Obese is a term given to someone whose weight ranges higher than that is considered healthy for a given height. The term also identifies ranges of weight that have been shown to be associated with certain diseases. Weights are determined by BMI, or mass body index. Those ranging over a BMI of 30 are considered obese. In the United States, adult rates of obesity, as well as children's, are continuing to increase. In today's society, obesity is but a common, very serious problem that we are all familiar with. As the obesity epidemic is sweeping the nation, it is leaving extreme cost and deadly disease in its path. .
Obesity not only is detrimental to health, it is also costing the country billions of dollars. In 2009, there was an increase of obesity in 2.4 million Americans from the year 2007. Currently, one third of all US adults are obese. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, this overwhelming problem is costing the county nearly $147 billion dollars in health care annually. A contributing factor to this is that obese adults require $1,429 more dollars than that of a health individual. Health problems are also very serious adverse effects of being obese. The list of issues proven to be related to being overweight is endless, but some of the major ones include heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer, myocardial infarctions, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Among this list, type two diabetes seems to be of particular concern (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2012). .
Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose is abnormally high because the sugar cannot be removed from the blood or is being removed at too slow a rate. Diabetes brings along very serious complications including blindness, kidney failure, and often amputation of limbs due to infection. Diabetes currently affects nearly 25.8 million people in the country.
