essays about obesity in america

Obesity: An American Epidemy Analytical Essay

Introduction, the age of the junk food culture, the human body and excess consumption, obesity and popular culture.

America has an obesity problem that much is certain, nearly 33% of adults within the U.S. are obese which represents a 60% increase over a 20 year period with the rate for child obesity not far behind at nearly triple what it was 30 years ago (Chappell, 2010). What these figures represent is nearly 300,000 deaths a year from obesity related illnesses and maladies, billions of dollars spent on health problems such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure etc (Obesity in America, 2006).

It is a growing epidemic that is continuing to proliferate itself throughout the nation affecting not only adults but children as well. International popular culture representations of the U.S. have depicted an unflattering image of the U.S. population as being a culture for the morbidly obese with cartoonish representations often showing an obese man using a tiny scooter in order to line up at the nearest McDonald’s.

Unfortunately this representation of the American people is closer to the truth than most people realize. Junk food is the primary contributor to the obesity problem in America due its convenience and prevalence which has resulted in the current obesity problem that Americans now face.

Junk food in the form of chips, dips, burgers, fries, sodas, candies and ice cream have become such a part of America’s culture that the most prevalent cultural distinction for American today is that of the “Junk Food” culture (Burner, n.d.).

In nearly every town, city and state groceries, shopping malls and fast food restaurants carry some form of junk food that is rapidly consumed by a voracious public that enjoys the taste and convenience of such products. Unfortunately, this cultural distinction is actually slowly killing the American population due to resulting effects such food types have one the body.

The recommended daily allowance of nutritional calories that a body should have in a single day as recommended by the American Medical Association is roughly 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day (Burner, n.d.). The problem with junk food is that due to their convenience and serving size most people aren’t away that on average they consume more than 3,000 calories a day from the various forms of junk food they eat (Menifield et al., 2008).

An average adult male in the U.S. should consume only 65 grams of fat and 2,500 calories in a single day yet a burger and fries combo meal with a large coke available at the local McDonald’s is equivalent to more than 50 grams of fat and 1500 calories within a single sitting (Menifield et al., 2008).

This would not be a problem should that be the only large meal they eat throughout the day however this meal is supplemented by various chips, sodas and various other unhealthy options throughout the day which brings the total calorie count to 4,000 calories or more.

On average the human body only requires 2,000 to 2,500 calories within a single day to properly function any excess calories is usually stored as fat by body for future use. With diets often exceeding the daily allotted calories needed by the body this results in a large proportion of the consumed calories to be turned into fat (Obesity in America, 2006).

Not only that habits developed early on in childhood have been shown to carry well into adulthood. As such children who are currently overweight now will be at risk for obesity as they grow older (Chappell, 2010), K. (2010). It is the combination of these factors that are behind the current problems regarding obesity in the U.S. today.

While many people state that an obese person becomes that way by choice this paper states that they are made that way due to external influences that affects their ability to think. On average nearly 10,000 TV ads appear within a given year which focus on promoting the products of various restaurants and companies (Burner, n.d.).

Children in particular are targeted by fancy commercials advertising sugary sweets through the use of cleverly crafted cartoonish elements in the commercial itself. Since TV advertisements are an extension of popular culture it can be seen that popular culture is one of the primary reasons behind the obesity problem America now faces due to this patronage of products that are not only unhealthy but cause people to become obese as a result of their consumption (Burner, n.d.).

The power of advertising should not be underestimated since it has been shown that TV ads are one of the best ways to convince people to buy a certain product. From this it can be seen that the causes behind obesity is not merely the fast food culture that Americans find themselves in but also the actions of various corporations that promote with wild abandon their products without taking into consideration the possible ramification on the population.

Based on the given information it can be seen that while junk food is behind the current obesity problem in the U.S. it is not the only cause.

The unmitigated marketing practices employed by various corporations that seek to influence Americans to buy their products is actually a prime contributing factor to the problem of obesity that America now faces due to its prevalence in popular culture which influences people to such an extent that it causes them to buy the products of these companies.

The combination of these factors is actually the primary reason behind the prevalence of obesity and as such they must be controlled in order to prevent the problem of obesity from getting worse.

Burner, J. (n.d). Want Fries with That Obesity and the Supersizing of America. School Library Journal , 52(1), 152-153. Retrieved from EBSCO host .

Chappell, K. (2010). SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC IN BLACK AMERICA. Ebony , 65(7), 78. Retrieved from EBSCO host .

Menifield, C. E., Doty, N., & Fletcher, A. (2008). Obesity in America. ABNF Journal , 19(3), 83-88. Retrieved from EBSCO host .

Obesity in America. (2006). Large portions, large proportions. Harvard Men’s Health Watch , 10(6), 1. Retrieved from EBSCO host .

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• Junk Food in Schools: Good or Bad for Children?
• The Junk Food's Risks
• Television Plus Junk Foods Equal Childhood Obesity
• Health Effects of Junk Food Intake
• Obesity in Western Culture
• Chocolate's Positive and Negative Effects
• "Salt, Sugar and Fat" a Book by Michael Moss
• The "Waist Banned" Article - Taxes on Junk Food
• Scott Sander: Why the "Grub" Was Penned?
• The Media’s Influence on Eating Disorders
• Argument for Removing Vending Machines in Schools
• Roots of Obesity Problem in the United States
• Obesity: Psychological/ Sociological Issue

Obesity in America: A Public Health Crisis

Obesity is a public health issue that impacts more than 100 million adults and children in the U.S.

What You Need to Know About Obesity

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Obesity has become a public health crisis in the United States. The medical condition, which involves having an excessive amount of body fat, is linked to severe chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and cancer. It causes about 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. each year – nearly as many as smoking, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The financial cost of obesity is high as well. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , "The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight."

While researchers say the obesity epidemic began in the U.S. in the 1980s, there has been a sharp increase in obesity rates in the U.S. over the last decade. Nearly 40% of all adults over the age of 20 in the U.S. – about 93.3 million people – are currently obese, according to data published in JAMA in 2018. Every state in the U.S. has more than 20% of adults with obesity, according to the CDC – a significant uptick since 1985, when no state had an obesity rate higher than 15%. Certain states have higher rates than others: there are more obese people living in the South (32.4%) and Midwest (32.3%) than in other parts of the country.

Sugar Taxes and Other Efforts to Reduce Obesity

Federal, state and local governments have moved to address obesity in several ways. On the federal level, several programs – such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Healthy Food FInancing Initiative – as well as the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services work to make healthier foods affordable and available in underserved communities. To prevent childhood obesity in particular, there are also school and early childhood policies, such as Head Start – a comprehensive early childhood education program – school-based physical education and Safe Routes to School, which promotes walking and biking to and from school and increasing healthy eating and physical activity while reducing the risk of obesity.

In March, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association offered several public policy recommendations , including raising the price of sugary drinks, encouraging federal and state governments to limit the marketing of sugary drinks to kids and teenagers, having vending machines offer water, milk and other healthy beverages, improving nutritional information on labels, restaurant menus and advertisements, and supporting hospitals in establishing policies to discourage the purchase of sugary drinks in their facilities.

Meanwhile, states have implemented laws, largely through early childhood education settings, to improve access to healthy food and increase physical activity in order to promote a healthy weight. These policies stretch from breastfeeding, providing available drinking water and daily physical activity to limited screen time as well as meals and snacks that meet healthy eating standards set by the USDA or CACFP.

City governments have considered, and in some cases implemented, so-called "sin taxes" that aim to make potentially unhealthy food choices less attractive and accessible. Cities including Philadelphia, Boulder, Colorado, and Berkeley, California, levy a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages; The American Public Health Association noted in 2016 that the tax led to a 21% drop in the consumption of sugary drinks in Berkeley alone. (A proposal to expand it to all of California stalled this year .) In Philadelphia , the price of sugary beverages sold in supermarkets, mass merchandisers and pharmacies rose – and sales fell – after the city implemented a tax on those products, but a study found that sales in towns bordering Philadelphia increased.

Some researchers say there's little proof that taxing food or drink choices really changes behavior. In spite of taxes and warnings about the health effects of drinking sugary beverages, eight of every 10 American households buys sodas and other sugary drinks each week, adding up to 2,000 calories per household per week, new research shows .

"Large authoritative systematic reviews of the peer-reviewed scientific literature have failed to illustrate any compelling evidence that economic interventions are effective in promoting any type of dietary behavior change," says Taylor Wallace , principal and CEO of the Think Healthy Group and an adjunct professor in the department of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University.

But others contend that making it more expensive to buy sugary drinks is a step in the right direction.

