WHY ARE AMERICANS OBESE? To understand the true size of the American obesity epidemic, we first need to understand what

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WHY ARE AMERICANS OBESE?
To understand the true size of the American obesity epidemic, wefirst need to understand what it really means tobe overweight. Generally, doctors and nutritionists classifypeople as either underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese.These different classifications are determined by body mass index(BMI), or a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. Toget a basic idea, this chart from the CDC approximates what thatmeans for someone who is 5'9" tall.
As for what is driving America's chronic weight problem, thereare no definite answers. Scientific studies often reach conflictingconclusions, meaning many theories are out there, but thepreponderance of evidence points to the two causes most peoplealready suspect: too much food and too little exercise.
Bigger Portions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that theaverage American ate almost 20% more calories in the year 2000 thanthey did in 1983, thanks, in part, to a boom in meat consumption.Today, each American puts away an average of 195lbs of meat everyyear, compared to just 138lbs in the 1950's. Consumption of addedfats also shot up by around two thirds over the same period, andgrain consumption rose 45% since 1970.
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Research published by the World Health Organization foundthat a rise in fast food sales correlated to a rise in body massindex, and Americans are notorious for their fast-food consumption― such food makes up about 11% of the average Americandiet. Another study demonstrates the full effect addedsugars from soda and energy drinks are wreaking havoc on Americanwaistlines. So it is not just how much we eat, but what we eat.
Confusing "Diet" for "Nutrition"
The role of diet in the U.S. obesity epidemic is obviouslymajor, but it's also complex. Consumers are sent wildly mixedmessages when it comes to what to eat and how much. One one hand,larger portions, processed packaged food, and drive-thru meals arebranded as almost classically American — fast, cheap, filling anddelicious. On the other hand, we spend over $20billion annually on weight loss schemes, from diet books andpills all the way up to last-resort surgeries like lap-bands andliposuction. It's no wonder we're looking for fast food and fastweight loss options, we spend more time at work and lesstime in our homes and kitchens than our parents did. Sometimes youonly have time to pack a leftover pizza slice and a slim-fast forlunch, irony be damned.
This schizophrenic relationship with food is easy to explain interms of marketing schemes. As decades of soda and tv dinnerscaught up with our waistlines, the U.S. diet industry grew bigger,faster and smarter. Since the 1970s, popular nutrition wisdom andfad diets have flamed in and out just as quickly as the Arch Deluxeor the McRib. In the 1990s, our big enemy was fat. Low-fat andfat-free products flew off supermarket shelves. It took us decadesto learn that when something is fat-free and full-flavored, it'sprobably too good to be true.
As it turns out, most food companies were just swappinghydrogenated oils and sugar in for the animal fats theyremoved from low-fat products. Hydrogenated oils are restructuredvegetable oils that carry high levels of trans-fats, anamazingly evil type of fat that can raise your bad cholesterol,lower your good cholesterol and increase your risks of developingheart disease, stroke and diabetes. While somewhat less sinister,added sugar can also wreak major damage on a diet. Technically lowin calories, high-quantities of sugar disrupts our metabolisms,causing surges in insulin and energy levels and ultimatelycontributing to weight gain and diabetes.
Inactivity is the New Normal
Lack of exercise is also a major culprit in the obesityepidemic. It's been decades since most Americans worked in fieldsand on factory floors, a far greater majority of us are sittingthroughout our workday. This means less exercise each day.According to one study, only 20% of today's jobs require atleast moderate physical activity, as opposed to 50% of jobs in1960. Other research suggests Americans burn 120 to 140fewer calories a day than they did 50 years ago. Add this to thehigher amount of calories we are packing in, and we get a perfectrecipe for weight gain.
But lethargy goes well beyond the workplace. It is also how weget to work and what we do after. Americans walkless than people in any other industrialized country,preferring to sit in cars to get around. And at the end of the day,80% of Americans don't get enough exercise, according to theCDC.
A number of other factors are thought to play a role in theobesity epidemic, such as the in utero effectsof smoking and excessive weight gain in pregnant mothers. Poorsleep, stress, and lower rates of breastfeeding arealso thought to contribute to a child's long-term obesity risk. Ofcourse, these factors are not explicit or solitary causes ofobesity, but they are reliable indicators of the kinds of systemichealthcare failures contributing to this crisis.
In the end, though, we can't lose sight of the big picture. Overthe past years, diet fads have come and gone, with people rushingto blame red meat, dairy, wheat, fat, sugar, etc. for making themfat, but in reality, the problem is much simpler. Genetics and agedo strongly influence metabolism, but as the CDC points out,weight gain and loss is primarily a formula of total caloriesconsumed versus total calories used.
Choose one of the following healthconsequences ofobesity: Diabetes, CardiovascularDisease, Cancer, Depression, ReproductionIssues, RespiratoryDisease, CognitiveHealth, Musculoskeletal Disorders
Please help with answer the following questionsabout your ONE selected health consequence above: