Obesity Epidemic in Relation to Food Consumption

By: Courtni Benson

slowly killing and deteriorating themselves

and those around them between friends,

family, children, students, and mentors. etc.

The prevalence of obesity is growing and

Figure 1: A representation of where the now includes at least one-third of the adult

world has gone in aspects of food and population in the United States.

health, within a political cartoon like figure - Department of Neurosciences,

(Trottman, Cassandra). Medical University of South

Carolina.
The world is on a trend

As the average diet has continuously

The average american diet also known as the
changed across the years there are many
western diet highly consist of vast amounts
factors showing that the worldwide weight
of refined grains and sugars, red meats
gain has had immense impacts upon society
alongside high fat foods. Arbitrarily
far and in between human health, deaths,
opposite of what a healthy diet is supposed
rights movements, clothing stores, the fight
to contain fruits and vegetables replacing the
on food and lack of realization that society
common starches and refined sugars with
has been fighting for an aspect of life that is
natural sugars and vitamins. In place of red
meat is lean meat and following suit is the because they are nourishing their bodies thus

amount of fiber eaten. Where there has been creating a positive reaction from and within

a slow increase in the general obesity their body. This being due to the healthy fats

epidemic across man decades it rapidly and acids specifically not only assisted in

spiked once processed foods, genetically memory but further cognitive awareness.

modified organisms and the preservatives Scientist not knowing whether or not a diet

and hormones injected into the foods we eat like either or effected just humans it was

know came about. The weight gain in an tested upon rats, when given the same diet

unhealthy manner through choice of food similar to what is considered the west diet

intake has shown lead to diabetes, heart the test subjects showed elevated levels of

issues, high cholesterol and many other long glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride,

term health issues that will impact the symptoms shown when a human is

further remainder of one's life. As scientist diagnosed with diabetes.The high fat diet

have begun and still our studying the current causes immense stress upon the brain, an

effects of food intake it is shown that people oxidative stress that is prone to affect people

with a high fat intake are prone to insulin with mental illness like down syndrome

resistance, the reasoning diabetes at some more than the average human body and

point in time decides to make an appearance brain. This was shown that it could be

within the lives of many across the world. counteracted with vitamin E showing that

Within the mentioned diet above the second the often advised diets of eating foods that

one is a lower fat diet, these people have have high amounts of fiber in the diet, even

been proven to have a better memory if not always as delicious as a grease filled
burger has impactful effects upon the body. what is put into the body. One of the

(Department of Neurosciences, Medical reasoning behind why progress to a better

University of South Carolina). place takes longer then progress to the

Alongside the many disadvantageous worst, because the body is having to rebuild

and dangerous side effects of having a lack everything currently destroyed. (Department

of car in your body is how the digestive of Neurosciences, Medical University of

system itself is choosing to react. As these South Carolina).

foods are continuously and mindlessly

pumped into the body the intestinal tract and

metabolic system are slowly destroyed

breaking down needed microbes, enzymes

and bacteria. A fairly decent amount of the

western diet cannot be properly digested and Figure 2: Statistics showing the difference

is not recognized by the intestines as food. in portion sizes between the 1950s and

Through the needed bacteria and enzymes now within the fast food industry.

slowly being broken down in the stomach (dailymail.co.uk)

not only does the immune response slow Statistics have shown that heavier

down but so does the metabolic system, thus patients have an above average difficulty

a lead to weight gain faster then what was fighting off diseases and infections then an

previously expected. With the digestive tract average weight person. Infection ,

and the possibility of recovery and healing inflammation, autoimmune diseases and

there is lack of process and understanding to illnesses like cancer (possibly) caused by the
foods eaten. Microbes and bacteria (both noticed though is as one intakes large

needed for everyday basic bodily function) quantities of salt there is almost always

need to be fed like most other things following large quantities of food, as shown

alongside taken care of. With the shown in figure 2 above. The seemingly natural

food intake within the obesity epidemic lack of care is destroying our bodies slowly

these precautions are not taken, dismantling enough that we dont notice but quickly

our bodies with the capability to protect enough that it has a very high possibility of

itself from outer harms. The fat intake is impacting one for the rest of their lives.

tearing down the bodies natural shield faster (Beil Laura, 18-21).

then it will ever be able to be mended. This issue has affected people all

Until recently the internal bacteria especially over the world and here is just one example

within the stomach and intestines was not and one story. Where there is a lot of

highly studied until now; with the new information text within the last few pages

technology enhances scientist and this is something that has not just affected

researchers capability to do so. Many of the people physically but emotionally and

fatty foods cannot be eaten and no nutrients mentally. As a child sweets were not a part

can be obtained (mentioned above) from of their everyday lives, there was a need for

causing the body to see them as foreign an occasion, whether it be a holiday or the

objects/ territory entering the body. In some simple joys and pleasures of having their

scenarios it causes a counter reaction where family back in town to visit, but the small

the metabolical and intestinal system will exposure quickly grew into an uncontrolled

attack the nutrients. One thing scientist addiction to food. There is no need for it to
ever be something big, but the unnatural leading to depression, and on the cycle

tastes and flavors draw people in. went.

- Anonymous

I began to associate sugary treats with

when my dad came home Over the last few decades obesity has

- Anonymous spike higher than ever before as food

consumption has drastically changed. The

Soon it was led to their teenage years, some impactful effects have done more than just

of the hardest within all of our lives. A cause weight gain but have had effect upon

disorder that continued to build upon the bodies capability to fight off disease and

itself. The realization of what they had done infection, shutting down micro organisms,

to their body happened when their family beneficial bacteria alongside specific

started talking about dieting and changing function within the immune system. The

the way they take care of themselves. obese have been shown to have even further

Turning their life around they had the issues with these than an average sized

capability to grow from everything that had human would. As America and the rest of

happened to them including the eating the world chooses to continue down this

disorder, becoming more wary of what was path, who knows what battles we will be

put into their bodies. fighting next.

By treating my body poorly I ended up

depriving myself, leading to binding,

Works Cited

Anonymous. Personal Interview. 7 March

2017.

Beil, Laura. "Food Fight." Science News,

vol. 187, no. 11, 30 May 2015, pp.

18-21. EBSCOhost. Web. 30 March

2017.

Dailymail.co.uk

"Damaging Effects of a High-Fat Diet to the

Brain and Cognition: A Review of

Proposed Mechanisms." Nutritional

Neuroscience, vol. 17, no. 6, Nov.

2014, pp. 241-251. EBSCOhost.

Web. 30 March 2017.

Trottman, Cassandra. Australia the Land of

the Obesity Epidemic. Wikispaces.

2015. Web. Image. 30 March 2017.