"We need to ensure that people understand the threat of these products to their health, so they want to reduce their consumption," says Sandra Mullin, senior vice president of policy, advocacy and communication for Vital Strategies, an organization that works to implement health initiatives, and a former public health official in New York City "And [hiking] the price is a prompt for them to do that."

Learn more about obesity:

What is obesity?

Obesity is a chronic disease . It occurs when an excessive amount of body fat affects a person's overall health.

How is obesity diagnosed?

According to the Obesity Action Coalition , a healthcare provider may diagnose a patient with obesity if his or her body mass index, or BMI, is 30 or greater. BMI is a value derived from the weight and height of a person; normal BMI ranges from 20 to 25. There is no lab test, blood screening or other diagnostic used to diagnose obesity.

What is morbid obesity?

Morbid obesity is diagnosed when a person has a BMI of 40 or greater. People can also be diagnosed with morbid obesity if their BMI is 35 if they are also experiencing health complications like high blood pressure or diabetes.

How is being overweight different from being obese?

Obesity has to do with having too much body fat and a Body Mass Index, or BMI, of 30 or more. Being overweight can involve having too much body fat, the Department of Health and Human Services says , but having extra muscle, bone or water can also be a factor.

What causes obesity?

Obesity occurs when a person takes in more calories than he or she burns through normal daily activities and exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic . It is not simply a matter of over-indulgence or a lack of self control, obesity researcher Dr. George Bray said at the first annual U.S. News Combating Childhood Obesity summit , held at Texas Children's Hospital in May.

"Obesity isn't a disease of willpower – it's a biological problem," he said . "Genes load the gun, and environment pulls the trigger."

Certain scientific and societal factors – including genetics, the increased consumption of processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, and some medications and medical conditions – can increase a person's risk of becoming obese. Age and pregnancy can also trigger weight gain.

The 10 Fattest States in the U.S.

Diet has an important connection to obesity. Studies show the amount of soybean oil Americans consume spiked in the 1960s and 1970s, most likely as highly processed foods became popular, and American adults and children started to weight more around that time, Bray said.

"The fats in our food supply may well be playing a part in our inability to regulate" food intake, Bray said at the obesity summit . Consumption of sugary soft drinks also skyrocketed between 1950 and 2000, he pointed out, as Americans tripled the amount of sweet beverages they drank each year.

Artificial sweeteners have also been linked to obesity . A study presented at the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting suggests artificial sweeteners alter how bodies process fat and obtain energy.

"Despite the addition of these non-caloric artificial sweeteners to our everyday diets, there has still been a drastic rise in obesity and diabetes," one of the study's authors, Brian Hoffmann, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University , said. "In our studies, both sugar and artificial sweeteners seem to exhibit negative effects linked to obesity and diabetes, albeit through very different mechanisms from each other."

What are some of the risk factors for obesity?

Genetic factors include: the amount of body fat a person stores, where it's distributed and how efficiently his or her body metabolizes food into energy.

Medical conditions include: Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing's syndrome, arthritis and other diseases that can lead to decreased activity. Certain medications – some antidepressants, anti-seizure, diabetes, antipsychotic medications, steroids and beta blockers – can also cause weight gain.

Lifestyle and behavioral factors include: a lack of physical activity that burns calories, smoking, lack of sleep (which can lead to an increased desire to consume calories), eating an unhealthy diet.

Social and economic factors include: not having a safe space to exercise, not having enough money to afford healthier foods, food deserts where grocery stores that carry fresh fruits and vegetables are not available, lack of transportation to access healthy food options.

Can children be obese?

Obesity can be diagnosed at any age. The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents between ages 2 and 19 was estimated to be 18.5% – more than one in six – between 2015 and 2016, with 13.7 million impacted, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics .

Children who are obese are at risk for developing premature heart disease , the American Heart Association reports. A study of nearly 2.3 million people monitored over the course of 40 years found that the risk of dying from heart disease was two to three times higher if they had been overweight or obese as teens.

Obesity is a problem in other countries as well. A study published in the Lancet in 2017 found that the number of obese 5 to 19 year olds worldwide increased from 11 million in 1975 and to 124 million in 2016. The researchers projected the number of children and adolescents who are obese will surpass those that are moderately or severly underweight by 2022.

How many adult men and women are obese?

U.S. adult obesity prevalence between 2015 and 2016 was nearly 40% – about 93.3 million people, according to the CDC . The highest rate (42.8%) was among adults between the ages of 40 and 59; the prevalence among adults age 20 to 39 years was 35.7%, and 41% among adults age 60 and older. There was no significant difference between men and women overall or by age group, according to the data brief.

What preventable diseases and health issues are associated with obesity?

Mental and physical health problems involving obesity include:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Cancers (including breast, liver, pancreas, endometrial, colorectal, prostate and kidney)
• High cholesterol
• Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints
• Sleep apnea
• Respiratory problems
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Urinary stress incontinence
• Infertility
• Sexual dysfunction
• Physical disability
• Lower work achievement
• Social isolation

What are the financial costs of obesity in the U.S.?

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati in 2008 estimated the cost of medical care to diagnose and treat obesity and its associated health issues to be about $147 billion annually.

The CDC estimates the indirect costs of obesity-related health issues – including absenteeism, premature disability, declines in productiving and earlier mortality – to range from $3 billion and $6.4 billion annually.

Are certain races more likely to become obese than others?

At 25.8%, Hispanic children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 had the highest prevalence of obesity between 2015 and 2016, according to the National Center for Health Statistics . Meanwhile, obesity prevalence was about 22% among black youths; 14.1% among non-Hispanic whites; and 11% among non-Hispanic Asians. While the report notes that there were no significant differences in the prevalence of obesity between boys and girls by race and Hispanic origin, Hispanic boys in particular had a higher prevalence of obesity than non-Hispanic black boys.

Similarly, non-hispanic black (46.8%) and Hispanic (47%) adults in the U.S. have higher obesity rates than non-Hispanic white (37.9%) and non-Hispanic Asian (12.7%) adults, according to the NCHS. Rates of obesity were especially high among black and Hispanic women, according to the report, surpassing 50%.

How is obesity treated?

Treatment of obesity primarily involves changing a patient's behavior, but surgery to reduce the size of a patient's stomach or alter the digestive tract and medication may also be options for those who have trouble losing weight on their own.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says common treatments include eating more healthy foods, incorporating more physical activity and changing other habits , such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Developing a healthy eating plan with fewer calories, setting realistic and measurable goals, participating in formal weight-management programs and seeking help from family, friends, health professionals and support groups can make it easier to develop healthier habits, though the federal agency warns that setbacks occur and people should be prepared.

Experts say obese patients who lose 5% to 10% of their body weight – about 10 to 20 pounds for a 200-lb person with a BMI indicating obesity, for example – can reduce his or her risk of obesity-related health problems like type 2 diabetes as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Can obesity be prevented?

When it comes to suggestions about how to prevent obesity, common principles stand out across local, state and federal guidelines :

• increase physical activity
• improve nutrition through increased consumption of fruits and vegetables
• encourage breastfeeding
• encourage mobility between work, school and communities.

Some researchers also say that the food industry has a role to play in solving the obesity crisis: Making highly processed and fast food much more expensive could curb consumption and lower the obesity rate in the U.S. over time.

"My former brethren in the soft drink business really fought the issue of obesity early on rather than stepping up and saying, 'OK, we don't wish to be blamed totally for this issue but we still can do something,'" Hank Cardello, a former food company executive who now works as a food policy analyst at the Hudson Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, said during the U.S. News Combating Childhood Obesity summit in May. "Larger portions, the whole supersize phenomenon – it's actually proven that that made more money for them" while helping trigger the national obesity epidemic, he explained.

What are the most-obese states in America?

According to the CDC, as of 2017 (the most-recent data available) the most-obese states in America are:

• West Virginia (38.1% of adults)
• Mississippi (37.3%)
• Oklahoma (36.5%)
• Iowa (36.4%)
• Alabama (36.2%)
• Louisiana (36.2%)
• Arkansas (35%)
• Kentucky (34.3%)
• Alaska (34.2%)
• South Carolina (34.1%)

What are the least-obese states in America?

These states have the lowest obesity rates in the U.S., according to the CDC:

• Colorado (22.6% of adults)
• Hawaii (23.8%)
• California (25.1%)
• Utah (25.25%)
• Montana (25.27%)
• New York (25.7%)
• Massachuestts (25.9%)
• Nevada (26.7%)
• Connecticut (26.9%)
• New Jersey (27.3%)

Is obesity a problem in other countries?

