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Obesity in america research paper
The consequences of consuming too much sugar essay
The problem of obesity among the American population
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Rebecca LeMahieu
Ms. Croak
English 9-5
13 May 2015
Should the Government Regulate Sugar Consumption
The government should regulate the consumption of sugar because some statistics state that both obesity and some obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes have soared over the past half-century. Obesity rates doubled between the 1960s and 2000s, for example, and the rate of Type 2 diabetes doubled between the 1970s and 1990s. Another reason the government should regulate sugar consumption because over the past half-century, Americans have dramatically increased their intake of sugar, and research suggests this has contributed to the obesity epidemic and a rise in related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and a variety of
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are overweight or obese. A rising consumption of sugary drinks has been a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. On any given day, half the people in the U.S. consume sugary drinks. (“Sugary Drinks”). Also people are decaying their teeth from consuming so much sugar. According to the article Sugary Drinks by The Nutrition Source, “The nation (U.S.) spends an estimated $190 billion a year obesity-related health conditions.” Basically, this quote is saying that so much of the U.S. is spending lots of money on obesity-related health conditions which is not good. Also every time a person consumes a 12-ounce can of soda that person's risk of type 2 diabetes goes up by 10 to 15 percent and many americans are consuming five or six servings (Kotz). In addition researchers have also found out that consuming sugar which accounts for 10 percent of energy intake is inducing the costly burden of tooth decay. (“Curb sugar intake to reduce costly burden of tooth decay, experts urge”). Altogether that is why the government should limit the consumption of sugar in drinks and food because of all of the sugar people are consuming is leading to obesity and obesity-related …show more content…
Therefore if they can have success then the whole nation has the ability to have success. According to Michael Bloomberg the mayor of New York City “We put this law into effect because it is designed to save lives and help stem the rising health and financial cost of high obesity rates. Plus medical costs directly related to obesity are said to cost the city $4 billion a year.” Basically Bloomberg is saying that obesity-related diseases are costing the city lots of money and that this new law will help save the lives of some people and save lots of money. Also Bloomberg is saying that the law will help bring obesity rates down. Furthermore if we put this into effect on the whole nation would save billions and billions of dollars and in addition many lives will be saved. Altogether that is why the government should limit the intake of sugar for
The article,“ Battle lines drawn over soda tax,” by Associated Press , the Press explains how there is an ongoing “national fight about taxing sugary drinks.” According to Associated Press, “ Health experts say the beverages contribute to health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.” This quote demonstrates that sugary drinks can lead to health issues. Since sugary drinks leads to health issues, people are considering soda tax. This is because thirteen percent of adult minorities are diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.
However, the outcome was different from his desired result due to strong protest from the dairy and livestock industry, so the Congress instead urged people to buy lean meat and less fat food so the dairy and livestock industry do not go out of business. This created the fat-free boom in the market in the 1980s. However, food companies began to put more sugar in their products because the taste was bad when they reduced fat in the food. Now, the sugar intake of Americans has doubled compared with before. In the American market, there are approximately 600,000 different food products, and 80% of those include sugar. Although sugar is written in various forms and names, one suggests that it’s bad in any form, especially if taken too much. Sugar consumed naturally through fiber-rich fruit or vegetable should be fine, but the added sweeteners stimulate the hormones that increase insulin. High insulin prevents people from thinking they are full, and thus crave more food. This causes many diseases. Of course one meal high in sugar will not kill them, but the problem is that people generally exceed daily sugar intake in one meal alone when consuming process food. We eat more processed and convenient food instead of fruits, vegetables, and
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
Research shows that the average adult consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar a day the average teen consumes 34 teaspoons of sugar. America is a country that loves sugar from soda to cereal everything has sugar. “Robert Lustig, an endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, argued in the journal Nature that sugar is addictive and toxic—that it can poison the liver, cause metabolic syndrome (increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes), suppress the brain’s dopamine system, and cause us to crave more. Lustig concluded, controversially, that sugar should be regulated like a drug. Alcohol is regulated because of its ubiquity, toxicity, abuse, and negative impact on society, he wrote, and ‘sugar meets the same criteria.’”
According to The World Health Organization, “Obesity is the imbalance between declining energy expenditure due to physical inactivity and high energy in the diet (excess calories whether from sugar, starches or fat) …. Increasing physical activity, in addition to reducing intakes of food high in fat and foods and drinks high in sugars, can prevent unhealthy weight gain” (Who). The World Health Organization has recognized that soda and other sugary drinks a...
While the culture still seems to view drinking as a negative substance, culture does not view the consumption of a soda, or, sweets as a totally negative thing. Todays culture does not view eating or drinking high fructose corn syrup nearly as negative as drinking. In the early 1900s, America was mainly the only culture of society affected by drinking. In todays society, not only is America severely affected by obesity, but the problem is not limited to just America; many countries in todays society are affected by this epidemic. In the 1820s, farmers could turn their corn into pork or alcohol. Today, you can turn corn into anything from chicken nuggets, and hamburgers to emulsifiers and Nutraceuticals. In 1985, the consumption of all added sugars, has clambered from 128 pounds to 158 pounds per individual.
