Obesity

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Research Paper Obesity

David Fleming

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Obesity has become a very common thing these days in America. The numbers of obese people in America has increased incredibly over the years, who do we blame for it? Fast food restaurants? This has been a hot topic recently. However, when it comes down to it, obesity is a combination of lifestyle, genetics, a psychological state of mind, exercise, and depression (Hannsink, 1995).

The clinical definition of obesity is a relative term used to describe the condition of where the ratio of body fat, which is measurable, to the total body mass is higher than the accepted norm (Hannsink, 1995). Body fat is about fifteen percent of total body mass for the normal male adult and 20 to 25 percent for the normal female adult (Hannsink, 1995). Obesity and overweight are often used wrong because their technical definitions are different. Overweight refers to an excess of body weight that includes all tissues. Obesity refers to specifically to an excess of body fat (Health Care, 2005).

However, the fact that obesity has increased so much in the last few decades appears to show genetics as the main cause. The numbers of obesity is increasing in America. American adults have grown an inch and gained almost twenty five pounds since the early sixties, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (WebMD, 2003).

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The average male American weighs 191 pounds and the female's average weight also had rose to 164 pounds. From 1999-2002, thirty one percent of adults had a BMI higher than twenty, considered in the obese range, more than double the rate in the early 60's (WebMD, 2003).

The numbers of obese people are greatly ring. About 1.2 million people in this world are overweight and 300 million are obese, even though obesity is one of the 10 preventable health risks, according to the Worlds Health Organization (Murphy, 2000)

Some people blame the rise in weight problems to fast food companies, a select few of theses people have decided upon taking the fast food companies to court although it was quickly dismissed the presiding judge Robert Sweet said "Its not the place of law to protect them again their own excess." (Murphy, 2000). Although now you do not see no more super-sized fries and drinks and a trend of chicken, salads, yogurts, and fruit deserts are popping up. What seemed like a public relations win for McDonalds quickly turned sour when it emerged that the salads may contain more fat than the burgers (Murphy, 2000).

Obesity leads to many other diseases. Eight percent of type II diabetes is related to obesity. Seventy percent of cardiovascular disease is also found to be related to obesity. Forty two percent of colon and breast cancer is daingnosed among obese individuals. Thirty percent of gall ladder surgery is related to obesity and twenty

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six percent of obese people have high blood pressure. The key to a healthier lifestyle is careful eating with regular psyhcial activity (Hannsink, 1995).

You have to maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, losing just 10 percent of your body weight can improve your health. You should loose weight gradually at 12 to 2 pounds per week. Theses new fad diets often hurt your health. Being active is a must you should by psychically active for at least 30 minutes a day.