The World Health Organization estimates 39% of women and 39% of men ages 18 and older are overweight, with the highest prevalence of obesity on the island of Nauru, at 61%. (The U.S. ranked 12th worldwide, at 36.2%).

Among the 20 most-populous countries worldwide, the United States had the highest level of age-standardized childhood obesity, at 12.7%, while China and India had the highest numbers of obese children in 2015, according to a 2017 University of Washington study . Further, the United States and China had the highest number of obese adults, the study found. That same year, the researchers determined excess body weight to be associated with about 4 million deaths and 120 million disability-adjusted life-years lost.

Rates of adult obesity among the 36 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation were highest in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand and Hungary. They were lowest in Japan and South Korea in 2017, according to an OECD "Obesity Update" report .

Tags: obesity , weight loss , public health

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Public Health Issues — Obesity

Essay Examples on Obesity

Hook examples for obesity essays, "the silent epidemic among us" hook.

"Obesity silently creeps into our lives, affecting millions. Explore the hidden health crisis, its causes, and its far-reaching consequences on individuals and society."

"From Childhood to Adulthood: Battling Obesity" Hook

"Childhood obesity often follows us into adulthood. Share stories of individuals who have embarked on journeys of transformation and discuss the challenges they face."

"Obesity's Toll on Public Health" Hook

"Obesity is a public health crisis with wide-ranging effects. Investigate the strain on healthcare systems, the rise of related diseases, and the economic impact of obesity."

"The Cultural Shift: Food, Technology, and Sedentary Lifestyles" Hook

"Examine how cultural factors, including dietary habits, technology use, and sedentary lifestyles, have contributed to the obesity epidemic. What can we learn from these trends?"

"Breaking the Cycle: Strategies for Prevention" Hook

"Prevention is key to combating obesity. Discuss effective strategies for preventing obesity in children and adults, from education to policy changes."

"The Psychological Battle: Obesity and Mental Health" Hook

"Obesity often intersects with mental health challenges. Explore the complex relationship between obesity and mental well-being, as well as the stigma attached to it."

"Shifting Perspectives: Celebrating Body Positivity" Hook

"In the midst of the obesity crisis, the body positivity movement is gaining ground. Discuss the importance of promoting self-acceptance and diverse body images."

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Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may have a negative effect on health. Medical organizations tend to classify people as obese based on body mass index (BMI) – a ratio of a person's weight in kilograms to the square of their height in meters.

There are three types of obesity: Class 1 (low-risk) obesity, if BMI is 30.0 to 34.9; Class 2 (moderate-risk) obesity, if BMI is 35.0 to 39.9; Class 3 (high-risk) obesity, if BMI is equal to or greater than 40.0.

The major contributors to obesity are: diet, sedentary lifestyle, genetics, other illnesses, social determinants, gut bacteria, and other factors.

Excessive body weight has a strong link to many diseases and conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and asthma. As a result, obesity has been found to reduce life expectancy.

Most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2020. Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. From 1999-2000 through 2017-March 2020, US obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% to 41.9%.

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Obesity In America (Essay Sample) 2023

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Obesity In America

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Obesity in America

The United State obesity epidemic has become a national concern for the last 5 decades. A large number of individuals are not taking into consideration that it is a severe health threat that individuals can prevent; however, it seems people are not taking any effort. A lot of food in numerous places and diverse technology made for diverse reasons are causing individuals to discover their waistlines increasing. People claim their weight gain is as a result of a busy schedule. Individuals ought to begin doing something in their daily life to escape from becoming obese. More than 66% of United States adults have obesity (Healy, 2017). To understand the issue of obesity in America, it is necessary to analyze its effects and prevention measures.

It appears like today Americans are stressed over their weight like never before. With all the health clubs, and diet pills, one would assume that U.S. would be in a perfect shape; however, it is the direct inverse. The more assortments of unhealthy nourishments that are available and all the more alternate ways innovation are giving, the more Americans discover their waistlines increasing. Obesity is a major issue in the U.S. today. With every one of the inconveniences and stresses on the planet, obesity is rapidly turning into a critical issue to stress over. It can essentially be a life and death threatening situation. Parents who simply sit on a chair eating fries while setting a bad example to their kids, the schools that burn physical education (PE), the oily foods which fast food eateries give, and the significant food organizations that keep concocting new inventions to add to unhealthy decisions Americans make are only a couple of the many reasons for this rising epidemic (Dawes, 2014).

Obesity is becoming worse as an ever-increasing number of individuals keep on eating themselves to a point where nothing can be done. Americans are actually eating themselves towards death and they are not realizing it. The state government keeps on warning that obesity is becoming a serious issue and something must be done. There are numerous choices in the present food and around half of America’s sustenance has been found to be unhealthy. It is difficult to settle on the decision between a fried chicken and pizza from McDonalds. Kids are taught that it is right to eat fast foods, and are not advised to eat vegetables, fruits, and other things that are deemed healthy. As these kids get older, they are unable to distinguish between healthy snacks and unhealthy food (Dawes, 2014). Soon, United State will discover that obesity has tremendously increased, and they will not be in a position to do something about it. If nothing will be done to stop obesity rates from skyrocketing, then the aftermath will be a number one killer.

Obesity may not be blamed on a single thing; its causes are diverse. Of course engaging in a healthy diet is a definite manner to evade obesity. Studies have blamed the environment within which American’s live. There are a lot of food accessible, social gatherings encourage overeating, hotels compete amid them through offering bigger servings, plus technology has made people to be lazy as they do not engage in physical activity. Obesity is linked with numerous side effects to an individual’s life. So far, studies have discovered that obesity is among the leading cause of evadable death alongside smoking. According to American Obesity Association numerous insurance companies have coverage on behalf of obesity prevention as well as treatment. Obesity is associated with greater risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular illnesses. Healthcare practitioners allege that they are discovering something dangerous than type 2 diabetes among children aged 10 years (Eagle et al., 2012)

For America to fight off this epidemic, children ought to learn how to engage in a healthy diet at a younger age. If children are given healthy food, as well as educated to consume healthy foods during their early age, then the chances are that they will continue with the same habit as they age and this has to begin with the parents or guardians (Eagle et al., 2012).  If parents just sit on a sofa and consume high cholesterol foods then advise their kids to exercise and eat healthy is not going to reduce the obesity rate. Parents have to do away with sodas that have high sugar concentration and foods that have excess fat. Instead, they should have lots of vegetables and fruits. Parents have total control in what their kids consumes at their early age, however once the kids go to school, it becomes hard to regulate what the kids consume. Here is where the school comes into play. Standards need to be set with the kinds of food which are provided during school lunches.

Schools ought to educate students about the side effects of engaging in an unhealthy diet. America is well aware that obesity is becoming more and more serious, yet education facilities are encouraging students to engage in an unhealthy diet (Eagle et al., 2012). They allow food companies to set up vending machines filled with unhealthy foods and soft drink machines having drinks which are high in both calories and sugar whereas removing PE classes in their curriculum claiming they lack funds to support the program. Vending organizations are giving schools funds so that they can market their brand. It is as if vending companies are worried about making profit compared to stressing over this rising health epidemic occurring in the America.

Obesity may cause numerous problems in an individual’s daily life.  Imagine attending a theater and it becomes impossible to fit into a sit or being forced to purchase two plane tickets since it is impossible to fit into one seat, however, imagine going in an open place and all eyes are on you. Obesity is associated with greater risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular illnesses. Obesity not only causes health problems, it also causes physiological and mental problems.  With diverse choices available in America, and numerous marketing on behalf of unhealthy foods, people should not be surprised that obesity has skyrocketed to become one among the lethal problems in America today; a lethal problem which may be prevented. If nothing will be done right away, obesity will keep on putting many lives in jeopardy. To avoid becoming obese, one has to eat healthy, exercise as well as engage in healthy behaviors. No drugs can treat obesity. Thus, it is a personal responsibility towards engaging in a healthy lifestyle and keeping their body fit.

• Eagle, T. F., Sheetz, A., Gurm, R., Woodward, A. C., Kline-Rogers, E., Leibowitz, R., & Mitchell, L. R. (2012). Understanding childhood obesity in America: linkages between household income, community resources, and children’s behaviors. American heart journal, 163(5), 836-843.
• Dawes, L. (2014). Childhood obesity in America. Harvard University Press.
• Healy, M. (2017). As obesity keeps rising, more Americans are just giving up. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fewer-americans-diet-20170308-story.html

Obesity in America: Cause and Effect Essay Sample

It is clear that the American lifestyle has contributed to the increasing prevalence of obesity. With estimates from the Washington-based Centers for Disease Prevention in the Department of Health and Human Services indicating that one in three American adults is overweight, it is evident that the country is facing an obesity epidemic. To better understand the causes and effects of obesity, research is needed to further explore the issue. For those struggling with obesity, coursework assistance may be available to help them make the necessary lifestyle changes in order to live a healthier life.

