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Causes and Effects
Obesity is a medical condition in which excessive amount of fats accumulates in the human body. If a person’s body weight is at least 20% higher than it should be, the person is considered to be obese. Obesity has been classified as a disease by the American Medical Association and has been described as one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide and one of the most serious health issues of the 21st century. Its effects on health are unimaginable.
Causes of Obesity
- Junk Food: Eating high glycemic food with low nutritional content is a key factor in weight gaining. Insufficient water intake affects weight and digestion. Over eating, food sensitivity and excessive consumption of high grain lead to obesity. An increase in the consumption of carbohydrates due to sweetened beverages has aggravated obesity over the recent years. Sweetened drinks contain the sugars sucrose and fructose that increase energy intake, leading to weight gain. Furthermore, government policies such as the US Farm Bill has subsidized soy, wheat and rice, leading to a drop in the price of processed foods as compared to fruits and vegetables. So the next time you feel the urge of a hamburger, or soda, remember what it can do to your body.
- Stress: When stressed, the adrenal glands produce hormones leading to weight gain. Low fatty acid intake and decreased serotonin levels in the brain can cause depression which can put in to cravings for food that have high level of starch and sugar. If the stress factors aren’t dealt with, long-term unhealthy weight gain is inevitable. Emotional and environmental stress also impact liver function, leading to impairment in eliminating toxins, cleaning the blood, metabolizing proteins and carbohydrates into energy and manufacturing bile to break down fats. .
Every once in a while, it will not hurt to sit back and just relax. Take some time off and just enjoy the view. If you want to live longer, learn to give your health a priority.
- Unhealthy Lifestyle: The term “Couch Potato” is often used to describe a lifestyle with little, or not, physical exercise. Lack of sleep is also a major factor for obesity. Sedentary activities include reading, sitting or watching television or playing video games. If a person spends half the day in front of the television, he has a greateer risk of obesity. So it is better to get off that couch and help out with the workload around the house.
- Genes: The effect of genes on obesity is minimal and is influenced by external factors such as diet, environment, routine and stress levels. Any potential obesity-causing genetic effects can be countered with a healthy lifestyle and vice versa. Thank God for that, or else a lot of people would be in trouble.
Effects of Obesity
- Death: Given the hazardous effects of this disease, obersity leads to death and increases premature mortality. In a 14-year study, the researchers concluded that the risk of death increased as BMI increased above the range of 23.5 to 24.9 in men and 22.0 to 23.4 in women. . I wonder why many countries still have a population issue?
- Heart Attack: Body weight is directly correlated with various cardiovascular risk factors. As BMI increases, so does the blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar. Numerous studies have established a direct relationship between obesity; coronary artery disease (CAD) and Ischemic (clot-caused stroke), since the deposit of fat and cholesterol in the coronary arteries restrict the supply of blood to the heart and hamper its blood-pumping mechanism.
- Cancer: The association between cancer and obesity is yet unclear. A panel assembled by World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research researched that there was proof of an connection between obesity and cancers of esophagus, pancreas, colon and rectum, breast, endometrial, kidney and gallbladder Abdominal obesity and weight gain while adulthood were also linked with several cancers.
Conclusion
With its potential side effects as adverse as a young and premature death to its classification as a global disease, obesity is undoubtedly one of the major challenges to human health and survival. The issue needs to be studied and examined in more detail and strict laws and awareness campaigns should be implemented to ensure the protection of human beings. People need to learn to make smart choics for themselves and their future.
Works Cited
Calle EE, Thun MJ, Petrelli JM, Rodriguez C, Heath CW Jr. "Body-mass index and mortality in a prospective cohort of U.S. adults." The New England Journal of Medicine (1999): -.
Childhood Obesity 101. Cause and Effect of Obesity. n.d. http://www.childhoodobesity101.com/cause-and-effect-of-obesity.html.
Pollan, Michael. "You Are What You Grow." The New York Times (2007). Magazine.
Sweeting, Helen N. "Measurement and Definitions of Obesity In Childhood and Adolescence: A field guide for the uninitiated." Nutrition Journal (2007): 6:32. Article.
