Obesity A New Problem - 1640 Words

We as Americans are in the midst of the fight against one of the biggest factors harming our well-being†¦obesity. This epidemic is somewhat of a new problem for our modern society, as generations before us generally faced the inverse problem. Obesity has been on a steady rise for many years now due in part to the modernization of our country and the technological benefits that go hand-in-hand with those advancements. As obesity has become a commonplace problem, we are now adapting aspects of our society for this epidemic, such as enlarging the size of seats in movie theaters to accommodate our ever-increasing waist lines. Along with forcing structural changes, obesity and the many health problems that follow, cause our society to devote†¦show more content†¦The most well-known diseases associated with being overweight include, but are not limited to, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. I tend to think of obesity as the opening of a hole, filled with health problems that worsen as you fall deeper and deeper in. In addition, the odds of you being able to lose weight, or climb out of the hole, become less and less likely as you fall deeper because much of the damage done to your body from obesity cannot be undone. But I have to wonder, if it’s so commonly known that a balanced diet and exercise can avoid these problems, then why has obesity been on such an upward slope? As Americans’ weight has grown, so too has the amount of sugar in our diets, especially within our beverage choices. Due to the increase in technology a lot has changed in the amount of choice and convenience we, as consumers, have in today’s society compared to previous generations. Until recent years, Americans were more likely to drink milk and water as opposed to soda or juice, especially in light of limited financial and accessibility reasons. Today I, like a lot of Americans, are more likely to grab a sugary beverage before a healthier choice like water. Most Americans know that soda is an unhealthy choice, one that can lead to an array of health problems related to obesity. One of these being the inhibition of the release of hormones like leptin, the hormone that gives you