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Is it true that over a third of Americans are diseased? The American Medical Association, AMA, has officially recognized obesity as a disease. Obesity is defined as “a condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body and that in an adult is typically indicated by a body mass index of thirty or greater” (“Is Obesity a Disease”). The debate over whether it is a disease still rises up today as obesity rates and the costs of treating obesity-related conditions increase in the United States. Many supporters stress that obesity is in fact a disease because they believe it is a result of genetics and biological factors.
25 Mar. 2014. Odgen, Cynthia L., Ph.D, Margaret D. Carroll, M.S.P.H., Brian K. Kit, M.D., and Katherine M. Flegal, Ph.D. "Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2011–2012. "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 Oct. 2013.
Should obesity be considered as a disease? 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.
When it comes to the topic of childhood obesity, most of us will readily agree that there are long-term medical affects associated with childhood obesity. The National Institute of Health states that obese children are more likely to become obese adults. Adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers (National Institute of Health). Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of who is to blame. Whereas some are convinced that the government and the food industry are to blame, others maintain that parents are primarily bearing this burden.
In contrast to this, there are some possible solutions to obesity such as physical activity, dieting, and surgery. Obesity is a widespread epidemic that unfavorably affects the body, but with exercise fused with dieting the disease could be kept to a minimum. Obesity has spiked precipitously in the past generations. In the 1960’s the average adult male weighed 168 pounds and now he weighs 185 pounds. In addition to this, the average adult female in 1960 weighed 143 and now she weighs 155 (Cutler).
Although diabetes once was rare in American population, health issues involving obesity have decisive effects on society in recent days. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute suggests that obesity can cause heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke and many other diseases (“Health Risks”). Strictly speaking, these diseases are considered to be harmful to individual’s health and may potentially shorten one’s lifespan. In the US, obesity epidemic has been known as a major worry of the public minded researchers (Patel 280). Nevertheless, there is a variety of hypotheses built on the cause of obesity.
Obesity has been a constant struggle for years, however recently it has become one of the fastest growing epidemics in America, affecting the entire spectrum of ages. According to the 17th United States Surgeon General, Richard H. Carmona, “Today’s children may become the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents” (Hub pages). Essentially, obesity has become a growing issue for the youngest of ages. As troubling as this is to accept, there is still hope for them if we take action now. While children are direct targets for obesity, they should also be the main focus toward preventing the spread of obesity.