Obesity: What Is the Solution?

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Obesity has become a popular, yet debatable subject in the past century. Over 22% of the U.S. adult population is obese based on body mass index (Koplan and Dietz 440). 80% of these obese adults have one or more chronic diseases that greatly affect their lives (Koplan and Dietz 441). Obesity is a perilous illness that many Americans possess and the disadvantages are excessive. Furthermore, society has to participate in aiding the obese population. Obesity must be prevented in order to decrease health risks and social struggles, and to shape humanistic values.

Obesity can increase severe health issues. Overeating causes the body to create methods to burn extra energy, which can lead to abnormal body functions. Many obese adults accumulate illnesses such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or even gallbladder disease (Koplan and Dietz 441). Likewise, Gawande supports Koplan and Dietz when he includes "Obesity substantially increases the risk of respiratory failure, heart attacks, wound infections, hernias-almost every complication possible including death" (504). Likewise, obesity and its medical issues are having an effect across the globe. The U.N. has proclaimed that the dominant health issue is obesity and the effects it has medically (Crister 462). Obesity causes many harmful side effects to the natural human makeup.

Socially, obesity can also be challenging. The history of an extremely overweight man, Vincent Caselli, is a primary example of social deficiency. Besides not being able to go to work or sleep lying down, Caselli has not traveled to the second floor of his house in two years because of his weight problem (Gawande 506). Along with cellulites and ulcers, Caselli suffers from sleep apnea and fear of...

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... sense of existence. With a decrease in fast food chains and an increase in routine physical activity, the obese population would greatly lessen. Obesity is an obstacle society has control before it becomes insurmountable.

Works Cited

Behrens, Laurence and Leonard J. Rosen, eds. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2003.

Crister, Greg. "Too Much of a Good Thing." Behrens and Rosen 461-3.

Gawande, Atul. "The Man Who Couldn't Stop Eating." Behrens and Rosen 503-16.

Koplan, Jeffrey P. and William H. Dietz. "Caloric Imbalance and Public Health Policy." Behrens and Rosen 440-6.

NAAFA. "NAAFA Policy on Dieting and the Diet Industry." Behrens and Rosen 464-8.

Seid, Roberta. "Too `Close to the Bone.'" Behrens and Rosen 474-85.

Worley, Mary Ray. "Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance." Behrens and Rosen 469-73.

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