Writing a thesis paper on the topic of obesity can be extremely challenging. It requires extensive research and time to adequately cover the subject. However, there are services available that can provide assistance with the writing process. Pay for a thesis allows for the benefit of having an experienced professional provide guidance and support throughout the entire process.

Causes of Obesity

Every phenomenon must have a reason. In order to write a cause and effect essay , you need to analyze the topic carefully to cover all aspects. Obesity is considered to be a complex illness, with a number of factors contributing to its development. These can be:

• hereditary;

As you may have guessed, it is the latter category of causes and effects that we are interested in. At this point, we care about the five ones that have made the biggest contribution.

Product Range

The main cause of obesity is junk food and an unbalanced diet rich in simple carbohydrates, fats, and sugars, plus a bunch of additives. Manufactured, processed, refined, and packaged meals are the most popular. Thanks to advances in technology, Americans have come to mass-produce meals that keep fresh longer and taste better. It takes less time to prepare unhealthy, processed foods in the microwave than it does to cook them yourself.

Lack of a work-life balance, high-stress levels, insufficient sleeping hours contribute to body weight gain. Not only do these factors contribute to this, but failing to take the time to do your homework can also have a negative impact on your physical health. Without a healthy, balanced approach to work, rest, and play, you may find yourself increasingly dependent on a sedentary lifestyle that can lead to overweight consequences. Many Americans work 50, 60, or more hours a week and suffer from a deficit of leisure hours. Cooking processed foods saves them hours and money, even though they end up costing them a lot more – by causing cardiovascular disease. In addition, obese people feel stressed on a regular basis in the United States metropolitan areas. Many of them are simply binge eating under the influence of negative emotions. Chronic overeating leads to a disturbance in the appetite center in the brain, and the normal amount of food eaten can no longer suppress hunger as much as necessary, affecting the body mass.

Food Deserts

The term ‘ food desert ‘ refers to poor areas (urban, suburban and rural) with limited access to fresh fruit, grains, and vegetables – places where it is much easier to access junk food. A grocery shop in a food desert that sells healthy foods may be 10-15 miles away, while a mini-market or cheap shop that sells harmful snacks is close to the house. In such a world, it takes much more effort to eat healthier, form eating habits, and stay slim.

Everyone’s Passion for Sweets

Consuming sweets in large quantities is addictive: the more and easier we give the body energy, the more the brain uses serotonin and dopamine to encourage it – it will make obese people want sweets again and again during the day. Cakes and pastries are fast carbohydrates that easily satisfy hunger and increase body mass. Despite the harm of sweets, obese people experience the need for them to satiate. Sweetened carbonated drinks are one of the main sources of sugar in the American diet. Moreover, some individuals may be more adversely affected by such diets than others: patients with a genetic predisposition to obesity gain body mass faster from sugary drinks than those without it. This leads to childhood obesity.

The Harm of Tolerance

Every year, the body positive movement is becoming more and more popular all over the world. It would seem that this major trend should have freed us from the problems associated with the cult of thinness and society’s notorious standards. In many ways, a positive attitude towards the body has proved fruitful. For example, the notion of beauty has clearly broadened. Now on fashion shows and magazine covers, you can see not only a girl with perfectly retouched skin and without a single hint of body fat but also an ordinary person with its inherent features: overweight, wrinkles, hair, and individual skin features. In general, all the things that we are all so familiar with in real life.

Does it really make that much sense? Is this a positive thing in terms of the cause and effect topic regarding obesity? In short, opinions are divided. Extremes aren’t easy to overcome. Not everyone manages to do it. Researchers have concluded that due to plus size having become positioned as a variant of the norm, more persons have become obese. Many obese Americans have formed the opinion that it is really quite normal, and they have become oblivious to the damage it does to their health. This is what we are going to focus on next.

Effects of Obesity

We all know that obesity is dangerous to health. However, medical studies show that most adults are unaware of the number of complications and diseases that obesity in America entails. So they are fairly comfortable with becoming gradually fatter. But indifference is replaced by concern when obesity related diseases begin to occur.

For interesting examples of students writing that also reveal the causes and effects of other phenomena, consult the custom essay service offering essays by professionals. In this way, you will realize the importance of highlighting the effects right after the causes.

Is obesity an aesthetic disadvantage, an inconvenience, a limitation in physical activity or is it an illness after all? How does it affect health, and what are the consequences? The visible signs of obesity are by no means the only complication associated with this condition. Obesity creates a high risk of life-threatening diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart attack, myocardial infarction, and kidney and liver problems. Moreover, it can also lead to disability.

Cardiovascular Disease

This is the most serious and damaging impact on the body and blood vessels in particular. Every extra kilo is a huge additional load on the heart. Obesity increases the risk of heart attacks. Experts from the American Heart Association have developed a paper on the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease, which discusses the impact of obesity on the diagnosis and outcomes of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and arrhythmias. Childhood obesity aggravates the course of cardiovascular disease from a very early age. The fact that even kids and adolescents are obese is associated with high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia.

The result is excessive insulin production in the body. This, in turn, leads to an overabundance of insulin in the blood, which makes the peripheral tissues more resistant to it. As a consequence of the above, sodium metabolism is disturbed, and blood pressure rises. It is important to remember that excessive carbohydrate food intake leads to increased production of insulin by the pancreas. Excess insulin in the human body easily converts glucose into fat. And obesity reduces tissue sensitivity to insulin itself. This kind of vicious circle leads to type 2 diabetes.

Effects on Joints

Obesity increases the load on joints to a great extent, especially if one undergoes little or no physical activity. For instance, if one lives in a megalopolis, where all physical activity consists of getting off the sofa, walking to the car, and plumping up in an office chair at work. All this leads to a reduction in muscle mass, which is already weak, and all the load falls on the joints and ligaments.

The result is arthritis, arthrosis, and osteochondrosis. Consequently, a seemingly illogical situation is formed – there is practically no exercise, but joints are worn out harder than in the case of powerlifters. In turn, according to a study by the University of California, reducing body weight reduces the risk of osteoarthritis.

Infertility

In most cases, being obese leads to endocrine infertility, as it causes an irregular menstrual cycle. Women experience thyroid disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, problems with conception, and decreased progesterone hormone. Obese men are faced with erectile dysfunction, reduced testosterone levels, and infertility. It should be noted that the mother’s obesity affects not only her health but also the one of her unborn child. These children are at higher risk of congenital malformations.

Corresponding Inconveniences

Public consciousness is still far from the notion that obese people are sick individuals. The social significance of the issue is that people who are severely obese find it difficult to get a job. They experience discriminatory restrictions on promotion, daily living disadvantages, restrictions on mobility, clothing choices, discomfort with adequate hygiene, and sexual dysfunction. Some of these individuals not only suffer from illness and limited mobility but also have low self-esteem, depression, and other psychological problems due to involuntary isolation by watching television or playing video games. Therefore, the public has to recognize the need to establish and implement national and childhood obesity epidemic prevention programs.

Society today provokes unintentional adult and childhood obesity among its members by encouraging the consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods and, at the same time, by technological advances, promoting sedentary lifestyles like spending time watching television or playing video games. These social and technological factors have contributed to the rise in obesity in recent decades. Developing a responsible attitude towards health will only have a full impact if people are given the opportunity to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. At the level of the community as a whole, it is therefore important to support people in adhering to dieting recommendations through the continued implementation of evidence-based and demographic-based policies to make regular physical activity and good nutrition both affordable and feasible for all. It is recommended to cut down on the food consumed.

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Obesity can be argued to be genetically predisposed and there is little governments and NGOs can do about this fact. It is true that some people are born with a higher probability of being overweight and eventually obese than others (Porps 73). However, such predisposition cannot be considered a purely “American problem” since it is almost equally spread amongst different races and ethnicities. Statistically, around 20% of people in the world suffer from obesity. However, this number is significantly higher for the US population. Thus, we need to look at those factors that could explain why the problem of obesity is more serious in America than in, for example, Germany, Russia, or Brazil. One of such factors is the factor of eating habits.

Americans have a tendency towards substantial fast food and soft drink consumption. Eating french fries, pizza, cheeseburgers, and drinking Coca-Cola are the top metabolism inhibitors in modern American society. By consuming such foods and drinks regularly, American teenagers, adults, and children slow down their metabolism by up to 12 times, as research has proven (Henrix 122). This means the same amount of food will be digested and absorbed 12 times slower by an American teen than by a healthy-eating Russian or African child. Moreover, numerous health issues such as ulcers, dysbacteriosis, cholecystitis, and diabetes, which are also directly related to one’s eating habits, have a negative influence on a person’s weight and the amount of fat in a body. Hence, when working towards decreasing obesity rates, we need to start from completely changing our dietary habits and refraining from eating fast foods or drinking soft drinks.

