The Obesity And Nutritional Choices

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide and its prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate (Barness et al, 2007). For thousands of years obesity was rarely seen, it was not until the 20th century that it became common, some much so that in 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognized obesity as a global epidemic (Caballero, 2007).

Although the mechanism of obesity development is not fully understood, it is confirmed that obesity occurs when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. There are multiple etiologies for this imbalance, hence, and the rising prevalence of obesity cannot be addressed by a single etiology (Dehghan et al., 2005, p.

The basis of our being is cellular, with nutrition being one necessity a cell needs to function. Nutrition comes from the food we consume where it is digested and broken down into simple nutrients. Each food having a different nutritional value. Is the diet we, as American’s, consume nutritionally filled? What role does a typical western diet play in relationship to the diseases we treat in healthcare today? In going back to the diet of our ancestors, consuming a Paleolithic diet, also known as a caveman or stone-age diet decreases the amount of chronic inflammation one has, thereby reducing risk factors for major diseases we treat in healthcare today.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Currently the number of obese children is increasing in our country and it is a problem that should be concerned. Doctors often use a formula based on height and weight, called body mass index (BMI), to determine obesity. Children with a BMI over 21 is considered obese and over 18 is overweight (Arnett, J.J.2016). Adults with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese. Severe obesity, also known as severe obesity or morbid obesity, occurs when a BMI of 40 or more is present. With morbid obesity, there may be serious health problems. If children do not have enough activities, they will

Obesity and malnutrition threatens our American society. So much so that the government has taken it into their hands to control what we eat and how we eat.

Diet: A Look at Processed Food, Nutrition, and Obesity in the 20th Century was both insightful and interesting. It brought out many key points in why much of the world has become obese in such a short amount of time. It shows the impact processed foods, diet pills, and genetics have on an individual and their weight. It really helped open my eyes to realize that the rode to obesity is much more complex then we might have previously imagined.

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

In 2008, the American Medical Association recognized obesity as a disease claiming that “Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,” said AMA board member Patrice Harris, M.D. While this may be true, is that a justifiable reason to classify obesity, a result of unhealthy decisions, as a disease? The fact is obesity is the consequence of choosing an unhealthy lifestyle. True the unhealthy lifestyle may not be chosen on purpose but “The choices we make by accident are just as important as the choices we make by design” – Anonymous. Therefore if obesity is a consequence of choices then I feel obesity itself has to be a choice,

and Ferrannini, E., 2000 pp. 1368). Research Question and Hypothesis The investigators did not develop a hypothesis, but wanted to answer a specific question. They wanted to know the effect of obesity and diabetes on gluconeogenesis and endogenous glucose output. Sampling The sample population for the study was a purposive sample obtained from a diabetes clinic and an obesity clinic. Because the investigators had a population characteristic in mind for the research, purposive sampling was an effective means by which to obtain participants. The researchers studied a group of 55 participants that included both men and women. Of the sample population, 40 were considered obese and 15 were considered a healthy weight. Obesity was defined as a BMI greater or equal to 27. Twenty-eight of the obese participants were also diabetic and nine of the healthy weight participants were diabetic. The author of the article stated that the participants gave written informed consent and the protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee.

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

Time has only developed the human body into a fat hoarding machine, using food as comforting agent, instead of its main purpose of nourishment. With a busy day to day life as a typical American you do not have the access to the gym, which means the quick processed food you are eating will be stored as fat in your body. Fast-food restaurants, fattening foods, and the easy access to the sugar aren’t helping with the rising problem of obesity. The accumulation of excessive body fat is known as obesity, unbelievably in 50 years the rates of obesity has went from 33% in 1950 to the rates increasing by 214% in 2000 (LIVESTRONG Foundation 2014). Undeniably screaming the haunting truth about obesity making it a life threatening choice rather than a disease.

Nutrition and weight status is a vitally important issue as obesity is on the rise in the United States. One third of children in this country ages 2-19 are either overweight or obese and this potentially sets them up to develop diabetes and other comorbidities during their lifetime (U.S. Task Force, 2010). It is important to promote health by way of consumption of healthy foods, getting adequate exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight and body image. The Let’s Move initiative, founded by First Lady Michelle Obama, approaches the obesity epidemic at a grassroots level and encourages children to eat healthy, get active and take actions towards a healthy lifestyle ("Let’s Move," n.d.).

Obesity rates are rising steadily and aren’t dropping anytime soon unless someone takes a stand and puts a stop to it. That is what the government is attempting. The weight of a person depends on a person’s own opinion, but not many people are caring about themselves. The reason behind this epidemic are all the sugary drinks, all the unhealthy foods, and the rising prices on healthy foods. Taxing sugary drinks would be a good step to a first attempt at preventing obesity. Think about all the people who would second guess buying the unhealthy drinks, making it better to prevent the purchase of sugary, unhealthy drinks.

The everyday routines of life can and will be more difficult if encumbered with 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