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Jocelyn Guzman
Chiquita Boyd
English 111-72
01 December 2015
Obesity in America
A heavy accumulation of fat in the body is known as obesity. It is a long term disease and
it is the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Obesity affects about 60
million of people in the United States of which women are mostly affected. Obesity is defined as
having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30. The BMI is a measure of the weight relative
to your height. Over the past years obesity has increased drastically. It is not just a problem in the
United States; it is a major issue all around the world. Obesity causes risks such as diabetes,
heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and even death but high BMI might mean a
longer life.
An average adult should not have more than 65 grams of fat or 2,000 calories a day.
Weight gain happens when one eats more calories than the body burns. If the food one eats
provides more calories than the body needs, the excess is converted to fat. This is what causes
Americans to gain weight. Over the years obesity is mostly diagnosed in African Americans and
Hispanics as you see in the chart below. Most Americans do not watch what they eat and thats
how it all begins. If you begin to watch the calories you eat, it will definitely make a difference
in the body.

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There are many causes to why someone becomes obese. One of the causes to obesity is
through the genetics. Obesity tends to run in the family, caused by both genes, shared diet, and
lifestyle habits. Emotions are another reason why people are obese. People overeat because of
depression, hopelessness, anger, boredom, and many other reasons which have nothing to do
with hunger. Environmental factors are another cause as to why Americans are obese. The eating
habits and activity levels are usually learned from the people around you. The type of sex or
gender can also be a cause of obesity. Men have more muscles than women, which makes muscle
burn more calories than other types of tissues in the body causing men to use more calories than
women, giving more possibilities for women to be obese.
To begin with, one major risk associated with obesity is diabetes. Diabetes is a disease
associated with abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood. There are three types of diabetes,
they are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not make
insulin. Type 2 diabetes is when ones body does not make or use insulin as well, causing the
glucose to stay in your blood. This type of diabetes is the most common type out of the three

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types (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases). Type 1 is a less
common than type 2 and its usually diagnosed in childhood. Obesity is usually diagnosed in
adulthood but now young people are increasingly being diagnosed with this type. Gestational
diabetes is high blood glucose that develops at any time during a pregnancy in someone who has
not been diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes is a disorder that affects the way ones body uses food for energy. Currently
2.6% of the U.S. population are known to have diabetes (University of Michigan Kellogg Eye
Center). The sugar one takes is broken down into simple sugar known as glucose. Glucose is the
main source of energy for the bodys cells. The levels of glucose in the blood is controlled by a
hormone called insulin released by the pancreas. The insulin helps glucose enter the cells and in
diabetics the pancreas does not make enough insulin and the pancreas does respond to the insulin
that is being created causing the glucose level to rise. When this happens it leads to symptoms
like blurry vision, excessive thirst, fatigue, frequent urination, hunger and weight loss.
In addition, heart disease is another risk associated with obesity. People who are
overweight have more chances of having heart diseases than those who are not obese. Excessive
abdominal fat is linked to substances that cause inflammation in the blood vessels thus leading to
higher risks for heart disease. A study in New England Journal of Medicine showed that in the
middle-aged women with a BMI between 23 and 25 and middle-aged men with a body mass
index that was between 25 and 29 had a significantly higher risk of heart disease (Newell). Heart
disease is when one gets pains in the chest area where the heart is at. This means that ones heart
is not getting enough blood or oxygen. The pains make one feel that the body is heavy or like
someone is squeezing the heart. This disease could be prevented by avoiding stress as best as one

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can, not smoking, eating well-balanced meals that are low in fat and cholesterol and include
several daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
Yet another risk associated with obesity is stroke. Stroke is caused when there is blockage
or constriction of a blood vessel in the brain. Stroke is also called cerebrovascular accident or
CVA. When this happens, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen through causing brain cells to
die in which it can leave permanent brain damage. Approximately every 40 seconds, someone in
the United States is having a stroke. There are two types of strokes, ischemic and hemorrhagic
strokes.
Ischemic strokes occur when there is lack of blood flow to part of the brain. Hemorrhagic
strokes is bleeding in the brain caused by broken or leaking blood vessels in the brain. It may be
due to an aneurysm, a thin or weak spot in an artery that blows up and bursts. If the blood does
not flow and stops for more than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen. Brain
cells can die, causing permanent damage. The higher a persons degree of obesity is, the higher
their risk of stroke regardless of race, gender and how obesity is measured (American Heart
Association).

