RonitSinghal

AP/GTEnglishIII
Washmon1st
February7,2015
IsObesityADisease
Obesity,aconditionnotorioustobedetrimentaltoyourhealthisbecomingevidentinthe
populationoftheUnitedStatesduetomakingpoordietchoicesandlivingasedentarylifestyle.
Obesityhasbeenassociatedwithover40adversemedicalconclusions,however,themost
commonandgrievousobesityrelateddiseasesarehighbloodpressure,highcholesterol,
diabetes,heartdisease,andafewofthemostprevalentcancers.Therefore,individualswhoare
obesearesusceptibleofdevelopingoneormoreofthesedetrimentalmedicalconditions.
Researchindicatesthatthereisanastoundingamountofpeoplewhobelievethatobesityisa
diseasethereforenotpreventable,butthereareotherswhobelievethatobesityisasideeffectof
anotherdiseaseandthereforecanbepreventable.
Obesityhasbeendesignatedaseverelyfatalailmentduetoimpairingthenormal
functioningofthebody.Manyindividualsareobligedtoundergosurgeryontheirkneesandhips
duetotheexcessiveweightthatisbeingforceddown.Obesepatientsthathavedamagedtheir
jointsintheirlegsmakeup33%ofalljointreplacementsurgeries.Thisnumberissignificant
becauseasthenumbersincreaseforobeseindividuals,alargeportionofthepopulationwould
havedamagedtheirjointsontheirknees.Obesityisalsoknowntoimpairreproductivefunctions
inbothsexes
infertilityandriskofmiscarriageinwomen,andareductioninspermcountin
men.Theimbalancesinspermcountandmiscarriagesinwomenisaperiloussituationbecause
thisdamagesboththehealthoftheparentandthechild.Individualswithahighbodyfat
percentage
usuallyencounterproblemssuchas
troubledbreathing,jointproblems,andsleeping

issues.Manypeopleshealthisdamaged
bycarryinghighlevelsofbodyfatbecauseanincrease
inbodyfatcausesseveralpartsofthebodytonotfunctionproperlycreatingdangerousproblems
inthefuture.
Ifeelthattherateofobesityisgrowingrapidlyandaffectingthehealthofmany
individuals.Manypeopleneedtorealizethattheirhealthisaffectingtheirfuturedescendants
healththereforeshouldlookaftertheirhealthtopreventanyseriousarisingissues.Obesityis
detrimentaltoanindividual'shealththusisdesignatedadiseasebecauseadiseaseisdefinedasa
conditioninanorganismthatmayaffectaspecificpartwhichimpairsthenormalfunctioningof
thebody.
Obesityoftenisaresultofovereatingandalackofproperexercise.Peopletendto
consumemorecaloriesthantheyburnthusputtingonextraweight.Theratesofobesityismore
thandoubleinadultsandchildrensincethe1970s.Whenanalyzingtheobesitystatisticsonthe
nationallevel,68.5%ofadultsareoverweightorobese34.9%areobese,and31.8%ofchildren
andadolescentsareoverweightorobese16.9%areobese.Whenreflectingbackatthis,thatisan
immenseportionofthepopulationbecausemanypeopleliveasedentarylifestyleinwhichthey
sitinaofficethewholedayandnotworryabouttheirdiet.Thismeansthatonlyasmallportion
ofthepopulationlivehealthy,fitlivesinwhichtheygetdailyexerciseandconsumenutritional
food.Sincetheratesaremorethandoublesincethe1970topresentday,thisalludesthatafter
severalyearsmorepeoplewillbecomeobeseandwouldbeatriskwithseveralmedical
conditions.Whatsveryastoundingisthefactthatobesityishighlyprevalentinmany
adolescentsandcouldleadtopossibleeatingdisorders.Withthefoodindustriesexpandingand
becomingmorepopular,itisnearlyimpossibletoadmonishthegeneralpopulationwiththe
adversesideeffectsofobesitycausedbythefoodtheyintakedaily.Manyindividualsdont

knowwhattheyareputtingintheirbodiesbutarejustputtingtheirbodiesatriskforseveral
obesityrelateddiseases.Thoseindividualsneedtorealizeabouttakinggoodcareoftheirbodies
bymakingbetterfoodchoices.Theoverconsumptionoffoodandlackofexerciseleadsto
obesitycreatingperilousproblemstoencounter,thereforeobesityfitsthetitleofadisease.
Obesityisasideeffectorsymptomsofotherdiseasesbutnotadiseaseitself.Thereisa
copiousamountofinternalandexternalcausesofobesity.Someofthesecausesincludeother
diseasesthatcanpossiblyleadtoobesitysuchashypothyroidism,Cushing'ssyndrome,
PraderWillisyndrome,polycysticovarysyndrome,arthritis,anincreaseininsulinlevelsthatis
causedbyconsuminghighamountsofcarbohydrates,anddepression.Externalcausesinclude
drugslikeantidepressants,antiseizuremedications,diabetesmedications,antipsychotic
medications,antihistamines,anticonvulsants,steroids,betablockers,whichhaveasideeffectto
causeobesity.Otherprevalentcausesislackofsleep(orsleepdebt),consuminghighfructose
cornsyrup,andsmoking.Thesefactorsallinfluencethecauseofobesityandcanbepreventable
bytakingpropercareofthebodyandbeingwaryofwhatchemicalsyouintakethroughfood.
Oneofthemostcommonsugarchemicalfoundinprocessedfoodishighfructosecornsyrupor
HFCSwhichisapopularreasonforthecauseofobesitybecausehighfructosecornsyrupis
knowntocausediabetesandmetabolicsyndrome.Manyofthecausesofobesitycanbe
preventedthroughavoidingcertainartificialsweetenerssuchasHFCS,avoidingdrugs,getting
plentyofsleepeachnight,andgettingridofstress.Therefore,obesityisnotadiseaseifitis
influencedheavilybyexternalfactorsandcanbeprevented.
Obesityisapreventableriskfactorforotherdiseases,butisnotadiseaseitself.Inother
casessuchassmokingwhichisapreventableriskfactorforlungcanceranddrinkingisa

