With the United States being the second most obese country in the world, the topic of obesity and problems linked to being overweight is definitely controversial. In the United States, fast food restaurants are available at every exit on the highway and multiple on each street corners. With almost two-thirds of American adults being considered obese or overweight and fast food restaurants making up to $2.85 million each year, the problem of obesity in the United States must be addressed.
Obesity, a nation-wide epidemic affecting over 35% of American adults, is an overwhelming issue in the United States. With so many overweight in the United States, there is a need for changes to be put in place. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, obesity is characterized as a disease by an excessive accumulation of body fat. People who are considered obese, can no longer preform functions normally. Obesity impairs how a body normally functions. This issue can decrease a person's life expectancy and can cause increase the risk of death, like other diseases. A to a July 13, 2016 Lancet study found that, obesity in adults can lead to three years' loss of life. Extreme obesity can shorten a person's life span by 10 years. The Surgeon General reports that about 300,000 deaths per year could be traced back to the root cause-obesity. Like other diseases, obesity obviously impacts the way an obese person could live or function normally. The American Medical Association recognized obesity as diseases needing a range of medical help to advance obesity treatment and prevention.Obesity can have a negative effect on many systems in your body. Stanford Health Care found that people who are overweight or obese also have a much greater chance of developing other problems such as, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and bone and joint diseases. Obesity is the major cause of type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes usually begins in adulthood but, is now actually occurring in children. Years ago, it was rare to hear about a child with type 2 diabetes. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 208,000 people younger than 20 now have been found to have type 2 diabetes. The Center for Advancing Health conducted a study that looked at more than 14,000 high school students to determine the relationship between body mass index and suicide attempts. “Our findings show that both perceived and actual weight gain increased the risk for suicide attempts,” said lead study author Monica Swahn. With such drastic changes and complications linked to obesity being found in today's youth and adults, extensive steps and measures should be taken to attempt to decrease or prevent obesity in the United States.
Some prominent medical professionals however, disagree. Paul Handel, a Houston urologist who works on obesity issues, believes that although obesity is a serious problem, it should not be considered a disease. "If we consider obesity a disease, what it really implies is that individuals have no control over what's happening, and, therefore, as a nation and as a culture, we need to commit more of our resources to treating the complications of the weight and obesity problem rather than saying it's a preventable event that really demands a societal response," said Dr. Handel. Other medical groups agree stating that, obesity is a preventable risk factor for other diseases and conditions, and is not a disease itself. According to the website ProCon.org, smoking is a preventable risk factor for lung cancer and drinking is a preventable risk factor for alcoholism, obesity is a preventable risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cancers. The groups disagreeing that obesity is a disease, also argue that obesity is a side effect of other diseases rather than being a disease itself. Obesity can be caused by Cushing's syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, or arthritis. Another argument for obesity not being a disease is that in a 2013 Lancet article, it noted that as many as one third of obese people are "healthily obese" meaning that despite being significantly overweight, they have normal cholesterol and blood pressure levels, and no sign of diabetes. Although obese people tend to go to the doctor more and have regular checks for other risk factors and diseases, the majority of people in the obese range are not physically impaired and live normal lives. Obesity researcher Daniel Miller, The School of Social Work assistant professor fears that the decision to declare obesity as a disease “will prompt people to further identify obesity as a purely medical problem, and one that is best treated by pharmaceuticals or surgery”. Agreeing that obesity is a problem, a large number of organizations have disagreed on the topic of whether obesity should be considered a disease.
Although obesity is agreed to be a serious condition, it is debated on whether or not it should be classified as a disease and treated as one. Various organizations have discussed and argued over the topic and whether it is accurate to consider it a disease. Both sides present different arguments supporting or countering if obesity is or is not a disease. The question, "is obesity a disease?" remains a controversial, much debated topic.
Works Cited
"Background of the Issue - Obesity - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017
"Disease of Obesity." American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.
"Is Obesity a Disease? Clinicians Disagree." Is Obesity a Disease? Clinicians Disagree. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
"Is Obesity Linked to Suicide?" ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
Obesity ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
"Obesity." Stanford Health Care (SHC) - Stanford Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.”
"Overweight and Obesity Statistics." National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.
"Why Treat Obesity as a Disease?" Why Treat Obesity as a Disease? - The Obesity Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.