Obesity is a growing trend in America today as a great number of Americans are weighing well over 300 pounds. This widespread phenomenon has taken several lives and ruined many others. Overweight individuals are more prone to several risk factors, including diabetes and immobility. Most of these individuals are distressed with heart conditions and blood pressure fluctuations, which are the leading causes of death for people with high weighing scale numbers. However, these risks do not seem to discourage the common obese person. Although some people believe that obesity is a disease, it can be a result of a sedentary lifestyle, it can be a medical side effect, and it can be a consequence of overeating.
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Prescription medications, such as contraceptives and steroids, can cause obesity. These medications increase appetite and cause fluid retention. However, because these medications are necessary, doctors continue to prescribe them, patients continue to take them, and patients continue to gain weight. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can lead people to eat sugary foods to stay alert during school and work. When people do not get the recommended amount of sleep, their energy level depletes much faster. Therefore, they have a tendency to consume foods that will give them quick bursts of energy, such as energy drinks that contain an excessive amount of sugar. Usually, when people get enough sleep, they are more ready to engage in daily activities. Exercising or doing everyday tasks that require energy becomes nonexistent because these people simply do not have the energy. Therefore, they anticipate the higher numbers on the scales. Dorothy Terry, an RN, states, “Obesity has long been connected with many disorders, including diabetes, stroke, respiratory, and heart disease” (Terry 1). In fact, medical conditions like heart disease will sometimes affect one’s weight significantly. Patients suffering from failing hearts will become familiar with large amounts of extra weight because their hearts are not pumping properly. Unfortunately, their hearts are causing fluid to accumulate all over their bodies. Their …show more content…
They believe that obesity is a genetic disease. Anti-fat bias relates obese people with unattractive behavioral traits. Fat activists, “those who oppose anti-fat bias, say that obesity is caused by genetic factors and not self-destructive behaviors” (Bailey 2). There is a psychological reason why some people overindulge in massive numbers of calories. The reasons are more complex than just overeating and not getting enough physical activity. Doctors believe that obesity is analogous to alcohol and drug addiction, which is classified as a disease. They believe this comparison to be true because most morbidly obese people seek out food compulsively. Even when they are bedridden, they will demand that their enablers bring them massive amounts of foods. They repeat these habits several times a day, just as an addict would do with his or her addictions. Doctors are adamant and now believe that because obesity is attributed to untreated psychological problems, the epidemic will continue to expand across many