Obesity, A True Issue in the United States

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How many of us can say we have truly been hungry? Not the “my stomach is growling” type of hunger that is our body reminding us it is time to input fuel, but the all encompassing painful kind resulting from days of not having anything considered a meal. The kind of hunger that is so much of a constant ache in your gut that you wouldn’t really know what it means to NOT be hungry? I am willing to wager few, if any of you can answer yes. The simple answer to that question is that obesity has doubled since 1980 (WHO).
Currently there are two main ideas behind the causes of obesity in Adults. The first cause is based on the mind-body relationship. In a paper written for the American Journal of Psychotherapy, Sylvia R. Karasu, M.D. states “Psychological factors include the relationship of mind to brain, particularly as it relates to eating and food choice, cognitive factors involved in self-regulation, motivation and self-efficacy, perceptions of prejudice and discrimination, as well as increased prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, among the obese.” (Karasu). This reasoning appears to be sound considering there are so many facets to how the human body works. Our lives are directly effected by the choices we make on a daily basis. Those choices in turn, are made when we respond to events that directly effect us as well as our emotional response.
Ordinary decisions can be adversely affected by anxiety, depression, or even happiness. We also have the higher thinking skills that allow us to rationalize what is right or wrong when we make food choices. You know that yes cheesecake is delicious, but it is fat and calorie filled. You can from there make the decision to have a slice or not. But are you making...

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...e utmost importance for quickly resolving one of our most deadly human conditions.

Works Cited

Crow, James Mitchell. "Insensitive Issue: It is Becoming Clear that Links between Taste Preferences and Obesity Go Beyond Simply having a Sweet Tooth.( OBESITY)." Nature 486.7403 (2012): S12. Web. 29 Sept 2013
Herbert, Alan, et al. "A Common Genetic Variant is Associated with Adult and Childhood Obesity." Science 312.5771 (2006): 279-83. Web. 29 Sept 2013
Karasu, Sylvia R. "Of Mind and Matter: Psychological Dimensions in Obesity." American Journal of Psychotherapy 66.2 (2012): 111. Web. 29 Sept 2013
Montague, M. C. "The Physiology of Obesity." ABNF Journal 14.3 (2003): 56-60. Web. 8 Dec 2013
Sandholt, Camilla Helene, et al. "Combined Analyses of 20 Common Obesity Susceptibility Variants.(ORIGINAL ARTICLE)(Clinical Report)." Diabetes 59.7 (2010): 1667. Web. 29 Sept 2013

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