Another point to consider when talking about American dieting habits is the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in their everyday ration. We seem to think a glass of orange juice, watered down from concentrate and flavored with artificial sweeteners, or a few grapes on top of a cupcake for dessert, or a bowl of spinach salad for dinner, does the trick and provides the necessary amount of vitamins, microelements, and minerals for our body and mind. However, this is far from being true, as dietitians inform. Five different fruits and five different vegetables a day is the minimum requirement for healthy development (Parker 56). The key is to eat in variety and to eat fresh, garden-grown products. In the United States, there are few places where fresh, recently-picked, and naturally-grown fruits and vegetables are sold at local markets. In the majority of cases, it is the supermarket chains which distribute such products to Americans across the country. Fruit and vegetables from a supermarket, like Wallmart or Safeway, do not supply us with even half of the valuable nutrients compared to fruits and vegetables from one’s own garden, picked right before consumption and grown without using pesticides and fertilizers.

Unfortunately, keeping our own gardens and growing our own fruits and vegetables is not an act most Americans are able or willing to do. Then, is there a solution? Organic food, which many consider to be rather pricy, is in fact much healthier than what we are offered in the regular chain supermarkets. When it comes to health, prevention and precaution are less expensive than the treatment afterwards. The solution that is most suitable for an average American family is to shop organic, fresh, and healthy, choosing vegetables and fruits over unhealthy calorie-booster snacks like chips, pretzels, and donuts (Open 43).

One more important factor we often forget about when investigating the reasons for high obesity rates in the United States is the factor of portion size. Comparative studies have often proven the size of an average serving portion in America is many times higher than in the majority of other countries. For instance, one portion of pasta in an average American middle-class restaurant can be split into 3.6 Japanese portions, 3.2 Chinese portions, 3.1 French portions, 2.8 Russian portions, 2.3 Polish portions and 2.2 Italian portions (Kin 21). Do Americans need to eat this much? We are not the tallest or the most active nation in the world, but for some reason, we consume twice as much as the Dutch, who ride bicycles while we drive cars, or the Russians, who walk by foot an average of 2.9 miles a day while we barely do half a mile. Americans are getting used to eating more than their body needs since early childhood. Next time we go to a restaurant to order a full bowl of salad followed by a huge plate of spaghetti and a glass of ice tea, we need to remind ourselves how our stomachs are only the size of an average man’s fist normally, but not if you stuff it with loads of food.

Whether we like to admit it or not, obesity is a problem for Americans. The quality of life and the state of health of Americans is much lower than it should be. Some may argue they try to live an active life, doing sports and participate in community activities, but they still have weight problems. This is the case for many Americans who forget that along with changing their lifestyle, going to a gym and running in the mornings, they need to cardinally change their eating habits, consume more fresh and healthy natural foods, stop eating junk food, lessen their portions by half and start eating smart.

Porps, Brain. Genetic Basis of Obesity . Cambridge: Cambridge Press, 2011. Print.

Henrix, William. Soft Drinks and Metabolism . Seattle: Rain City Press, 2010. Print.

Parker, Jones. The Five Secrets to Food . Connecticut: Bridge Publishing, 2009. Print.

Open, Rimpa. How to Shop Organic in a Non-Organic Society . London: Ioatolla Press, 2008. Print.

Kin, Richard. Portions of Mind and Stomach . New York: Boulevard Publishing, 2009. Print.

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Obesity: causes, consequences, treatments, and challenges

Obesity has become a global epidemic and is one of today’s most public health problems worldwide. Obesity poses a major risk for a variety of serious diseases including diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer ( Bluher, 2019 ).

Obesity is mainly caused by imbalanced energy intake and expenditure due to a sedentary lifestyle coupled with overnutrition. Excess nutrients are stored in adipose tissue (AT) in the form of triglycerides, which will be utilized as nutrients by other tissues through lipolysis under nutrient deficit conditions. There are two major types of AT, white AT (WAT) and brown AT, the latter is a specialized form of fat depot that participates in non-shivering thermogenesis through lipid oxidation-mediated heat generation. While WAT has been historically considered merely an energy reservoir, this fat depot is now well known to function as an endocrine organ that produces and secretes various hormones, cytokines, and metabolites (termed as adipokines) to control systemic energy balance. Studies over the past decade also show that WAT, especially subcutaneous WAT, could undergo ‘beiging’ remodeling in response to environmental or hormonal perturbation. In the first paper of this special issue, Cheong and Xu (2021) systematically review the recent progress on the factors, pathways, and mechanisms that regulate the intercellular and inter-organ crosstalks in the beiging of WAT. A critical but still not fully addressed issue in the adipose research field is the origin of the beige cells. Although beige adipocytes are known to have distinct cellular origins from brown and while adipocytes, it remains unclear on whether the cells are from pre-existing mature white adipocytes through a transdifferentiation process or from de novo differentiation of precursor cells. AT is a heterogeneous tissue composed of not only adipocytes but also nonadipocyte cell populations, including fibroblasts, as well as endothelial, blood, stromal, and adipocyte precursor cells ( Ruan, 2020 ). The authors examined evidence to show that heterogeneity contributes to different browning capacities among fat depots and even within the same depot. The local microenvironment in WAT, which is dynamically and coordinately controlled by inputs from the heterogeneous cell types, plays a critical role in the beige adipogenesis process. The authors also examined key regulators of the AT microenvironment, including vascularization, the sympathetic nerve system, immune cells, peptide hormones, exosomes, and gut microbiota-derived metabolites. Given that increasing beige fat function enhances energy expenditure and consequently reduces body weight gain, identification and characterization of novel regulators and understanding their mechanisms of action in the beiging process has a therapeutic potential to combat obesity and its associated diseases. However, as noticed by the authors, most of the current pre-clinical research on ‘beiging’ are done in rodent models, which may not represent the exact phenomenon in humans ( Cheong and Xu, 2021 ). Thus, further investigations will be needed to translate the findings from bench to clinic.

While both social–environmental factors and genetic preposition have been recognized to play important roles in obesity epidemic, Gao et al. (2021) present evidence showing that epigenetic changes may be a key factor to explain interindividual differences in obesity. The authors examined data on the function of DNA methylation in regulating the expression of key genes involved in metabolism. They also summarize the roles of histone modifications as well as various RNAs such as microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs in regulating metabolic gene expression in metabolic organs in response to environmental cues. Lastly, the authors discuss the effect of lifestyle modification and therapeutic agents on epigenetic regulation of energy homeostasis. Understanding the mechanisms by which lifestyles such as diet and exercise modulate the expression and function of epigenetic factors in metabolism should be essential for developing novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases.

A major consequence of obesity is type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that occurs when body cannot use and produce insulin effectively. Diabetes profoundly and adversely affects the vasculature, leading to various cardiovascular-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, arteriosclerotic, and microvascular diseases, which have been recognized as the most common causes of death in people with diabetes ( Cho et al., 2018 ). Love et al. (2021) systematically review the roles and regulation of endothelial insulin resistance in diabetes complications, focusing mainly on vascular dysfunction. The authors review the vasoprotective functions and the mechanisms of action of endothelial insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathways. They also examined the contribution and impart of endothelial insulin resistance to diabetes complications from both biochemical and physiological perspectives and evaluated the beneficial roles of many of the medications currently used for T2D treatment in vascular management, including metformin, thiazolidinediones, glucagon-like receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors, as well as exercise. The authors present evidence to suggest that sex differences and racial/ethnic disparities contribute significantly to vascular dysfunction in the setting of diabetes. Lastly, the authors raise a number of very important questions with regard to the role and connection of endothelial insulin resistance to metabolic dysfunction in other major metabolic organs/tissues and suggest several insightful directions in this area for future investigation.

Following on from the theme of obesity-induced metabolic dysfunction, Xia et al. (2021) review the latest progresses on the role of membrane-type I matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), a zinc-dependent endopeptidase that proteolytically cleaves extracellular matrix components and non-matrix proteins, in lipid metabolism. The authors examined data on the transcriptional and post-translational modification regulation of MT1-MMP gene expression and function. They also present evidence showing that the functions of MT1-MMP in lipid metabolism are cell specific as it may either promote or suppress inflammation and atherosclerosis depending on its presence in distinct cells. MT1-MMP appears to exert a complex role in obesity for that the molecule delays the progression of early obesity but exacerbates obesity at the advanced stage. Because inhibition of MT1-MMP can potentially lower the circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cancer metastasis and atherosclerosis, the protein has been viewed as a very promising therapeutic target. However, challenges remain in developing MT1-MMP-based therapies due to the tissue-specific roles of MT1-MMP and the lack of specific inhibitors for this molecule. Further investigations are needed to address these questions and to develop MT1-MMP-based therapeutic interventions.

