Obesity

             produced 3,700 calories a day for every man, woman, and child in the .
             country. Women only need half of that number and men need two thirds .
             of it. But people are constantly bombarded with advertisements that .
             encourage them to eat far to more than what they need. (Akers 30).
             Exercising to little is another factor that can lead to obesity. It is recommended to exercise three to five days of the week for thirty minutes. Did you know that one-quarter of the U.S. does not engage in any physical activity? Instead, we Americans engage our time in 1,539 hours of television, 51 hours with videos, and 21 hours with video games. That is almost 4.5 hours a day of television related activity. In the U.S., individuals, health professionals, and researchers believe heredity plays a part for the obese population. To support their argument, they point to a study of twins. They were separated at an early age and raised in different households. Both seemed to show similar trends of obesity. Lastly, poor eating habits contribute to the obese epidemic. Did you know that many Americans eat forty to fifty percent of their calories from fat each day; that is nearly eating a stick of butter each day. More and more people are corrupting their eating habits and choosing fast food over anything. Poor dieting and a sedentary lifestyle are responsible for 587,000 deaths per year.
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             In women alone, thirty-four percent of the female population is obese. Obesity has increased among U.S. women of all age groups over the last decade. In particular, middle-age women are at a high risk of becoming obese. When BMI exceeds 30, the risk of death related to obesity increases by fifty percent. Today, our youth is at the highest percentage ever for obesity. They are considered the most inactive generation in history. Many schools have reduced physical activity programs except for Illinois. Grades K-12 requires to engage in physical activity for that state.