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As early as 2010, 35.7% of adult Americans are obese, which is the highest level of obesity in the history of the United States. There are a number of environmental factors that contribute to obesity, the majority being the number of fast food restaurants and the recent outbreak of binge eating. Evidence shows that bingeing on sugary, tasty foods increases dopamine in the brain and in doing so possesses addictive habits. Apparently there have been several psychological and biological similarities between food addiction and drug dependence including loss of control and craving. One of the articles will look at environmental factors that might contribute to the obesity epidemic, and it will also compare the medical similarities and differences of drug dependence and food addiction.
Growing rates of overweight adults and obesity have prompted the comparison between the uncontrolled intake of food and drugs. It has been smart to follow biological concepts from addiction to explore obsessive food seeking; a model is needed to understand how food and drugs differ in their ability to control behavior. Another article will look at the difference and commonalities in the behavioral responses to food and to drugs of abuse, with the goal to identify and new treatments for drug addiction or obesity.
One of the articles also focuses on eating disorder behaviors and posttraumatic stress. It states that this article was the first to reveal the relationship between PTSD and the occurrence of eating types of food such as sugar sodas and fast food. It mentions that the study had articulated mechanisms and behavioral pathways of how trauma and post traumatic stress can cause an increase in the causes of death in the United Sta...
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...ect the impact of food addiction understandings on obesity and obese peoples.
Studies found that seemingly strong public acceptance of neurobiological clarifications of obesity and overeating can co-exist with the view that individual choice is the major cause of obesity. Obese people were more likely to support the opinion that obesity characterizes an addiction to certain foods. The apparent disappointment of neurobiological explanations of overeating and obesity to change public views toward obese people and the treatment of obesity advises that these descriptions have not yet had the beneficial influences assumed by their supporters. As the idea of food addiction is established, its supporters need to pay greater attention to its effects on shame, treatment and policy and to assessing whether its net influence on public health is likely to be harmful or helpful.
In the essay “Her Chee-to Heart”, by Jill McCorkle, she discusses about the various difficulties she has encountered of being a junk-food junkie and the struggles of overcoming the guilty pleasures of junk food. Firstly, one of the many difficulties she encounters are her feelings, which ultimately overwhelm her into continuing to eat various types of junk foods. Her feelings of nostalgic memories when consuming such goods as a child, the enjoyment and the savory tastes it grants her, are constantly mentioned throughout the essay, directly contributing a major factor into her desires of junk food. Furthermore, while she is quite aware of the consequences regarding the health side effects of consuming such foods and what the food is ultimately
American health, specifically our obesity epidemic, has grown into a trending media topic. A quick Google search will bring up thousands of results containing a multitude of opinions and suggested solutions to our nation’s weight gain, authored by anyone ranging from expert food scientists to common, concerned citizens. Amongst the sea of public opinion on obesity, you can find two articles: Escape from the Western Diet by Michael Pollan and The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss. Each article presents a different view on where the blame lies in this public health crisis and what we should do to amend the issue. Pollan’s attempt to provide an explanation pales in comparison to Moss’s reasonable discussion and viable
This chapter gives various social and biological reasons for the growing world-wide health concern of obesity. Name them and views - why is the reality of weight for most people so far from the cultural or societal ideal?
Greg Crister, the author of the op-ed essay that was featured in the Los Angeles Times, "Too Much of a Good Thing," argues that in order to stop obesity, we should stigmatize overeating. Crister states that we should place shame on overeating due to the rising obesity epidemic that faces the world today. The U.N. proclaims that "obesity is a dominant unmet global health issue, with Westernized countries topping the list." Crister states that twenty five percent of all Americans under the age of nineteen are either obese or overweight. Children are becoming more obese, and more out of hand with their weight, and something needs to be done to try and solve the obesity epidemic. In our society, stigmatization of overeating may have positive results; however, by itself, it will not solve the worldwide childhood obesity epidemic.
The essay Junking Junk Food written by Judith Warner, brings to the audiences attention the wicked problem of how there has been a decline in Americans health. Warner’s information speaks loudly about being forced into a healthy lifestyle by the Obama administration. The Obama administration tried to enforce a healthy lifestyle among the citizens by focusing on the youth and taking away sugar options for them. Warner, puts her voice into this by mentioning the system during the world war when the soldiers had to eat overseas so there was less food consumption in America, which helped stop over consumption of food. Back then food was also much healthier thought, with less hormones, chemicals and less options of fast food. Again making it easier
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
In order to take a sociological viewpoint into account when one examines obesity, first it is important to understand how obesity is recognized in current society. According to today’s news articles and magazines and advertisements and other mass media about health and healthy life, one can easily realize that a great number of people have an eagerness to be healthy. Also, one can assume through these mass media about health that everyone wants to be attractive, and they are even prone to transform their own behaviors to gain attractiveness. This is because most people live a life where social interaction is frequently required and must engage themselves into social interaction every day of their life. Therefore, based on these ideas and proofs throughout this mass media, obesity is regarded as one of the characteristics that is disgraceful and undesirable in society.