Lastly, Huang et al. (2021) present new findings on a critical role of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (PSA), an integral non-transmembrane enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of amino acids near the N-terminus of polypeptides, in NAFLD. NAFLD, ranging from simple nonalcoholic fatty liver to the more aggressive subtype nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, has now become the leading chronic liver disease worldwide ( Loomba et al., 2021 ). At present, no effective drugs are available for NAFLD management in the clinic mainly due to the lack of a complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease progress, reinforcing the urgent need to identify and validate novel targets and to elucidate their mechanisms of action in NAFLD development and pathogenesis. Huang et al. (2021) found that PSA expression levels were greatly reduced in the livers of obese mouse models and that the decreased PSA expression correlated with the progression of NAFLD in humans. They also found that PSA levels were negatively correlated with triglyceride accumulation in cultured hepatocytes and in the liver of ob/ob mice. Moreover, PSA suppresses steatosis by promoting lipogenesis and attenuating fatty acid β-oxidation in hepatocytes and protects oxidative stress and lipid overload in the liver by activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, the master regulator of antioxidant response. These studies identify PSA as a pivotal regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism and suggest that PSA may be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for treating NAFLD.

In summary, papers in this issue review our current knowledge on the causes, consequences, and interventions of obesity and its associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, NAFLD, and cardiovascular disease ( Cheong and Xu, 2021 ; Gao et al., 2021 ; Love et al., 2021 ). Potential targets for the treatment of dyslipidemia and NAFLD are also discussed, as exemplified by MT1-MMP and PSA ( Huang et al., 2021 ; Xia et al., 2021 ). It is noted that despite enormous effect, few pharmacological interventions are currently available in the clinic to effectively treat obesity. In addition, while enhancing energy expenditure by browning/beiging of WAT has been demonstrated as a promising alternative approach to alleviate obesity in rodent models, it remains to be determined on whether such WAT reprogramming is effective in combating obesity in humans ( Cheong and Xu, 2021 ). Better understanding the mechanisms by which obesity induces various medical consequences and identification and characterization of novel anti-obesity secreted factors/soluble molecules would be helpful for developing effective therapeutic treatments for obesity and its associated medical complications.

• Bluher M. (2019). Obesity: global epidemiology and pathogenesis . Nat. Rev. Endocrinol . 15 , 288–298. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Cheong L.Y., Xu A. (2021). Intercellular and inter-organ crosstalk in browning of white adipose tissue: molecular mechanism and therapeutic complications . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 466–479. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Cho N.H., Shaw J.E., Karuranga S., et al. (2018). IDF Diabetes Atlas: global estimates of diabetes prevalence for 2017 and projections for 2045 . Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract . 138 , 271–281. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Gao W., Liu J.-L., Lu X., et al. (2021). Epigenetic regulation of energy metabolism in obesity . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 480–499. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Huang B., Xiong X., Zhang L., et al. (2021). PSA controls hepatic lipid metabolism by regulating the NRF2 signaling pathway . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 527–539. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Loomba R., Friedman S.L., Shulman G.I. (2021). Mechanisms and disease consequences of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease . Cell 184 , 2537–2564. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Love K.M., Barrett E.J., Malin S.K., et al. (2021). Diabetes pathogenesis and management: the endothelium comes of age . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 500–512. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ruan H.-B. (2020). Developmental and functional heterogeneity of thermogenic adipose tissue . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 12 , 775–784. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Xia X.-D., Alabi A., Wang M., et al. (2021). Membrane-type I matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), lipid metabolism, and therapeutic implications . J. Mol. Cell Biol . 13 , 513–526. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]

More From Forbes

Why america’s snacking problem could harm health.

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SANTA FE, NM - JUNE 21, 2013: Customers purchase refreshments at a food stand at the entrance to a ... [+] carnival owned and operated by Bennett's Amusements. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

American adults eat a meal’s worth of calories in snacks every day, according to a recent study published in PLOS Global Public Health .

The study examined data from over 23,000 Americans aged 30 and above through a 24-hour recall dietary survey spanning over a decade in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

According to the study, Americans averaged 400 to 500 calories in snacks a day, which represents roughly a quarter of an average adult’s caloric needs. In addition, most of the snacks consumed offered very little nutritional value, with the most common snacks consumed including foods high in carbohydrates and fats, sweets and alcoholic beverages.

Although snacking can be part of a balanced diet, excessive snacking can pose serious threats to public health. As shown in the aforementioned study, common snacks are high in sugar and unhealthy fats, and add little to one’s overall nutritional health. Consistent consumption of these types of calories can lead to weight gain, which invariably can contribute to the obesity epidemic in America.

More than two in five American adults are obese, according to data from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . Worldwide, more than one billion individuals are obese. These numbers will continue to get worse unless we, as the public, proactively address this issue with more impactful education with respect to nutrition, diet and exercise. Healthier snacking options such as fruits and vegetables should replace the more common options of high sugary foods that are popular among snacking choices for Americans.

Weight gain from snacking can also lead to number of chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. As an example, obesity is linked to 30 to 53% of new diabetes cases each year in the U.S. according to data from the American Heart Association . These chronic diseases are largely preventable from lifestyle modifications and choices we make with respect to diet and exercise.

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Unhealthy snacking could also have a profound effect on children and adolescent health. Snacking can often be habitual for both children and adults, but particularly children when engaging in activities such as watching television. Children are also exposed to marketing of unhealthy snacks on television, which could perhaps influence their dietary decisions with respect to what snacks to consume. Nearly 15 million American children and adolescents are obese, according to data from the CDC . These numbers could be amplified in the future if the national trend of unhealthy snacking is not addressed.

Finally, snacking on foods high in sugar and fats can also pose risks to dental health. As an example, snacks high in sugars feed the bacteria that normally exist in the mouth. When these bacteria break down the sugars in the mouth, they produce acids that can lead to plaque formation. With time, plaques can result in the formation of cavities and ultimately tooth decay.

Although unhealthy snacking can pose serious risks to one’s overall health and well-being, snacking can also be part of a balanced diet if the foods chosen have high nutritional content. Such foods would include whole grains, fruits and vegetables to name a few options.

Ultimately, promoting awareness on healthier snacking can help address America’s snacking problem. This includes fostering environments that promote healthier snack options such as in schools and workplaces, as well as educating children early about developing healthy snack habits. A concerted effort amongst parents, children, educators and food manufacturers can help turn the tide in cultivating healthy snacking for Americans.

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The Last Thing This Supreme Court Could Do to Shock Us

There will be no more self-soothing after this..

For three long years, Supreme Court watchers mollified themselves (and others) with vague promises that when the rubber hit the road, even the ultraconservative Federalist Society justices of the Roberts court would put democracy before party whenever they were finally confronted with the legal effort to hold Donald Trump accountable for Jan. 6. There were promising signs: They had, after all, refused to wade into the Trumpian efforts to set aside the election results in 2020. They had, after all, hewed to a kind of sanity in batting away Trumpist claims about presidential records (with the lone exception of Clarence Thomas, too long marinated in the Ginni-scented Kool-Aid to be capable of surprising us, but he was just one vote). We promised ourselves that there would be cool heads and grand bargains and that even though the court might sometimes help Trump in small ways, it would privilege the country in the end. We kept thinking that at least for Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts , the voice of reasoned never-Trumpers might still penetrate the Fox News fog. We told ourselves that at least six justices, and maybe even seven, of the most MAGA-friendly court in history would still want to ensure that this November’s elections would not be the last in history. Political hacks they may be, but they were not lawless ones.

On Thursday, during oral arguments in Trump v. United States , the Republican-appointed justices shattered those illusions. This was the case we had been waiting for, and all was made clear—brutally so. These justices donned the attitude of cynical partisans, repeatedly lending legitimacy to the former president’s outrageous claims of immunity from criminal prosecution. To at least five of the conservatives, the real threat to democracy wasn’t Trump’s attempt to overturn the election—but the Justice Department’s efforts to prosecute him for the act. These justices fear that it is Trump’s prosecution for election subversion that will “destabilize” democracy, requiring them to read a brand-new principle of presidential immunity into a Constitution that guarantees nothing of the sort. They evinced virtually no concern for our ability to continue holding free and fair elections that culminate in a peaceful transfer of power. They instead offered endless solicitude for the former president who fought that transfer of power.