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In the graph above, it shows the amount of people who had first strokes and who had
recurrent strokes. As one can see, there were more people who had first time strokes than
recurrent strokes.
There are definitely ways one can prevent obesity. One great way of preventing is
exercising. One should exercise more than at least 30 minutes a day. Swimming, walking,
jogging, and playing sports are excellent low impact ways of exercising. Eating healthy is
another way of preventing obesity. Eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help you
become healthy and strong. One can always enjoy their favorite foods, just be sure to choose
foods that are healthy. If one watches what they eat and how many calories one consumes, they
are getting a great start in avoiding many harmful diseases such as obesity. People who weigh
themselves at least once a week are more successful in keeping off unnecessary pounds.
Monitoring ones weight can tell them whether their effort is working and can help them detect
small weight gains before they become bigger problems. Another way that one can prevent
obesity is by being consistent. Sticking to a healthy eating and exercising plan during the week,
on the weekends, vacations, and holidays as much as possible increases the chances for great

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success. If one really wants to be healthy and prevent anything that comes their way, they should
definitely be focused at all times. If a person was to constantly do one prevention listed in this
paragraph one would see a major difference during time.
High blood pressure is another risk associated with obesity. Obese people have higher
blood pressure than people with a normal weight. In fact, obesity induces a high secretion of
insulin in trying to decrease the excessive sugar concentration in the blood. After some time, the
obese subject will develop a natural resistance to the insulin which will lead his/her body to
produce more insulin, making a rise in the blood pressure.
Obesity also leads to death. About 822 people die a day and 300,000 a year from obesity
related illness. Obese people die younger than normal-weight people. These people do not die
directly due to obesity as it is not a condition that is caused overnight (Scum Doctor). Due to
obesity, it is the second leading cause of people dying. People wouldnt be suffering obesity
related illness and death if people decided to make good decisions choosing what is healthy for
them to eat and took care of themselves.
Opposite of this high BMI might mean living longer according to the Herold. A 2013
Lancet article said that as many as one third of obese people are healthy obese, meaning that
despite being overweight they have normal cholesterol and blood pressure, and no signs of
diabetes. Usually many obese people will get checkups regularly to check for risky health
problems BMI does not take into account the overall health of the individual. Most likely a
person can be considered obese over how much muscle they have because muscle weighs more
than fat.

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In conclusion, obesity affects a persons everyday life. Whether one is 200lbs, 389lbs, or
even 450lbs, they are most likely to have trouble with certain everyday obstacles that one may go
through on an everyday basis. Even though high BMI might mean a longer life, obesity causes
risks such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and even death. It affects a
person that is obese in many ways. Obesity is not a joke! It is a dangerous disease that can cost
ones life. There is certain things one can do to prevent becoming obese. It is not easy to be
healthy but trying can make a big difference.

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Work Cited

About Heart Disease Caused by Obesity Copyright 1999-2010

By Lori Newell November 20, 2015
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5006854_heart-disease-causedobesity.html

Degree of Obesity Raises Risk Of Stroke, Regardless of Gender,Race.

January 28, 2010
American Heart Association November 20, 2015
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121161236.htm

Diabetes March 22, 2010

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
November 20, 2015
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabetes.html

Diabetes Mellitus Copyright 2010

University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center November 20, 2015
http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/patientcare/conditions/diabetes.html
High BMI Might Mean a Longer Life. Eat Up?
Herold, Laurel. January 17, 2013
http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/2013/01/17/high-bmi-might-mean-a-longer-life/

How Many People Die From Obesity A Year Copyright 2006

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Scum Doctor November 20, 2015

http://www.scumdoctor.com/obesity/How-Many-People-Die-FromObesity-A-Year.html