Why We Get Fat And What You Do About It Published By Gary Taubes

There is not one specific factor that causes obesity, but rather a combination of multiple factors such as genetics, environmental, social, and physical factors. As obesity became more prevalent in the United States, the view on obesity by healthcare professionals began to change as well. In the 1940’s, after the great depression and America began to prosper, obesity was considered an addition. This addiction, thought at the time to be derived from an overbearing mother during early childhood, would discourage physical activity and the development of self-reliance (Result Filters 1). This would cause a lifelong pattern of oral gratification as a substitute of other forms of satisfaction, as well as a reaction to stress. In the 1950’s, health professionals connected depression to the cause of obesity and when a person was faced with a challenge, they would eat. Obesity was said to be a gluttonous addiction and programs like “Fattys Anonymous”, “Overeaters Anonymous”, and “Calories Anonymous” were put into place to help people lose weight. While obesity percentages stood still in the 1970’s, there was a push to reduce the shame and guilt from the past programs before with the Fat Power movement. Since then, the view on obesity has not changed, causing people who are overweight to

Obesity has been a growing problem in the U.S. for more than a decade. Various reasons and theories are thrown around as to the cause of this severe problem by psychologists, dietitians, and professors trying to pinpoint a single cause. Due to America’s vast supply of resources, luxurious living standards, and moral of the country, there is no one cause for obesity contrary to advertisements offering a quick-fix drug. America’s obesity problem is rooted much deeper than just cheap fast food and poor choices. Medical conditions, influence of genes, unhealthy lifestyles, and mental illnesses are all contributors towards obesity in any one person. Obesity is a serious problem in America with multiple contributors and one lone solution

First, I will talk about how poverty influences unhealthy eating habits that lead to obesity, then I will discuss how the lack of physical activity increases your chances for obesity, and finally how genetics play a big role in obesity.

According to Sam Dolnick in his article “The Obesity-Hunger Paradox,” majority of Americans have an incorrect view on what hunger and obesity actually look like in our country. Hunger, he describes, is seen in “ragged toddlers” and “rail-thin children” living in the dirty dark conditions caused by poverty (219). Obesity, on the other hand, gives a completely different picture filled with it’s own slew of negative stigma.

America, like any other country, has its assortment of problems: immigration, debt, or foreign affairs but one issue that is rather hard to overlook, literally, its obesity epidemic. The extra pounds have become a sight all too common in America’s society, “men are now on average seventeen pounds heavier than they were in the late seventies, and for women that figure is even higher: nineteen pounds.” (Kolbert). Obesity does not just affect adults in this way either, the kid population has been getting bigger, according to the numbers on a scale “the proportion of overweight children, age six to eleven, has more than doubled, while the proportion of overweight adolescents, age twelve to nineteen, has more than tripled.” (Kolbert). This issue has been a major concern to doctors and scientists for decades and in recent years, has even has the American Medical Association recognizing obesity to be a disease (Pollack). That is a highly debatable statement because obesity itself is a preventable lifestyle. Obesity is avoidable and curable to all (or at least most) of its sufferers. For some citizens, obesity is not a choice, rather genetics, but for the majority of the population, obesity is caused by an unhealthy diet and lazy lifestyle, and for these certain individuals, through a lot of work and discipline, the return to a healthy lifestyle is not as impossible as it may appear.

In the article, the obesity era by David Berreby the main idea is that there are many alternative theories regarding the rise in obesity. Berreby believes weight gain is not the result of lack of exercise and poor diet. I agree with the author’s argument in regards to the effects of chemicals in the environment and lack of nutrients in fast foods, and other cheaply made food products, the artificial thermoneutral zone, and economical disposition of lower class.

This will go after my paragraph on the causes of obesity. This article below https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/08/16/why-were-so-fat-whats-behind-the-latest-obesity-rates Q, Silver. “The Beginning of Obesity: When Did the Problem Start?” CalorieBee, CalorieBee, 7 Dec. 2017, caloriebee.com/misc/The-Beginning-of-Obesity-When-Did-the-Problem-Start. This article explains that we live in a obesogenic environment.

With a multitude of environmental factors playing an ever-increasing role in the reasons for obesity, it is hard to focus on one reason as the 'root' cause of obesity. Ever-decreasing levels of physical activity, married with poor dietary habits are two likely causes of the obesity epidemic. Samaras et al. (1999) concluded that physical activity is the strongest environmental influence on total-body fat-mass in healthy middle-aged women. An inverse relationship was clearly apparent between physical activity and total-body and

Dalton revisits the controversial issue of whether obesity should be declared a disease or not. In the author's opinion, obesity is not a disease. With that in mind, this book will offer a sound basis for my assertion that obesity cannot be regarded a disease but a contributing factor to ill health.

Newman lists several reasons why she thinks that obesity is a nationwide problem. One reason she lists is the over consumption of calories. Whether it’s healthy or not, an over consumption of calories converts into fat. “A calorie is a calorie”. Another reason she lists is the environment we live in. Unhealthy food is advertised much more than healthy food and much more expensive. Unhealthy food is very cheap and everywhere you look. Bigger portions are being placed in front of us making us “mindlessly eat” it, not paying attention to our calorie consumption and if we are full or not. Genetics is also a reason for the obesity epidemic, but definitely not the main problem.

Obesity has increased nationally by 18% since 1980, and economists are still struggling with understanding why the quantity of obese people is increasing. What is interesting is that the biological cause of obesity is simple, an individual must consume more calories than they expend on a daily basis. Yet, the solution is not as simple as telling people to just do the opposite, consume less and burn more calories. There are several factors that can be considered such as income, education, race, physical activity, and food quality, yet, there is no single issue that is the definitive problem. By examining the various research abstracts conducted by economist in specific areas, it can be shown that economists do not have a conclusive answer for why obesity has greatly increased since the 1980s.

Researches studies differ on whether obese consume more energy (calories) than non-obese individuals. Some show they do consume more; others show they may consumer fewer calories. The big difference may be in the type of nutrients that they consume, such as fat. For example, Gazzaniga, found that the percentage of body fat was positively correlated with total dietary fat. Still, other researchers suggest that the reasons are metabolic in origin and that obese individuals "process" foods differently resulting in an increase in body fat. Although how these factors affect obesity are not fully understood, one thing is clear: Obesity results when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure and is stored as fat.

Obesity has caused great dilemma in America. It was known as an adult disease. “Over two thirds of adults are over weight or obese.”(Obesity, Jerry R Ballenttne) these numbers are increasing rapidly. Obesity is not just a appearance

Many North Americans enjoy the most lavish lifestyle on Earth: Food is plentiful, work is automated and our downtime is easy. And it 's making us fatter by the minute. Let’s delve into 10 reasons why people are fatter today than they’ve ever been. Because without knowing why, we can’t really come up with sensible solutions to correct the problem.

Accumulated excess body fat that may harmfully effect health is defined as obesity (Royal College of Physicians, 1998). Obesity is a developing condition within the population that already affects 1 in 4 adults in England (NICE, 2006). Internationally, being overweight is linked to a range of harmful health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Obesity can be explained through the use of the nature-nurture debate, as it can be caused by both elements. In this essay, examples and facts will be discussed which show that obesity is a result of heredity and environmental factors.