On November 22, 2013, 23andMe, Inc. was forced to stop allowing its clients to access their genetic information health reports because these genomic reports may be unreliable and misinterpreted, as expressed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA’s main concern is that the customers may utilize their genomic information to pursue unprecedented measures that may place them at health risks by going to extremes to fix that allele, which may lead to higher rates of diseases when there may not even be a risk in having that allele, or cause them to underestimate their health conditions, if the consumers interpreted that they did not have a gene that codes for obesity. FDA’s restrictions were correct because the customers should not rely on these health reports to determine whether they have a genetic allele that predisposes them to obesity since genetic influences do not largely determine whether an individual is more susceptible to obesity throughout childhood and adolescence. Through further understanding, the FTO gene associated with BMI does not predispose the individual with higher risk of susceptibility of obesity, since FTO locus only explains 1% of the total BMI heritability and the role of epigenetics largely overshadows the influence of genetics.
Over the years, the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been used to identify the underlying genomic basis of diseases including obesity. But the slow progress and limited inference one can take away from the study of the 32-GWAS identified loci proves that the identification of an obesity risk allele on one of these loci or on the FTO gene is small and does not have enough weight to prove that the individual is actually predisposed to an obesity phenotype. Of 61 gen...
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...tability is a proportion and is still undeniably affected by environmental factors, and this is where epigenetics comes into play. Even though genetics play a role in BMI variation for individuals, this does not mean that our body weight is genetically predetermined because the ‘obesogenic’ environment one is in, the daily caloric intake, and amount of physical activities all play a role in determining our phenotype. The heritability of BMI is balanced by a combination of all these factors. So 23andMe, Inc. should not have the right to give its customers access to their genome health reports because having an obesity risk allele in the FTO gene does not necessarily put them at a higher risk of being predisposed to obesity, and could lead them to extremes to combat this disease, while a lack thereof the risk allele could loosen their precautions in combating obesity.
The third and final reason obesity is not a genetic disorder is that obesity is often just the result of eating too many calories without enough exercise. With obesity the problem is the person afflicted by it is not exercising or being active enough to burn off the calories they have consumed. When this happens the body stores the extra energy in fat deposits between organs. This essentially turns the human body into a refrigerator, as mentioned in the documentary by Cross. By adopting a healthy lifestyle where one is both active and eating a healthy diet, anyone can avoid the growing plague of
According to the 2002 Harris poll, seven out of ten adults in the United States take vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other supplements (Schardt 2). Due to media advertising, dietary supplements are becoming more popular. Companies compete to have the best supplements. It is said that forty percent of American adults take vitamin supplements and over the counter products, which total in several billion dollars (Farley 2). Although many of the supplements claim to be healthy and help lose weight, the dangers are endless. Dietary supplements can be illegally spiked and are not safe. Therefore, putting regulations on dietary supplements and their safety hazards is necessary.
Why do consumers purchase specific drugs for various ailments, sicknesses or diseases they might have? Why do physicians prescribe certain drugs over competitive drugs that may be available to the public? Why is it that most of us can easily name specific drugs that fit the many ailments of today’s society? On the surface the answer might be as simple as good TV advertising or radio commercials or even internet adds. The truth of matter is the major pharmaceutical manufacturers own the patents on these drugs and this gives them all of the marketing budget and muscle they need to promote the drug and control the pricing. The incentives for larger pharmaceutical companies are very enticing and as a result, they don’t mind spending the time in clinical trials and patent courts to get their drugs approved. Some will even get patents on the process by which the drug is manufactured, ensuring that no competitor can steal the drug or the process. This protects their large financial investment and nearly guarantees a large return for their investors. Many consumer rights groups claim this is nothing more than legalizing monopolies for the biggest manufacturers.
The FDA stands for The Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is an agency of the
"Treating Obesity Vital For Public Health, Physicians Say." Science Daily. 2006. Web. 10 May 2014. .
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K., & Flegal, K. M., (2012). Prevalence of obesity and
It’s no secret that the U.S. is encouraging people to pursue healthier lifestyles in order to combat the obesity epidemic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have recently joined the fight against obesity by advocating for the elimination of Trans fats from the American food supply (Tavernise, 2013). Not to mention the policy initiates that have been created in order to help combat childhood obesity (the Let’s Move policy initiative). Simply put, the nation’s p...
