Obesity: An Increasing Problem among Americans

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Obesity: An Increasing Problem among Americans
Obesity is a very common health problem in the U.S., and the number of people considered obese is forever increasing. More than 35.7% of U.S. adults are considered obese (“Adult Overweight”). The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism points out that “obesity is a chronic medical condition characterized by too much body fat” (Beeson, Hill, Wyatt). It is diagnosed by a number called the Body Mass Index or BMI. This number calculates the amount of body fat based on the person’s height and weight. The higher the BMI the more body fat obese people have which leads to obesity. An adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. An adult with a BMI of greater than 30 is considered obese (“Adult Overweight”). While Obesity is an extremely serious problem in the U.S., this condition, except possibly for the cases of genetic and hormonal disorders, can be prevented by portion control, exercise, and eating a well-balanced diet.
First, there are natural causes of obesity that we cannot control such as genetic and hormonal disorders. Among the rare genetic obesity syndromes is the Prader-Willi Syndrome. It is the most common obesity syndrome due to the loss of imprinted genes. Some illnesses can lead to obesity or weight gain such as Cushing’s disease or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (“Adult Overweight”). However, these genes do not always predict future health. Multiple genes may increase a person’s susceptibility for obesity and require other factors such as large food portions or little physical activity (“Adult Overweight”). Obesity can also be caused by common Endocrine diseases or hormonal disorders such as Hypothyroidism or the more rare ones such as Cushing’s synd...

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