Imagine this, it is the 1800’s and you’re shopping for sugar. You see the sweet, pure white sugar and look down. Wham! The price makes your stomach drop. You need a cup of sugar, and the price is five dollars per teaspoon. That’s two-hundred and forty dollars, and you only have two dollars with you! In the articles, How Candy Conquered America by Lauren Tarshis and This Cupcake is Trying to Hurt You by Kristin Lewis and Lauren Tarshis it talks about how the consumption of sugar changes over time from the 1800’s to today. Two ways sugar consumption in the United States differed in the 1800’s than today is how much sugar we eat and how it affects our bodies.
If you are not convinced, a very prominent side effect of this shift is seen in the Australian child obesity statistics. According to the ABS, in 2008, a staggering 25% of Australian children were suffering from obesity and the amount of obese boys aged 5-17 has doubled since 1995. That is a quarter of children gasping for air as they merely walk. A major cause of these terrifying statistics is due to sugar alone. A report from the Australian newspaper said “Children consume three times more sugar than is recommended. Soft drinks are the biggest source, accounting for 29% of the sugar intake of 11 to 18 year olds and 16% for younger children.” Soft drink consumption in Australia has shot up from an average of 65 litres per year in the early 1970s to about 100 litres today. We as a nation can no longer hide away from this epidemic, if we continue with our current habits then our children’s futures are already written for them. Their lives will become ones of suffering and short life expectancies. We need to stop this now before obesity kills our
Though sugary drinks are not the sole reason behind the obesity problem in the country, it is a significant contributor to the said problem. Similar to sugary drinks, junk food is also significant contributors to obesity among children, adolescents and adults. People make unhealthy choices in what they eat that is why they often choose junk food. Obesity as the studies show is a growing problem. The junk food available in the market continuously grows as well. The same with sugary soft drinks. This is why sugary soft drinks need to be taxed so that problems like obesity can be
Obesity can cause many illnesses, including diabetes, which is very common. As the debate over whether the soda tax should take effect arises, critics say that the tax will help those with obesity-related illnesses. What about exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? These two factors cannot be forgotten, knowing they are the most important. Americans have consumed 12 percent of soda and become less active since 1970.
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans overeat because of their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed, but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation, and putting a stop to it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised to help prevent American obesity.
The health of the nation’s youth has been under scrutiny lately due to recent reports that are showing an increase in average body mass index (BMI), poor physical fitness, and elevations in blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids (Eagle, Gurm, Goldberg, DuRussel-Weston, Kline-Rogers, Palma-Davis, Aaronson, Fitzgerald, Mitchell, Rogers, Breunger, Jackson, and Eagle 2010). Eagle et al. (2010) Attribute the decrease in health to “fast food, lack of physical activity due to increased TV and computer screen time, and there is also an expanding appreciation for an inherited basis for childhood obesity” (P.1185). Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) account for on average 159 calories daily and an average of 9 tablespoons of added sugar daily (Briefel, Wilson, Cabili, & Hedley Dodd, 2013). ...
The government must have a say in our diets. Because the issues of obesity have already reached national scales, because the costs of obesity and related health issues have gone far beyond reasonable limits, and because fighting nutritional issues is impossible without fighting poverty and other social issues, the government should control the range and the amount of available foods. The cost of healthier foods should decrease. The access to harmful foods should be limited. In this way, the government will be able to initiate a major shift in nutritional behaviors and attitudes in society.
Have you ever thought how much soda you consume and how bad it can be for you? Many people will drink soda instead of water, simply because it tastes better. The government should limit the intake of sugary beverages because it can lead to many different problems such as heart disease, obesity, and overall it is an unhealthy life-style. “The average person consumes almost 100lbs of sugar a year, with the single biggest source being soda.” A sugary beverage occasionally would be ok, but drinking it every day would cause problems for you overtime. People drink, more soda than they do water. People should be consuming at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day. Mostly no one will drink that amount of water a day. In today’s society, it can be easy to grab a soda for one dollar and carry on. They may taste better but they are not better for your health. “Sugary drinks include soda, fruit punch, lemonade, and other “aides” sweetened powdered drinks, and sports energy drinks.”
...k out of their home (Center n.d.). Modernization and development has left our working class people scrapping by to provide food for their families. To “solve” this, and increase their profits, corporations are now controlling the people’s nutritional needs. Since the development of the first sugar plantation businesses have been pumping sugar into our veins. We graciously accept this form of cheap nutrition because industrialization has left us inadequately prepared for survival in the fast paced consumer world. Simon Capewell, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Liverpool sums up the issue with sugar in modern time by saying, “Sugar is the new tobacco. Everywhere, sugary drinks and junk foods are now pressed on unsuspecting parents and children by a cynical industry focused on profit not health.” (NHS Choices: Your Health, Your Choices 2014).