Essay on From Table to Grave

Nathan Razi
8 Aug 2013
From Table To Grave
Why is bashing someone about not smoking okay, but when one is told to watch his or her eating it is socially not acceptable? While both obesity and smoking can significantly shorten a person’s life span, extreme obesity can shorten a person's life expectancy by 10 years more than the decrease in life span from smoking. Obesity has become a major issue today because it decreases a person's life expectancy or can cause death, people are turning to fast food and are not aware of their caloric intake, and people are becoming less active.
Numerous studies have shown that an obese person’s life expectancy is shorter and in some cases it can result in death. The United States could be facing its first sustained drop in life expectancy in the modern era and according to the National Institute of Health,
“Studies suggest that two-thirds of American adults are overweight (having a body mass index — BMI — of 25 or more) or obese (having a BMI of 30 or more). One study cited by the authors indicates that the prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults has increased about 50 percent per decade since 1980. Additional research has shown that people who are severely obese — with a BMI greater than 45 — live up to 20 years less than people who are not overweight. Some researchers have estimated that obesity causes about 300,000 deaths in the U.S. annually. In addition, obesity is fueling an epidemic of type 2 diabetes, which also reduces lifespan.” (NIH News)
Studies have shown that the overall reduction in life expectancy of one-third to three-fourths of a year attributed to obesity in this analysis exceeds the negative effect of all accidental deaths combined, and could depreciate over time. According to a study by epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto, “The increase was strongest for deaths due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney, and liver disease; cancer deaths also went up with increasing BMI, but not as much as other diseases.” (Harding, Anne) People do not want to deal with health issues later in life. However, many people do not realize that the cause of many elderly people's medical concerns are rooted in health issue that begin in childhood. Current rising rates of childhood obesity will be the major reason for most health problems caused later on the road to life. If one wants a healthier future in life with lower medical bills he or she needs to fight obesity and avoid it in his or her lifetime. (Robert, Lalasz)
Out of 4311 people buying food at McDonalds, Burger King, Au Bon Pain, or Starbucks, Christina A. Roberto and her colleagues from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut found that just six looked at the nutrition information the restaurants provided, or one-tenth of one percent. (Fox News) Many individuals are choosing fast food over healthier restaurants or home cooked meals and are not aware of their daily caloric intake. According to the Obesity Action Coalition, “Since 1970, the amount of fast food restaurants in business doubled, which equates to about 300,000 establishments in the United States. Coincidentally, 33.8 percent of the U.S. population is affected by obesity and 19 percent of children and adolescents are also affected.” (Muntel, Sarah)
There appears to be a correlation between fast food and obesity by Looking at some of these typical fast-food menu items without the sides and drinks:
§ McDonalds Big Mac: 540 calories and 29 g of fat
§ Burger King Whopper: 670 calories and 40 g of fat
§ Wendy’s Bacon Deluxe Double: 880 calories and 52 g of fat
§ Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande: 770 calories and 24 g of fat
Looking at the sides:
§ Medium fries at McDonalds: 380 calories and 19 g of fat
§ Onion rings at Dairy Queen: 360 calories and 16 g of fat
§ Regular cole slaw at Popeye’s: 260 calories and 23 g of fat
And after all the drinks:
§ Large Frosty at Wendy’s: 540 calories and 8 g of fat
§ Large sweet tea at McDonalds: 280

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