Term Paper on "Health Effects of Obesity"

Term Paper 7 pages (2244 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Health Effects of Obesity

It is common news that obesity has become a major health concern in both developed "Westernized" and less developed countries around the world. Junk-food and low activity levels have been blamed. In the U.S., for example, 61 per cent of the population is either overweight or obese while the incidence of obesity has increased at a rate of 10-50% in the majority of European countries over the last decade. Less well-known is the fact that this epidemic has reached the shores of developing countries like China, Brazil, Thailand and South Africa. As the populations of these countries become more urbanized, more calories are consumed because of the easy availability of high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods coupled with a decline in physical activity.

Yet, in contrast to most Western countries and the relevant statistics of overweight and obesity, hunger and under-nutrition afflicts one in every seven people on Earth. Malnutrition, also referred to as 'the silent emergency', affects people in low-income and war-torn countries particularly preschool children and pregnant women. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is the most lethal form of malnutrition, depriving the body of essential enzymes, hormones and other substances for normal growth and development.

Global Obesity

The World Health Organization (WHO) regards obesity as "one of today's most blatantly visible - yet most neglected - public health problems."

Controlling the global obesity epidemic) the organization formed an International Obesity Task Force to tackle the problem worldwide. The WHO states that,

Obesity is a complex condition, one with serious social and psychological dimensions, that affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countries. In 1995, there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another 18 million under-five children classified as overweight. As of 2000, the number of obese adults has increased to over 300 million. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; in developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems. (ibid)

One of the most commonly given reasons for the increase in the incidence of obesity is lifestyle habits and basic overeating. It should however also be noted that the causes of obesity are interrelated. For example, modern living conditions, eating habits, quality of food and psychological aspects have played a vital role in contributing to the increase in obesity worldwide. Modern fast-food diets consist of hamburgers, French fries and cola drinks, while the most commonly consumed grain is white bread; the favorite meat is beef, and the most frequently eaten vegetable is the potato, usually as French fries. Most junk food contains too many preservatives and flavor enhancing salts which causes high blood pressure, and which can aggravate asthma, or lead to stomach cancer or kidney failure. Foods like salty snacks, ham, bacon and ready meals all contain lots of salt.

Food-related education is badly needed say food-bank workers and fitness experts who tell stories of low-income children coming to school with "meals" of sugarcoated doughnuts, cans of soda and mayonnaise sandwiches. Food banks are also trying to increase their collection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Finding trucks to quickly deliver the produce to local programs remains a major problem. (Wetzstein, Cheryl. 1998)

Obesity is defined as being more than 30 per cent above ideal body weight. The body mass index (BMI) is used to measure for obesity in both sexes. Though it's not a perfect system - the measurements of a very muscular person may mistakenly place him in the overweight category - but it's a useful starting point. Your MBI is determined by dividing your weight in kilograms by your weight in meters squared: BMI = kg/m2. If you have a BMI between 25 and 30, you are classified as overweight. A person with a BMI of more than 30 is regarded as obese. Your waist measurement is another indicator: a waist circumference of more than 88cm in women and 102cm in men, regardless of height, means that weight loss is essential to restore good health.

Excess weight causes a host of health problems and medical professionals are particularly concerned about the link between obesity and high blood sugar levels which can result in further health complications. The problem for overweight people is that they are much more likely to develop the type-2 form of diabetes - also known as adult-onset diabetes - than those who carry normal weight. The reason for this is that being overweight puts added pressure on the body's ability to properly control blood sugar using insulin and therefore makes it much more likely for you to develop diabetes. It is estimated that the correlation between obesity and type-2 diabetes is as much as ninety percent.

Obesity is also associated with many diverse health complications ranging from non-fatal debilitating conditions such as osteoarthritis to life threatening chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers - including breast, colon, rectum, stomach, and esophagus. "Overweight and inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S., second only to tobacco-related deaths," reports the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Obesity is an epidemic and should be taken as seriously as any infectious disease epidemic." (Koop, C. 2000)

Many other health problems respond favorably to this type of heart-healthy program. Certain types of cancer -- including breast, colon, rectum, stomach, and esophagus -- have been linked to the high-fat, low-fiber types of food that a heart-healthy diet restricts. Excess weight can also increase the risk of developing some cancers, so, as a heart-healthy diet brings down your weight, it reduces your cancer risk as well. "A 1994 study found that weight gain of only 20 or even 10 pounds, in women age 30 and over, may substantially increase the risk of breast cancer later in life. One Harvard researcher has found that women just 44 pounds over ideal weight fully doubled their risk of breast cancer." (ibid)

Obesity is also instrumental in causing a number of non-fatal illnesses such as respiratory difficulties, musculo-skeletal problems, skin problems and infertility; as well as complaints that could lead to premature death - non-insulin dependant diabetes, gallbladder disease, cardiovascular problems (hypertension, stroke and CHD) and hormone-related cancers that affect the large bowel. Heavier women in particular are vulnerable to hypertension, diabetes and raised serum cholesterol. Overweight people generally have low-esteem, and suffer from anxiety and clinical depression.

Nutrition

When most people think about diet, they focus on weight loss - getting rid of those extra five or ten pounds." (How to Pick a Nutritional Plan) However, the experts state that what they should be doing is adopting a new philosophy toward following a good nutrition plan which not only helps you lose excess weight but also teaches you to take lifetime responsibility for your health. Besides following a healthy, balanced diet made up of fruit, vegetables, bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, noodles and pasta, you should introduce an aerobic and muscle-building exercise as part of your weight-loss and health maintenance program. Your diet can be a factor that increases the risk of developing a large number of life-shortening diseases. These include heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure. There are also a number of less threatening but nevertheless painful and debilitating conditions that can be attributed to diet such as tooth decay, bone fractures, and excess weight. "For example, almost everyone now knows that a diet rich in saturated fat plays a central role in the development of heart disease, America's number one killer. According to the American Heart Association, an ample body of scientific evidence shows that reducing dietary fat and cholesterol can lower the risk of heart and blood vessel disease in the general population." (ibid)

Saturated fat comes from animal sources and is solid at room temperature. it's in butter, lard, meat and full-fat milk, cheese, yoghurt and hard margarines. it's the traditional 'bad' fat that raises cholesterol levels and causes weight gain. It is difficult to digest and is stored in the body as fat deposit. and, as a delicious, highly concentrated source of kilojoules, it's also the easiest kind to overeat. Transfats are a by-product of the hydrogenation process used to make vegetable oils, which keeps them solid at room temperature. They're found in some hard margarine and in most cakes, pies and biscuits. All vegetable fats were generally considered to be healthier than animal fats, until scientists discovered that the hydrogenation process could cause damage within the body's cells. For a while, even so-called 'healthy' margarines were linked to cancer, promoting manufacturers of good quality spreads to remove Transfats from their products. Nutritionists have since revised their opinion about the health risks of Transfats and, while they're not good for you, they're certainly no worse than saturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats are mainly found in vegetable oils such as Soya bean, corn, sunflower and safflower. The best sources are oily fish, nuts and seeds. Food rich in polyunsaturated fat has as many kilojoules… READ MORE

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