Myers,Bodily,Webb1

SierraMyers,KristaBodily,BraydeeWebb Wolverton English1010 December20,2013 Obesity,aModernEpidemic Isonesweighttrulyaproblem?Isitalargeenoughproblemtobeanalyzedbyscientist, statistics,andourgovernment?ObesityinAmericahasbeenontheriseforthepastfewcenturies.This hasbeentakingplacenotonlyinthetheadultsbutintheyouthandchildren.Timeshavechangedsince the17thcenturyandearlierweightwasasignofwealthbutnowithasbecometheexactopposite. Thedifferencebetweennowandtimesnowpastisnotonlyourdailylifestylebutthefoodweeatand ourexercisepatternsandplay.Inthepastgenerations,dailytransportationwouldbetheirfeet,butnow afiveminutewalkhasturnedintoacardrive.Thefoodthatweeatistheonefactorthathaschanged mostdramatically.Thequalityofourfoodbasedonnutritionhasmajoritivelydecreased.Theportion sizeshaveincreased.Americansdietsnowcontainprocessedfoodsmoreoftenthanfreshingredients. Processedfoodshaveadditivessuchashighfructosecornsyrup,unhealthyprocessedfats,andsodium. LackofsleepmayalsobeafactorinAmericanobesitywithourbusylifestylesandtechnologieswe arentgettingenoughsleep. Thegovernmenthasnoticedthenewtrendofobesity,andprogramshavebeensettoaddress obesity.Theprogramsthathavebeensetbythegovernmenthavenotfocusedoninformingourcitizens oftheproblemathand.Theseprogramshaveinsteadbeeninvasiveofourpersonalrighttochoosefor ourselveswhatweputintoourbodies.Itisourownresponsibilityasindividualstotakecareofour bodies.Thereareunhealthychoicesbutthegovernmentdoesnothavetherighttoinfringeuponthose

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personalchoices. FRAC,afoodresearchandactioncenter,informsusthatobesityratessince1970havemore thandoubledinadultsandchildren.Eventhoughsomeestimateshavesuggestedthattherateoverall hasplateauedormaybeevendeclined,obesityisstillahealthproblemforalotofpeople.Twothirdsof adultsintheU.S.areobeseoroverweight(OverweightandObesity).Dependingonyourrace, gender,andageobesitymayplayabiggerroleinyourlife.Thequarterofkidsages25yearsoldare overweight.Aswellasonethirdofschoolagechildrenareobese(OverweightandObesity).This justgoestoshowthatthereisaproblemwiththeweightofpeopleinoursociety. Furthermore,thecausesforobesityarenumerous,buttheycanbecategorizedintoafewbroad areas.TheCenterforDiseaseControlandPreventionhasputthecauseintothreemaincategories. Thefirstonebeing,overweightandobesitymayresultfromanenergyimbalance.Thesecondbeingthe bodyweightistheresultantofgenes,metabolism,behavior,environment,culture,andsocioeconomic status.Thethirdisbehaviorandenvironmentarealargepartthatattributestopeoplebeingoverweight (CausesandConsequences). Environmentplaysabigroleonsomeonesweight.Ifeveryoneyoulivewithisoverweight, whatisthechancesofyoubreakingthatpattern?Weeateverythingtheyeatanddoeverythingtheydo. Wearentgoingtostopeatingtheunhealthyfoodifwearetheonlyone,norarewegoingtostart exercisingifnooneyouknowexercises.Alotoftimespeoplearefightinganuphillbattletryingtoget outofarutourpastgenerationshaveputusin(CausesandConsequences). Genesalsoplayaroleinyourfuturehowever,whetherornotthecauseofobesityisthefaultof yourgeneticsisnotaforsurething.Havingonegenethatwillguaranteethatyouwillbeobeseisnot likely.Youaremorelikelytohavemultiplegenesthatwouldincreaseyoursusceptibilityforobesity.

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Thesegeneswouldstillneedoutsidefactorstoreallycontributetoobesity(Causesand Consequences). Obesitycanleadtomanyseriousproblems.Somebeingcoronaryheartdisease,diabetes, cancer,highbloodpressure,badcholesterol,astroke,liverandgallbladderdisease,sleepapneaand breathingproblems,osteoarthritis,andgynecologicalproblems.Alltheseareseriousproblemsthat couldarise.Alotofthemincludeendinginfatality.Thatisscary.Weneedtobeawareofthe repercussionsofsuchlackofresponsibilityofourhealth. Bycontrollingwhatweeatthegovernmentispunishingthosewhoknowhowtotakecareof theirbody.Theyarenthelpingthesituation.Theyexpectruleslikerestrictingtheamountofsodawe drinkwillreducetheamountofobesepeopleinourworld.Won'tthesepeoplegofindthatfixfor themselvessomeplaceelse? Furthermore,governmenttriestocontrolourlivesbytryingtoevenoutthecostofhealthcare, sothattheoverweightpopulationwillbeabletoaffordtheirhealthcarecosts.Thiscausestherestof ourpopulationtosufferinpayingridiculousamountsonhealthcareforasimplecheckup. Thegovernmenthasalreadybeeninfringingonourrightswhenitcomestoourpersonaldietsin ordertotryandcontroltheobesitylevelsinourcountry.DuringGeorgeW.Bushsadministration,his ploysatpublichealthwerenotbasedonpublichealth,butcorporateinterests(Ruskin,Schor15). Largecompanies,suchasCocaCola,Mcdonalds,andKrafttriedtoappeasetheBushadministration bynotadvertisingtochildren,butactuallyweregettingtheircorporateandpoliticalinterestsmet (Ruskin,Schor15).Thegovernmentiscomposedofelectedofficialswhorelyonfundingtoobtaintheir governmentpostsofpositions.Ittakesalotofcampaignfundingtobeelected.Mostofthisfunding comesfromspecialinterestgroupsbecausetheyhavethelargestpocketsandhaveaselfserving

