Obesity in America

Obesity is a disease that affects approximately 60 million people in the United States, where women are especially affected. Over one-third of women between the ages of 20 and 74 are obese, the majority of them being African American or Mexican American. With more and more pre-packaged food and less and less activity, the number of obese people in America has steadily increased since the 1960’s.

With obesity, comes the increased risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes, heart disease, and breast, colon, and prostate cancer. In addition, obesity has been linked to mental health conditions such as depression or feelings of shame and low self-esteem. Health experts say that even losing 10 to 15 percent of your body weight can dramatically decrease the risk of developing these serious conditions. In addition, many obese people are discriminated against and targets of insults and other verbal abuse.

It seems that if you look into any large corporation you will find that they either give large amounts of money to the studies that could hurt their business or they have someone they are paying off in the government branches that could get them shut down. This is not good for us as a people, but we are already to fat and lazy to stand up and say anything about it because that would require action.

Over 60% of Americans are overweight with about 20% of the population considered obese. While adult obesity is a major problem, the alarming increase of overweight children has tripled, from 5% to 16% between 1963 and 2002 according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which charts the most recent trends for the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here is the kicker, in an article published March 17, 2005 in the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Chicago researchers contend that life expectancy for Americans could drop by two to five years in the next half century if the current trend continues. Unlike previous studies, their calculations were not based on past mortality trends. Instead they used data on obesity rates and previously published studies on which factors contribute to obesity shortening lifespan.

Realize that there are 2 BIG factors why one gets obese:

1. We are living an inactive, deskbound lifestyle that’s stopping us from burning fats and carbs.

2. The foods we eat are jam-packed with fats and carbs contributing to weight gain…and eventually obesity.

With that in mind, here are a couple of things you can start doing today in the battle against obesity in America:

1. Start living an active lifestyle, do some heavy lifting…anything to make you sweat for 30 minutes or so. Turn it up a notch to lose weight.

2. Be alert and aware of what you’re eating. Check out the nutritional facts and if it’s jam-packed with unwanted carbs…it’s about time to replace them with healthier alternatives.

3. Set a weight loss goal in mind. One that’s explicit, to the point, and achievable. And more importantly, stick to it and nail it down!

Read About Quick Weight Loss also Read about Obesity in Adults and Obesity in America