However the court disposes of Trump v. U.S. , the result will almost certainly be precisely what the former president craves: more delays, more hearings, more appeals—more of everything but justice . This was not a legitimate claim from the start, but a wild attempt by Trump’s attorneys to use his former role as chief executive of the United States to shield himself from the consequences of trying to turn the presidency into a dictatorship. After so much speculation that these reasonable, rational jurists would surely dispose of this ridiculous case quickly and easily, Thursday delivered a morass of bad-faith hand-wringing on the right about the apparently unbearable possibility that a president might no longer be allowed to wield his powers of office in pursuit of illegal ends. Just as bad, we heard a constant minimization of Jan. 6, for the second week in a row , as if the insurrection were ancient history, and history that has since been dramatically overblown, presumably for Democrats’ partisan aims.

We got an early taste of this minimization in Trump v. Anderson , the Colorado case about removing Trump from the ballot. The court didn’t have the stomach to discuss the violence at the Capitol in its sharply divided decision, which found for Trump ; indeed, the majority barely mentioned the events of Jan. 6 at all when rejecting Colorado’s effort to bar from the ballot an insurrectionist who tried to steal our democracy. But we let that one be, because we figured special counsel Jack Smith would ride to the rescue. Smith has indicted Trump on election subversion charges related to Jan. 6, and the biggest obstacle standing between the special counsel and a trial has been the former president’s outlandish claim that he has absolute immunity from criminal charges as a result of his having been president at the time. Specifically, Trump alleges that his crusade to overturn the election constituted “official acts” that are immune from criminal liability under a heretofore unknown constitutional principle that the chief executive is quite literally above the law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held in February that the president does not have blanket or absolute immunity for all actions taken in office, including “official” acts performed under the guise of executing the law (for example, Trump’s attempt to weaponize the DOJ against election results under the pretense of investigating fraud). The D.C. Circuit’s emphatic, cross-ideological decision should have been summarily affirmed by SCOTUS within days. Instead, the justices set it for arguments two months down the road—a bad omen, to put it mildly . Even then, many court watchers held out hope that Thursday morning’s oral arguments were to be the moment for the nine justices of the Supreme Court to finally indicate their readiness to take on Trump, Trumpism, illiberalism, and slouching fascism.

It was not to be. Justice Samuel Alito best captured the spirit of arguments when he asked gravely “what is required for the functioning of a stable democratic society” (good start!), then answered his own question: total immunity for criminal presidents (oh, dear). Indeed, anything but immunity would, he suggested, encourage presidents to commit more crimes to stay in office: “Now, if an incumbent who loses a very close, hotly contested election knows that a real possibility after leaving office is not that the president is going to be able to go off into a peaceful retirement but that the president may be criminally prosecuted by a bitter political opponent, will that not lead us into a cycle that destabilizes the functioning of our country as a democracy?” Never mind that the president in question did not leave office peacefully and is not sitting quietly in retirement but is instead running for presidential office once again. No, if we want criminal presidents to leave office when they lose, we have to let them commit crimes scot-free. If ever a better articulation of the legal principle “Don’t make me hit you again” has been proffered at an oral argument, it’s hard to imagine it.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke to this absurdity when she responded in what could only be heard as a cri de coeur: “Stable democratic society needs good faith of public officials,” she said. “That good faith assumes that they will follow the law.” The justice noted that despite all the protections in place, a democracy can sometimes “potentially fail.” She concluded: “In the end, if it fails completely, it’s because we destroyed our democracy on our own, isn’t it?”

But it was probably too late to make this plea, because by that point we had heard both Alito and Gorsuch opine that presidents must be protected at all costs from the whims of overzealous deep state prosecutors brandishing “vague” criminal statutes. We heard Kavanaugh opine mindlessly on the independent counsel statute and how mean it is to presidents, reading extensively from Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in a case arguing that independent counsels are unconstitutional. (Yes, Kavanaugh worked for Ken Starr , the independent counsel.) If you’re clocking a trend here, it’s gender. Just as was the case in Anderson , it’s the women justices doing the second-shift work here: both probing the thorny constitutional and criminal questions and signaling a refusal to tank democracy over abstractions and deflections. As was the case in the EMTALA arguments, it’s the women who understand what it looks like to cheat death.

Is the president, Sotomayor asked, immune from prosecution if he orders the military to assassinate a political rival? Yes, said John Sauer, who represented Trump—though it “depends on the circumstances.” Could the president, Justice Elena Kagan asked, order the military to stage a coup? Yes, Sauer said again, depending on the circumstances. To which Kagan tartly replied that Sauer’s insistence on specifying the “circumstances” boiled down to “Under my test, it’s an official act, but that sure sounds bad, doesn’t it?” (Cue polite laughter in the chamber.)

This shameless, maximalist approach should have drawn anger from the conservative justices—indignation, at least, that Sauer took them for such easy marks. But it turns out that he calibrated his terrible arguments just right. The cynicism on display was truly breathtaking: Alito winkingly implied to Michael Dreeben, representing Smith, that we all know that Justice Department lawyers are political hacks, right? Roberts mocked Dreeben for saying “There’s no reason to worry because the prosecutor will act in good faith.”

The conservative justices are so in love with their own voices and so convinced of their own rectitude that they monologued about how improper it was for Dreeben to keep talking about the facts of this case, as opposed to the “abstract” principles at play. “I’m talking about the future!” Kavanaugh declared at one point to Dreeben, pitching himself not as Trump’s human shield but as a principled defender of the treasured constitutional right of all presidents to do crime. (We’re sure whatever rule he cooks up will apply equally to Democratic presidents, right?) Kavanaugh eventually landed on the proposition that prosecutors may charge presidents only under criminal statutes that explicitly state they can be applied to the president. Which, as Sotomayor pointed out, would mean no charges everywhere, because just a tiny handful of statutes are stamped with the label “CAN BE APPLIED TO PRESIDENT.”

The words bold and fearless action were repeated on a loop today, as a kind of mantra of how effective presidents must be free to act quickly and decisively to save democracy from the many unanticipated threats it faces. And yet the court—which has been asked to take bold and fearless action to deter the person who called Georgia’s secretary of state to demand that he alter the vote count, and threatened to fire DOJ officials who would not help steal an election—is backing away from its own duty. The prospect of a criminal trial for a criminal president shocked and appalled five men: Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch suggested that Smith’s entire prosecution is unconstitutional; meanwhile, Roberts sounded eager at times to handle the case just a hair more gracefully: by cutting out its heart by preventing the jury from hearing about “official acts” (which lie at the center of the alleged conspiracy). Justice Amy Coney Barrett was far more measured, teasing out a compromise with Dreeben that would compel the trial court to tell the jury it could not impose criminal liability for these “official” acts, only “private ones.” Remember, drawing that line would require months of hearings and appeals, pushing any trial into 2025 or beyond. The president who tried to steal the most recent election is running in the next one, which is happening in mere months.

The liberal justices tried their best to make the case that justice required denying Trump’s sweeping immunity claim, permitting the trial to move forward, and sorting out lingering constitutional issues afterward, as virtually all other criminal defendants must do. They got little traction. Everyone on that bench was well aware that the entire nation was listening to arguments; that the whole nation wants to understand whether Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 election was an existential threat to democracy or a lark. Five justices sent the message, loud and clear, that they are far more worried about Trump’s prosecution at the hands of the deep-state DOJ than about his alleged crimes, which were barely mentioned. This trial will almost certainly face yet more delays. These delays might mean that its subject could win back the presidency in the meantime and render the trial moot. But the court has now signaled that nothing he did was all that serious and that the danger he may pose is not worth reining in. The real threats they see are the ones Trump himself shouts from the rooftops: witch hunts and partisan Biden prosecutors. These men have picked their team. The rest hardly matters.

Nestlé adds more sugar to baby food in poorer countries, report finds

Nestlé adds more sugar to baby food sold in lower- and middle-income countries, while more affluent markets get healthier versions, according to a recent report released by a nonprofit group.

The Swiss food giant’s products in lower-income countries contained up to 7.3 grams of added sugar per serving, while the same food sold in Europe often contained none, according to the findings of an investigation by Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), based on data from the market analysis company Euromonitor.

The Swiss nonprofit group Public Eye denounced what it called Nestlé’s “harmful double standard,” which it said contributes to an increase in obesity “and leads children to develop a lifelong preference for sugary products.”

