’s that obesity meets is that it impairs the human body functions.

Much attention, from the public as well as medical and legal communities, is focused on addictions to alcohol, prescription drugs, and illegal substances. These addictions can be very dangerous to the addicts and often to the people around them. Food addiction does not seem to be in the same class as these other addictions after all, everyone needs to eat. However, new studies show that food can indeed be an addiction for some people, and as dangerous to their health as if they abused alcohol or drugs.

There are more than 1.5 billion people that are overweight worldwide (2). There are more than 280 million people around the world that have been diagnosed with diabetes, resulting in at least 1 in 20 adults (2,8). Currently, diabetes is ranked as the seventh overall cause of death in the United States (9). In 2010, on 69,071 death certificates in the United States, diabetes was listed as the underlying cause, and in 234,051 death certificates, diabetes was mentioned as a cause of death (6). The Centers for Disease Control refers to “twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity, because obesity greatly increases the risk of diabetes, and the number of Americans who are obese has been increasing rapidly” (9). A newly developed term, “diabesity,” is commonly used to represent the close relationship between obesity and diabetes (8).

Overeating provides an interesting parallel to addictive behaviour. Much like habitual drug users, obese individuals commonly report experiencing craving and preoccupation with food (Herman and Polivy, 2008; Jastreboff, Sinha, Lacadie, Small, Sherwin & Potenza, 2013). The influence that food relevant cues (e.g. sight, smell, taste) have on food intake has also been well documented (for review see Herman & Polivy, 2008). It is plausible that dopaminergic conditioning

In America right now, more 68.8% of Americans are considered to be overweight or obese. About half are obese, with a number close to 35.7%. And even worse, more than 6.3% percent of America’s population has extreme obesity. These statistics keep rising, with a prediction that all fifty states will have obesity rates above 44% by 2030, with some as high as 66.7% (Hellmich). So what is obesity? Obesity is defined as being about thirty pounds over a healthy weight. The “healthy weight” depends on several factors such as age, gender, and height. The extra weight that comes with obesity can cause or increase the risk for several illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, along with many others. The health care cost of obesity related illnesses ranges from about $147 billion a year to $210 billion a year, and will consistently climb if the obesity rate does as well. Many of these diseases, and extra dollars spent, could be prevented just by eliminating obesity.

Obesity is a condition in which the over accumulation of adipose fat tissue causes the weight of a person to increase abnormally. Their weight exceeds by 20%, as a factor of their ideal body weight. According to recent analysis, statistics show that more than one third of the world’s population is targeted by obesity. Research shows that overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. Obesity occurs greatly amongst adults who are 18 years or older. An estimated 600 million adults were obese out of the 1.9 billion that were overweight, around the world in 2014. One in three adults in Mexico, New Zealand and United States are obese, and one in four adults in Australia, Canada, Chile and Hungary are obese. In contrast, rates of obesity are much lower in Asian countries, where approximately 2-4% of adults have obesity. In countries such as Mexico and the United States, Latino and Africans have the highest rates of obesity amongst all the individuals. However, along with adults, statistics show that the rates for obesity are also high among children within and below the age of 5. As calculated in 2013, the number of children across the world that were either overweight or obese was 42 million. Since then, the rates have increased by 30% more in in low- and middle-income countries than in developed countries. Due to the fact that this condition continues at higher rates across the world, several organizations, such as the World Health Organization, are working with and