Effects Of Obesity Rates In America

Obesity rates have been a problem throughout America for many years now. As stated by the Food Empowerment Project “The overall U.S. obesity rate has more than doubled since 1980, with more than two-thirds of adults and about one-fifth of all children now being overweight or obese.” (Food Empowerment Project). In America adults over the age of twenty thirty-one percent of adults are said to have a normal weight (BMI under twenty-four point nine), thirty-five percent of those people are obese(BMI thirty and over), thirty-three percent are overweight (BMI between twenty-five and twenty-nine point nine), and six percent of American adults are extremely obese (Fryar). As claimed by the United States Department of Health and Human services “Obesity …show more content…
Individuals who have a low income may not be able to afford the price of healthy groceries. Instead, they buy cheap candy, pop, and most commonly fast food. It is seen that around low income neighborhoods there are more fast food restaurants than grocery stores. Fast food companies are purposely placing their franchises closer to lower income neighborhoods because it is more accessible for those families to afford fast food. This leads to those families getting fast food more often. This may be because parents who work all day and come home do not have the time to prepare food. In addition, low income families cannot afford transportation to farther away grocery stores. In conclusion, to low income families fast food is cheaper, and quicker (Food Empowerment Project). This leads to their rise in weight gain because consuming too much processed food is bad for individual’s health. It is commonly known among humans that fast food is not healthy but what is not known is why exactly it is so unhealthy. Fast food actually is not one-hundred percent real meat. The processed meat that is mixed in is filled with empty calories. This means that once someone finishes a meal they find themselves to be hungry again soon after. Studies have shown that on average people who tend to consume fast food on a regular basis ate fifteen percent more calories than individuals who do not. Fast food …show more content…
Many of these causes are not known to many individuals. “There is no single thing that causes it… various factors contribute, both internal (our biology) and external (our environment).” (Gunnars). An example of an internal cause of obesity is stress. In contrast, examples of external causes of obesity are temperature, and family income. Losing weight can be very difficult for many Americans especially when there are many components that cause obesity. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to help decrease the amount of fat in one’s body. Exercising not only burns calories but helps the body decrease stress levels (Gunnars). Decreasing the level of stress in an individual’s body will lower the amount of the hormone cortisol. Less cortisol in one’s body the smaller their fat cells are which decreases the amount of fat a cell can hold (Cummins). Exercise also burns calories. When an individual burns calories by exercising then this decreases the overall intake of calories and also the fat stored in the individual 's body. There are several causes that contribute to rise in obese Americans not just one. Even though many things cause obesity there are ways to control the level of fat someone 's body is