The report compared the sugar content of Cerelac instant cereal and Nido powdered milk, two of Nestlé’s best-selling baby food brands in low- and middle-income countries, which raked in more than $2.5 billion in 2022.

In Thailand, Ethiopia, South Africa, India and Bangladesh, among others, Nestlé added up to 6 grams of sugar per serving of Cerelac. The same brand was sold containing zero sugar in Britain and Germany. Cerelac had on average 4 grams of sugar per serving — or about one sugar cube — in countries in the Global South. Cerelac sold in the Philippines contained the highest amount of added sugar, with 7.3 grams per serving.

In several countries, including the Philippines, Nigeria, Senegal, Vietnam and Pakistan, added sugar content was not declared on the packaging.

In a statement on Monday, Nestlé said the variations in sugar content across countries depended on “several factors, including regulations and availability of local ingredients, which can result in offerings with lower or no-added sugars.” The company added that this does not “compromise the nutritional value of our products for infants and young children.”

“In European countries, consumer pressure has driven Nestlé to remove added sugar from their baby food products,” Laurent Gaberell and Manuel Abebe, researchers at Public Eye who were involved in the report, wrote in an email to The Washington Post. “We regret that the company has nevertheless decided to continue adding sugar in lower-income countries.”

The same trend was detected to a lesser degree in Nido products. An analysis of the brand showed that its products contained an average of 2 grams of added sugar per serving, with Nido items sold in Panama containing the highest, at 5.3 grams per serving.

“Nestlé itself advises to avoid any added sugar at that age,” Gaberell and Abebe wrote. Nestlé says on its Brazilian website that it is ideal to avoid eating added sugar in childhood.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children younger than 2 years old “should not be fed foods and beverages with added sugars at all.”

The World Health Organization also advises parents and guardians not to add sugar to complement foods for children 2 years or younger.

After the report’s release, officials in India sought investigations into its main allegations. Bangladeshi officials have also said they will look into “the issue of added sugar in baby foods,” according to a local report .

In the Philippines, a bill prohibiting additional sugar in baby food is pending in the Senate. A spokesman for the country’s Department of Health voiced support for its passage on Friday.

UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency, urges “governments to regulate the nutritional value” of such foods, said Roland Kupka, the regional nutrition adviser for East Asia and the Pacific, in response to the report. The organization also called for the prohibition of added sugars and misleading marketing.

The findings are “disturbing,” Albert Domingo, a senior Philippine Health Department official, told The Post, “especially since the World Health Organization recommendation is apparently followed in other countries.”

Nestlé said it has reduced added sugars in its infant cereals portfolio worldwide by 11 percent and is phasing out added sugars from its “growing-up milk,” which is for children ages 12 to 36 months.

The company added that it is “important to distinguish between added and total sugars in our products.” For example, total sugars could include the lactose naturally present in milk or be from ingredients such as fruit, puree or honey.

Gaberell and Abebe of Public Eye said that added sugar “leads babies to develop a preference for overly sweet foods, setting them up for a lifelong diet of highly processed foods.”

Regine Cabato in Manila contributed to this report.

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Guest Essay

Liz Truss Is Coming for America

By Tanya Gold

Ms. Gold is a British journalist who has written for Harper’s Magazine, The Spectator and UnHerd.

Liz Truss was the prime minister of Britain for 49 days in 2022, an interregnum between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak that was so short, it was outlasted by a lettuce . In the annals of British decline, she will be remembered for having been in office just three days when Queen Elizabeth II died and for her plan for an enormous and apparently unfunded tax cut, which she abruptly dropped after a run on the pound.

If this were the 19th century, Ms. Truss would have perhaps exiled herself to a country estate where peacocks roamed the grounds or fought her enemies with pistols. (In 1809 the foreign secretary, George Canning, was wounded in a duel with the war minister.) But this is not a time of penance or honor. Instead she has reinvented herself as a populist and has a new book, “ Ten Years to Save the West : Leading the Revolution Against Globalism, Socialism, and the Liberal Establishment,” which is part memoir, part pitch to the American right: She has seen the deep state up close and knows what needs to be done.

This is not Ms. Truss’s first political transformation. She began her career as an anti-monarchy member of the centrist Liberal Democrats, before transmogrifying into an uneasy Margaret Thatcher tribute act. She voted to remain in the European Union and then remade herself as a champion of Brexit. She survived every government from 2012 until her own. As environment secretary, she got memorably angry about cheese — “We import two-thirds of our cheese. That. Is. A. Disgrace” — but was never really considered a likely leader of the Conservative Party until her predecessor Mr. Johnson almost burned the party down .

When she did get her turn and tried to execute her vision of a low-tax, low-regulation, high-growth Britain, it did not go well. After she announced her economic program, the pound sank, interest rates shot up, and the Bank of England had to intervene . Abandoning a central plank of the plan was not enough to mollify her critics, and she resigned soon after. (Even Mr. Canning, who survived his wounds and eventually became prime minister, lasted longer. He died of pneumonia after 119 days.)

People deal with public failure in different ways. For Ms. Truss, the method seems to be twofold. First, to insist that she was and is right but was foiled by the deep state. Second, to see if America might buy what she’s selling.

Last April she gave the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., where she sketched out how she was foiled by the establishment. “I simply underestimated the scale and depth of this resistance and the scale and depth to which it reached into the media and into the broader establishment,” she said. The anti-growth movement — in which she seems to include President Biden, the I.M.F., the British Treasury and the Bank of England, among others — is “focused on redistributionism, on stagnation and on the imbuing of woke culture into our businesses.”

This year, in February, she told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland that “the West has been run by the left for too long, and we’ve seen that it’s been a complete disaster.” (The Conservatives have governed Britain for 14 years.) Real conservatives, she said, “are now operating in what is a hostile environment. We essentially need a bigger bazooka in order to be able to deliver.” While at CPAC, she also spoke to Steve Bannon, whom she invited to “come over to Britain and sort out Britain,” and told Nigel Farage that she “felt safer for the West” when Donald Trump was president.

And now here is “Ten Years to Save the West,” which in title seems squarely aimed at America but in content often feels oddly parochial. Ms. Truss writes of traveling to Balmoral to accept Elizabeth II’s invitation to form a government. Here, Elizabeth II is a soothsayer. “She warned me that being prime minister is incredibly aging. She also gave me two words of advice: ‘Pace yourself.’ Maybe I should have listened.”

She is not sure that the flat above Downing Street “would be rated well on Airbnb.” It felt “a bit soulless,” she writes. It was apparently infested with fleas. And she couldn’t sleep because of the noise, including the clock at nearby Horse Guards, which chimed every quarter-hour. Picturing her flea-bitten and exhausted made me think of a line from Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair” — “Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied ?”

By the time she got to her resignation, she writes, it “seemed like just another dramatic moment in a very strange film in which I had somehow been cast,” which, to me, felt like truth.

It’s unclear whether Ms. Truss will be able to read an American room any better than a British one. In the book, she describes America as Britain’s “proudest creation, albeit an unintentional one,” and she is critical of Mr. Biden, who called her tax cuts for the wealthy a “ mistake .” “This was utter hypocrisy and ignorance,” she writes. She notes, on the other hand, that she was an early fan of “The Apprentice” and enjoyed Mr. Trump’s “catchphrases and sassy business advice.”

But Americans who fear the deep state aren’t necessarily the ones who want a small one, and Ms. Truss is a poor public speaker. I’d expect conservative Americans to see her as a curio and move on to more familiar and charismatic icons. But one never knows.

Who is to blame for Liz Truss? Maybe it was the winds of history. Or a political system that rewards risk takers and narcissism. Or it was 14 years of one party in power, at the end of which are the people who hung on long enough.

Or it was Mr. Johnson, who made her foreign secretary in his government. (He is now a tabloid columnist writing about his late-night chorizo binges and how much he loves his lawn mower , so he has nothing to laugh about, either.)

The Conservative Party is packing for the wilderness. Many lawmakers are not even standing in the forthcoming election, which must be held by January. And Ms. Truss herself may lose her seat, in Norfolk, to James Bagge, who is standing as an independent. Mr. Bagge is part of a local cohort concerned about issues like the National Health Service and the cost of living and unimpressed by Ms. Truss’s globe-trotting. “Truss says she has 10 years to save the West,” he recently told The London Times. “Well, we have six months to save Norfolk.”

I wonder whether Ms. Truss is coming for America because her enemies in Norfolk are coming for her. The Conservative endgame is here. The land of opportunity beckons.

Tanya Gold is a British journalist.

Photographs by Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press and RunPhoto, Issaraway Tattong, Cathering Fall Commerical, Flashpop, posteriori, and Carl Court/Getty Images.

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