Obesity in the U.S has been gradually increasing and no acting is being taken towards ending or decreasing the obese population. About a third of US adults, (37.5%), are obese. Obesity affects some groups more than others. Non-Hispanics blacks have the highest age of adjusted rates of obesity (49.5%) compared with Mexican-Americans (40.4%), all Hispanics (39.1%), and Non-Hispanics whites (34.3%) (Dellorto). Obesity also will vary depending on the individual’s socioeconomic status. Higher income people are less likely to be obese because they have access to healthier low-fat food (Dellorto). This huge obesity problem still persists because there hasn’t been any serious action taken towards ending it. A lot of people nowadays are eating at fast food restaurants due to its cheap prices and quick speed. However, the food is highly unhealthy. Fast food contains many empty calories, which is making people become obese (Dellorto).
A big reason obesity has been increasing is because many people are eating at unhealthy fast food places. A lot of fast food restaurants offer soft drinks. McDonald’s even offers free drink refills. Soft drinks are very, very unhealthy. They contain artificial sweeteners, and enough of it will cause cancer (Laurence). A single can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar. A high amount of sugar will cause weight gain and more fat to be developed (Nordqvist). Since soft drinks lost less than healthier drinks, they are purchased more. Obesity has been the 5th leading cause of death worldwide. The obesity epidemic is the most troublesome in the U.S. 34% of the U.S adults are considered overweight, and an additional 31% are obese (Lacey). In the year 2000, poor diet including obesity and physical activity has caused 400,000 U.S. deaths-more than 16 percent of all deaths and the No.2 killer. As reported by the National Institutes of Health, the second largest cause of preventable death in the US is obesity, behind tobacco use (Lacey). An evaluation of about 300,000 deaths per year is a result of the obesity epidemic. Obesity can be preventable, and people should do anything possible to prevent it (Lacey). Type II diabetes’ leading cause is obesity. More than 85% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Diabetes II develops when a body is unable to produce insulin (Scott). A prevalent theory is that obese people’s cells are different (Shaw). Obese people’s cells are insulin resistant, which causes them to have a condition referred to as insulin resistance (Scott). Obesity might not be the only reason why type II diabetes is developed, as risk factors such as age, genes, ethnicity, and cholesterol levels can decrease/increase chances of developing diabetes II (Shaw). Losing weight will help reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes (Scott). Exercising, eating healthy diets, and maintaining a healthy weight will help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Another reason why obesity is such a big problem is because obese parents have been influencing their children to be obese too. According to Daily Mail, girls are more likely to be obese if their mothers are obese. Nearly 80% of obese kids have obese parents and by the teen years, obese kids will most grow up staying obese, whether the parents are obese or not (News). Lower income families might not be able to afford purchasing healthy foods for their kids, so they might have no choice but to be obese (Ross). Kids nowadays have been becoming lazier and doing less active stuff, and they