Obesity is a serious problem that increases year after year and affects the lives of many Americans. It is a problem that needs to be eradicated, but who is responsible for this problem? Some argue that individuals are responsible for their own weight; that it is a private concern. Some others, on the other hand, argue that it is a public concern; therefore, the government should play a significant role to stop reduce obesity from the public domain. They also argue that advertisements for junk food are factors that increase obesity. As persuasive as the advertisements can be and even with the help of the government, it is our decision to not eat healthy and end up in a state of obesity.
Many experts say that these people have developed an eating addiction, where even if they desire a healthier lifestyle, they feel inhibited by their body’s demand for more terrible snacks. When addiction comes up, people generally think of those who are dependent on illegal drugs but people can be addicted to many more substances and activities than what has not yet been legalized. In addition to nicotine and alcohol addiction, eating, gambling and stealing can all become addictions that have been studied seriously studied by many experts of the related fields. Going against the Western culture of independence, an over-reliance on an item, chemical, or habit sets people into a worrisome counterculture that drags them in chains after the item they cannot stop having. In psychologist Jim Orford’s educational book, Excessive Appetites, the reader has the chance to consider and explore the psychologist’s view of how so many things can show up in addictions. Not only does he bring up the topics already mentioned, he discusses addictions to gambling one’s savings away and reveals that overdoing exercise and even sex addiction can send a person down a dark path (2001). Interestingly, Professor Jesse Summers makes a different point in his 2015 article on addiction. The most commonly referred to
Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well.
Not only are today’s families far less active, but easy access to rich-tasting, cheap food can be addictive. The fast food industry knows this and uses this information to make foods which make the brain crave more. In his book Salt Sugar Fat, author Michael Moss discussed this in an interview with food scientist Steve Witherly.
Unreasonable food consumption and its relation to obesity and binge eating illustrate clinical and public health worries. A large amount of the research has found a variety of similarities in between excess food consumption and addiction. In humans, obesity and addiction have been both linked down to neural markers. Finally, many of behavioral indicators of addiction also appear to be common in problema...
Is fast food to blame for the growing obesity in America? Obesity affects more than half of the population. With so many Americans gaining weight and so many health problems the matter has to be addressed. There is no one would argue that obesity, especially the children is considered a problem. In any case the cause of childhood obesity is fought about daily. Many people will say that fast food restaurants are to blame. In my research, I will explain the argument that who is to blame for the obesity in America: fast food restaurants or common laziness from the obese society.
Food addiction can lead to serious and difficult health concerns. Nevertheless, obesity has other health issues that comes with it as well. In the United States between 2007 and 2009 there has been a 1.1% increase of obesity (Pedram). There has been an assumption that if it continues by 2050 it would be close to 100% of Americans who would be obese (Pedram). This information explains that the increase in overconsumption of food can slowly make most Americans suffer from obesity. Another issue of obesity is that it is “the fifth leading cause of global death” (Pedram). Becoming a food addict can cause an individual into becoming obese that they may eventually face death. Food addiction has become quite a controversial that it is difficult to overcome as fast food restaurants are encouragement in individuals to choose the path of obesity. Nevertheless, obesity is still a health issue that is harmful and dangerous to an
Education is key! Those who are educated to recognize weight bias are less likely to engage in it. A study of pre-health students separated them into three groups, each of which received different levels of educations. The intervention group received a lecture on obesity, weight bias, and the multiple determinants of weight. The comparison group received a lecture on obesity and the behavioral determinants of weight. The control group received no lecture at all. The students then had their beliefs about the controllability of weight and attitudes towards overweight and obese people analyzed. This occurred one week pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and three weeks post-intervention. Participants who were in the intervention group were less likely to believe that weight is all about an individual’s control, and held less negative attitudes toward obese and overweight people three weeks post-intervention. There were no such changes in the other two groups. Negative attitudes toward obese and overweight people actually increased over time in the control group, but did not change in the comparison and intervention groups.