Genetics plays a major role in obesity; inherited genes sometimes contribute to the accumulation of fat in the body. Over 200 genes have effect on the weight having repercussions from physical activity, food choices and metabolism. Therefore, genes may increase the vulnerability of a person to become obese. Family eating patterns and social tendencies can also trigger obesity. Moreover, environmental circumstances such as availability of food high in calories and fat and the increase of the portions and combination selections in meals contribute to the development of fat accumulated for years in the body (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 277).
risk, for drugs and medical devices, weighing risks against benefits is at the core of
The ability to become reflective in practice has become a necessary skill for health professionals. This is to ensure that health professionals are continuing with their daily learning and improving their practice. Reflective practice plays a big part in healthcare today and is becoming increasingly noticed.
According to an article in Oxford Journals, “There is substantial evidence for the hereditability of obesity, and research in both rare and common forms of obesity has identified genes with significant roles in its etiology” (Genetics…).
Although many individuals are uncertain about the increasing statistics associated with obesity, more than seventy percent of men and virtually sixty-two percent of women within the United States adult population are overweight or obese (Wilmore, Costill, & Kenney). Obesity refers to the condition of having an excessive amount of body fat. If an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too excessive, he/she is at a much greater risk of developing life-altering diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, etc. (Wilmore, et al., 2008).
Obesity is a physiological condition characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat, specifically the build-up of adipose tissue beneath the skin. In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity has increased dramatically, with governments desperately trying to tackle the obesity epidemic and its associated consequences (McLannahan and Clifton, 2008). Studies have found that the prevalence of obesity once stood at an estimated 9.8% (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008), a considerable figure representing almost 400 million individuals worldwide. Even though obesity has now been recognised as a major problem the number of people affected is increasing rapidly, with almost 300,000 deaths attributable to obesity in the USA each year (Allison, Fontaine, Manson, Stevens, & VanItallie, 1999). Excessive amounts of fat can prove dangerous as the condition has a very high comorbidity rate with other long term health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer (Pi-Sunyer, 1993). Numerous examples of media, medical journals and educational literature concerning obesity refer to the condition as a disease, with an increasing use of the word ‘Epidemic’ to describe the somewhat recent surge of obesity cases in western societies (Boero, 2007), however there is little material available that offers evidence for obesity meeting specification for disease. Instead it has been proposed that obesity is alternatively a risk factor for developing other potentially harmful diseases, influenced by a variety of other factors i.e. genetics, cultural ideals and biological impairments.
Obesity is a serious condition that has generated a discussion on whether or not to be classified as a disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is the body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, which is calculated based on the person’s height and weight. For years, our society has been facing the obesity challenge, which can be extremely costly once it leads to several diseases. Thus, because of the constant increase of percentage of people with obesity, the American Medical Association (AMA) proposed in June 18, 2013 to classify obesity as a disease. Their argument was that obesity increases the risks of countless health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension etc. Moreover, it increases morbidity and mortality. By considering obesity as a disease, their aim was to maximize researches and funding, which will focus on obesity from different medical and health approach levels. Their idea of classifying obesity as a disease was in accordance with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s declaration of 1995. The institute declared, “ Obesity is a complex multifactorial chronic disease developing from multiple interactive influences of numerous factors.” In 2012, the CDC data showed 34.9% of adults obese and 17% of obese children. These numbers are very alarming especially since the struggle to deter certain factors contributing into this condition is still a challenge. Among the struggles, there are the people’s rights versus health regulations to keep them as healthy as possible like the former mayor Bloomberg regulation on soft drinks size cut. During CNN’s show GPS of Sunday 2, 2014, the host Zacharia...
Obesity is defined as having excess adipose tissue. Adipose tissues main role is to store energy for the body in the form of fat. When determining the amount of adipose tissue there are many different methods, Body Mass Index (BMI) being the most common one. Body mass index is calculated by taking a person’s weight in kilograms and dividing in by their height in meters squared (“What is Obesity”). It is shown that being obese is dangerous because “excess adiposity or obesity causes increased levels of circulating fatty acids and inflammation. This can lead to insulin resistance, which in turn can lead to type 2 diabetes” (“What is Obesity”). From type 2 diabetes to high cholesterol, hypertension, gallstones, heart disease, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, GERD, stress incontinence, heart failure, to birth defects and miscarriages, asthma and other respiratory conditions, and even numerous cancers, people who are obese are much more at risk for these than individuals who are not obese. This disease has gradually increased since the 1960’s and currently affects more than one third of all U.S. adults. Almost 12.7 million children in the U.S. are considered obese (“Childhood Obesity Facts”). The number of diseases and health defects that being obese can lead to is alarming. Obesity is a serious issue in America that affects too many