Causes Of Obesity

In the past twenty years, obesity has taken the U.S by storm. Today the U.S has more than 72.5 million citizens who are obese, and is number two in the world’s most obese countries. If the obesity rate consistently grows, 51% of the Population will be obese by 2033. What is obesity? How is obesity measured? (www.cdc.gov)Obesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that impairs a person’s health. Currently, body mass index is used to classify obesity. Any person over a body mass index of 30 or more would be classified as obese. Because of obesity, many people even experience health, income and mobility problems(www.obesitynetwork.info) What leads a person to becoming obese? The three things that play a big role in obesity are genetics, diet, and income. It been discovered that a person’s genetic background can cause obesity. In the 1960’s a gene known as the “Thrifty gene” was discovered. It was thought that obesity would have an advantage in populations that …show more content…
Being obese can raise your risks for colon, breast, and gallbladder cancers. Being obese can also give many people sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause a person to pause or stop breathing while they are sleeping. In many cases, a person with sleep apnea has large amount of fat stored around their neck. This can narrow their airway, making it hard to breathe. In some cases, obesity has even been known to cause menstrual issues and infertility in women. Obesity can even take ten years away from a person life.(www.nhlbi.nih.cov)
Obesity can even cause a person to lose most of their mobility. Many obese people have a hard time doing physical activities. Many of these people also have a hard time even walking from their driveway to their front door. Some obese people can not even stand for more than thirty minutes because it can cause joint pain. There are even many people who are bedridden who can not even get out of bed without medical