preventableriskfactorforalcoholism,obesityfitsthesimilarscenarioinwhichitisa
preventableriskfactorforseveralmedicalconditionsincludingheartdisease,stroke,highblood
pressure,type2diabetes,severalprevalentcancerssuchasbreastandcolon,highcholesterol,
highlevelsoftriglycerides,liverandgallbladderdisease,sleepapnea,respiratoryproblems,
osteoarthritis,infertilityandotherreproductiveissues,issuesduringpregnancyandpossiblebirth
defects,andmentalhealthconditions.Individualswhoputtheirownbodyatstakebydamaging
theirinternalandexternalpartsoftheirbodyarealsoaffectingtheirchildsbodybecauseifone
specificpartofthebodyfunctionsimproperly,thenseriousissuescanarisepregnancywhichcan
causethechildtobeabnormal.Excessiveweightgainisanimportantissuetoscrutinizebecause
womenwhogain20poundsormorebetweenage20andmidlifedoubletheirriskof
postmenopausalbreastcancer.Forevery2poundweightincrease,theriskofdevelopingarthritis
increases913%(NationalInstituteofDiabetesandDigestiveandKidneyDiseases).The
damagedonetothebodyfromlipidmetabolismdysfunctionleadingtoexcessfatdepositscan
possiblyleadtocancerdevelopment.Bothobesityandcanceraregrievousmedicalconditionsto
considerduetothedamagedonetothebody.Obesitycancreateanalterationinthemolecular
pathwaysthatleadstofataccumulationandcreatesahigherrisktobelikelyaffectedfrom
cancer.Manyindividualslackknowledgeofthecausesofobesitythereforearesufferingand
affectingothersaroundthem.Iftheseindividualshadavastknowledgeofobesitythiswould
notbeanissuetoconsider,butwithmostpeoplelivingsedentarylifestylesandconsumingfatty
foodstheyarestrugglingwithanadverseailment.Ifobesityisapreventableriskfactorfora
disease,thenthatmeetsthatobesityisnotadiseaseitselfbutacauseofadisease.Peoplewith

adequateknowledgecanavertfacingdeadly,fataldiseasesandprogresstheirlivestowarda
healthypath.
Ifobesityfitsthecriteriaordescriptionofadisease,thenitshouldbeclassifiedasone.
Obesityanddiseaserelateinthattheybothcreateimpedimentsinthebody.Obesity,like
alcoholism,depression,andanxiety,isadisease.(TansneemBhatia)TansneemBhatia
mentionsthatpeoplewhohaveobesityaresufferingfromseveralmedicalconditionstherefore
needtreatment.TansneemBhatiatalksaboutthemedicalcausesofobesitysuchashormone
imbalances,neurotransmitterdeficienciesandnutritionalexhaustion.Shecontinuestotalkabout
manybehavioralcausesthatareheavilyinfluencedbytheindustrializationoffoodthatoften
leadstoobesity.OsamaHamdyassertsthatobesityisadiseaseandshouldnotbedeterminedby
thebodymassindexbecausethebodymassindexonlycalculatesthecorrelationbetweenthe
weightandheight,nottheamountoffatormuscletheindividual.IagreewithOsamaHamdys
statementbecausethereareindividualswhohaveverylowlevelsofbodyfatandhighlevelsof
muscleontheirbody,butwhentheyinputtheirdataonbmicalculatorstheyareconsidered
overweightorobese.Eventhoughmanyprevalentbmicalculatorsclassifythoseindividualsas
overweightorobese,theydonotstrugglewithheartdisease,diabetes,andotherfatalmedical
conditionsassociatedwithobesitybecausethoseindividualsreceivethepropernutritionand
adequateexercisetomaintainahealthy,andfitlifestyle.Therefore,obesityshouldbedefinedby
thebodymassindexorbmi,butthroughthepercentageofbodyfatanindividualhasontheir
body.
Eventhoughobesityhasacquiredabadreputationknowntocauseotherfataldiseases,
therearecertaincausesorimpairmentsinthebodythatcanleadtoobesity.Byobtaining

adequateknowledgeofthecausesofobesity,onecanexpecttolivealong,healthylifebecause
theyareavoidinggrievousmedicalconditionsknowntobedetrimentaltothefunctionsofthe
body.However,thecontroversyaboutifobesityisadiseaseisambiguousbecausemanybelieve
thatcertainillnessescanleadtoobesity,whichmakesobesityissideeffectorsymptomof
anotherdiseaseandthereforecanbepreventablewhereasothersopposethatideaandbelievethat
obesityisadiseasethatcreatesperilousproblemsandthereforecantbepreventable.

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