Obesity Paper for Kim

Obesity is an issue that has recently begun to plague the world in ways far more dire than it has in the past. With its multitude of health issues it should take the spotlight in the world’s awareness and concern. Any effort that can be made, should be made to curtail the effects on not only the global populace, but the environment itself. We cannot solve issues that receive more publicity and attention, and that seem more detrimental to the world in general, without first taking a look at and finding a solution for this.

So what is obesity? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “An adult who has a body mass index (BMI) of thirty or higher is considered obese” (CDC). A person’s BMI is determined by their height and weight. It correlates with the amount of body fat that person has (CDC). For example, if a man is five foot and nine inches, the average height of a male human, and is two hundred and three pounds or more, he is considered obese.

So then how does one become obese? It is quite easy, in fact, in the current society of most First World countries. Fast food is commonplace in these countries, and is one of the leading causes of obesity (Harvard School of Public Health). As stated by Mayo Clinic, “obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities” (Mayo Clinic). Unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, poor parenting, and hereditary glandular issues all lead to obesity (Mayo Clinic).

Obesity causes a myriad of health concerns ranging from extreme risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers to minor psychological defects and physical difficulties (World Health Organization). It is certainly not ambiguous that obesity is injurious to one’s health. In fact, obese people have a lifespan that is cut by roughly 6-14 years, which makes it more life threatening than smoking on average. (National Institutes of Health).

While the effects of obesity on one’s health may be glaringly obvious, the effects on the environment as a whole from this issue is often ignored. With the rise of obesity comes the rise of the tax on the world itself. For example, in order to make a single hamburger for any fast food chain, four thousand to eighteen thousand gallons of water must be used. (U.S. Geological Survey). While the demand for things like fast food burgers is so high, the effects it has on the Earth continue to grow. Any and all impact food production has comes from excessive want, which can be attributed to obesity (Caplan).

Obesity has never had the same impact on the world that it does today. A long time ago, food was not as easily distributed nor accessible to the majority of the population. (ScienceDaily). The rich were generally the only ones with food and thus the vast majority of people had no means to be obese. Nobles and the ruling class would often be obese.

Various aristocratic rulers throughout history were obese, such as Itey of Punt in 1490 BCE, Eglon of Moab in 1100 BCE, Charles III of Charlemagne’s empire in the 880s, George IV of England in the early 1800s, and even Farouk of Egypt in the mid-1950s (Cellania). Even wealthy scholars like Benjamin Franklin were considered obese. It wasn’t until the late 19th century, with urbanization and the development of mechanical advances in the food industry, that food became widely available to the masses. (Baum). With the rise of the middle class came an increase in obesity.

As Harriet Brown, Professor of Magazine Journalism at Syracuse University, says “Weight-loss drugs hit the mainstream in the 1920s, when doctors started prescribing thyroid medications to healthy people to make them slimmer” (Brown). This means that before the 1920s -- before the creation of fast food -- obesity wasn’t as well categorized or recorded as it was after, making it exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint the origin of obesity in history. Despite the creation of these weight loss drugs in the 1920s, the true impact of obesity wasn’t recognized for some time. In 1949 the National Obesity Society was founded, but it wasn’t until 1973 that “‘Medical professionals intentionally made a case that fatness was a medical problem and therefore, the people best equipped to intervene and express opinions about it were people with M.D.s,’ says Abigail Saguy, a sociologist at the University of California, Los Angeles” (Brown).

The ripples of obesity began to truly cause problems in the 1990s. In China, the percentage of obese pre-school aged children increased exponentially from 1.5% to 12.6%. By the 2000s, obesity began to hit an all time high. In 2008, obesity in the U.S. grew to a staggering 34.3% among adults, the trend becoming visible worldwide. (Office of the Surgeon General). As inflation increased so to did the demand of cheap and unhealthy food (Carberry).

Currently, obesity awareness is on the rise. The weight-loss industry is booming and many people are seeking out methods to lose weight fast (Insanity Workout maybe?) However, there is a counter-culture attempting to glorify obesity, which, in turn, is leading to an acceptance of obesity rather than fighting it. Websites like Tumblr often seek to minimize the hazard obesity has on one’s health. (Tumblr)