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Obesity: Disease and Risk Factors

            Industries have been revolutionized as a result of globalization and the growth of scientific knowledge. The food industry is a great example because the production of food has skyrocketed over the last decade. Companies are pushing millions of processed and unprocessed food from the production line to the consumers ever so efficiently. Fast food chains earn billions of dollars annually from the sales of these processed foods. Grocery stores however, are being stacked up with junk food and processed foods. Nonetheless, these foods alone does not cause us to be at risk of being overweight; it's the overconsumption of food in general that causes health issues to the people.
             Gaining weight is caused when individuals consume more energy than the body has to burn. The body burns energy even while it is completely at rest. As people consume more energy than needed, the excess energy is stored primarily as fat. Individuals who continue to consume more each day are prone to being overweight as the body stores the excess energy as fat. Obesity is a health issues that stems from the overconsumption of food. This video is presented to question whether obesity should be a disease. The video presents many findings that support the former and the latter. Therefore, obesity should be viewed as if it were a disease and at the same time, a result of habit, as it meets the implication of 'disease', it could be a genetic disorder and it is a side effect that is preventable.
             The term 'disease' has three medically identified criteria for it to be defined which can be simplified into three questions; Does it change the physiological mechanism of the body? Does it show signs and certain indications? And does it harm you whatsoever? (W.


Essays Related to Obesity: Disease and Risk Factors

1. Heart Disease (Coronary artery disease)

... America today. But thanks to many studies involving thousands of patients, researchers have found certain factors that play an important role in a person's chances of developing heart disease. These factors are called risk factors, for example, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, overweight (otherwise known as body mass index), and obesity. (Heart Disease Risk Factors, 2003). In addition, researchers also believe that proper dieting is an important step for ... oxidation of LDL ("Bad- cholesterol) inversely correlated with severity of coronary artery disease (Heart Di...

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2. The American Epidemic of Obesity

... Childhood obesity has a number of immediate, intermediate, and long-term health consequences (Must & Strauss, 1999). These include classic cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid levels, and impaired glucose tolerance. Respiratory conditions include sleep-disordered breathing. In addition, early menarche and menstrual abnormalities are linked to overweight. Of particular concern is the emergence of type 2 diabetes, once considered an adult-onset disease, as a disease ... an extensive list of health conditions for which obesity increased risk. These...

  • Word Count: 1512
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Childhood and Adolescent Obesity

... discrimination among peers, and heart disease and each of these medical outcomes due to obesity can be detrimental to childhood depression, academic achievement, social functioning and low self-esteem. The involvement of the children affected by obesity, their parents, the public, the government and the medical community in a combined effort can help with the prevention, education and intervention of this disease. Issues and/or Problems Associated with Obesity There is evidence ... that are largely limited to severely overweight children but are becoming more common with the prevalence ...

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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Obesity

... that food away." Sam is one year old, he has only learnt to walk, and already the obsession is starting" (Solovay 2000, 40). Also, it has been noted in a study done by Hammarlund et al, that poor family functioning and parental control are risk factors contributing to childhood obesity. Fat parents may be desperate to make their children slim to avoid the harassment ... and lost opportunities that they learned about firsthand. Parents who have not reeducated themselves stand to harm their children (Solovay 2000 ... weight being more than thirty percent fat. The onset of obesity is deter...

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  • Grade Level: High School

5. Obesity

... total amount that is overweight or obese is an astonishing 64.5 percent (American Obesity Association). Like other eating disorders overeating and obesity come from psychological, biological, and sociological factors. Doctors have even said that obesity might be a result from a resistance or a diminishing production of the hormone leptin (Kirkpatrick and Caldwell, 60). Many times overeating is the result of loneliness or stress ... broken home. Some turn to food because they have a fear of not being accepted and are afraid of being rejected (Arenson, 33). Obesity has been linked to perso...

  • Word Count: 1281
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  • Grade Level: High School

6. Why Have Obesity Trends Increased in the United States?

... to suggest that the human genome dooms certain Americans to being obese. The Center for Disease Control states (partial "quote"?) that genetic variations do not cause obesity but rather influence a person's susceptibility to environmental factors that lead to obesity. Environmental factors like eating fast foods that are high in fat and not utilizing excess calories can make a person with a certain type of genome more ... occur between genes and environmental factors that make individuals more susceptible to obesity can not accurately be described. Another shortcoming of genetics is tha...

  • Word Count: 2360
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Obesity

... . Basically when someone consumes more calories than you would expend in your daily activities. Obesity is a known risk factor for chronic disease including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, some forms of cancer, arthritis gall bladder disease. Everyone needs a certain percentage of body fat for stored energy, heat insulation, shock absorption and other functions. As a rule women have more fat then men. The general rule ... climbing for years. In 1969 the total number of deaths attributed to obesity was 108, in 1983 the number jumped to 130 and in 1997, 145 p...

  • Word Count: 651
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  • Grade Level: High School

8. Obesity in children

... obesity is diabetes. 25 percent of children are already showing signs of changes that could lead to diabetes. Doctors fear that many of today's generation will fall into the disabling disease before their 30's. It has been known for a while that being obese or even overweight can greatly increase chances of diabetes, but evidence is shown that younger and younger patients are at risk ... increase health problems. Research was done by Dr. Richard S. Strauss of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in New Brunswick. He studied 1,520 children from the National Longitudinal...

  • Word Count: 1517
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Socioeconomic Factors and Obesity

... U.S. counties have more than 1 in 5 individuals use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (USDA). With low SES comes violence and gang activity. When violence surrounds you, most people would like to stay safely indoors rather than go outside to get exercise and run the risk of being a victim of violent behavior. In the same way, lower income regions are less likely to have the ... facilities to accommodate people living near them and people are less likely to be able to afford exercise equipment, athletic shoes, or a gym membership ... a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese...

  • Word Count: 2040
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography

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