Common Causes Of Obesity

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Common Causes of Obesity According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually twenty percent over an individual’s ideal body weight, and about one third of the U.S population is obese. People who qualify as obese have a high percentage of body fat that in time puts their health at risk. “Obesity is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death” (Ford-Martin & Frey, 2005). This is the reason why obesity has become such a big concern among Americans, but what is the cause of this epidemic? Many adults survive on high calorie diets without knowing and do not find the time to exercise as much as they should, and obesity is the result of this behavior. It is true that there are various interlinked reasons why obesity is so prevalent among adults in our society today; however, poor health education, limited exercise, and poor eating habits are the three main factors of this epidemic. “Twenty to forty percent over ideal weight is considered mildly obese; forty to one hundred percent over ideal weight is considered moderately obese; and one hundred percent over ideal weight is considered severely, or morbidly, obese” (Health and Medicine Encyclopedia - Vol 19) . “BMI is a common measurement that uses a person's height and weight to formulate a measure of overweight or obesity... Patients were divided along BMIs in four grades: pre-obese (BMI < 30), obesity grade 1 (BMI 30-34.9), obesity grade 2 (BMI 35-39.9) and obesity grade 3 (BMI ≥ 40)” (EurekAlert, 2010). Many American adults are a part of the moderately obese category, making obesity a huge epidemic. As mentioned before, there are various reasons why, but because there are so many causes we have to focus on the root of the issue. Many people will argue that obesity is caused by genetic factors that cannot be

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