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agenda.Electedofficialscatertothesespecialinterestgroupsorcompaniesbecauseitservesbetterfor reelection.Therefore,thepersonalinterestoftheelectedofficialmightnotcorrespondwiththe bettermentofthepublicasintheBushadministrationcaseabove(Ruskin,Schor15). Unfortunately,thishasbeenconsistentthroughseveralelectionsanddoesnotdifferfromone partytoanother(Ruskin,Schor15).Thismeansitdoesn'tmatterifyouarearepublican,democrat,or greenparty,etc..Theseofficialsrelyonspecialinterestsandlobbyinggroupsforcampaignfunding. Justlookingatsomeofthenamesofthelargelobbyinggroupsandyouseewheretheirinterestare: CocaCola,PepsiCola,FritoLay,BurgerKingandtheNationalAutomaticMerchandising Association,whichisavendingmachinetradegroup(Ruskin,Schor16).Allofthesegroupscore productshaveingredientsthathavebeenidentifiedasmajorcontributorstochildhoodobesity.Amajor exampleofhowpolicydecisionshavebeenmadetoappeasespecialinterestiswhentheBush administrationattackedanantiobesityinitiativewhereitcriticizedthecategorizingofgoodandbad foods(Ruskin,Schor16).Theyweresupportingthespecialinterestgroupsbydiminishingthe categoriesoffoodsasgoodorbad(Ruskin,Schor16).Thisopenedtheargumentthatifthereisno goodfoodtherecan'tbethealternativeofbadfood(Ruskin,Schor16).Thereforetheconsumptionof sugarsandfatarenotgoodorbadandthattheydonotcontributetoobesity. MayorBloombergofNewYorkCity,inhisthreeyearterm,hastriedtoposebansonselling sodasatrestaurantsthatareoversixteenounces.Hehaspushedfora25percentreductionofsaltin foods,andhasbannedfooddonationstothehomelesssayingyoucan'tassesstheirsalt,fat,andfiber content(Ax)(RandallandPettypiece)(BloombergStrikes).Isthisreallynecessary?Asregardsto theattempttobansodainallrestaurants,MayorBloombergwassaidtohaveoversteppedhis authorityintryingtoimposetheban(Ax).Thelawhetriedtopasswouldhaveprohibitedbusinesses

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fromsellinglargerthan16ouncesodasandbeveragesthatwouldbeconsideredsugary.Thiswassaid toviolatethestateprincipleofseparationofpowers(Ax).Bloombergsattempttofightobesitywas regulatingallthatweconsume.InlookinginontheloopholesofBloombergslaw,courtsnoticedthatit exempted7Elevenwithits64ouncedrink,aswellasstarbucks.ThelawwasstruckdowninMarch (Ax). Bloomberghasbannedfooddonationtothehomeless.Hepointsoutthatthecitycantassess theirsalt,fat,andfibercontent.GlennRichter,amanknowntodonatetothehomelesssheltersfor morethan20years,wasturnedawayfromdonatingbagelstothelocalhomelessshelter.Hiscarrot stewwasturnedawayaswell.Bloombergadministration'swanttomonitorwhatthehomelesseatin regardstosalt,fat,andfiber(BloombergStrikes).Thisisridiculous.Peoplearetryingtobeniceand helpthoselessfortunatethanourselvesandtheyareturningthatfoodaway.Whatrightdotheyhavein sayingwhatwecanandcanteat? NewYorkhaspushedtohavethesaltinrestaurantsandpackagesreducedby25 percentinthenextfiveyears.Itissaidthatsodiumcontentinordinaryfoodslikeadeli sandwichissohighthatitmayevencontainyourtotaldailyrecommendation.Onehassaidthat thebestwaytoreducethesaltintakewouldbepubliceducationoftheissue.Weshouldbe tellingthemwithadvertisingnotmakinglawsforcingpeopletocomply(RandallandPettypiece). Ifsomeonedoesntwanttolistentothereasoningthentheyhavetherighttoeatwhatthey want. Inaddition,theincreaseofobesityinAmericahasalsomeanttheincreaseofhealth insurance.Obesityhasdriventhecostofinsurancetorisesteadilyovertimebecausehealth insuranceobviouslydoesnotcoverobesity.AccordingtoKatrinaTang,healthinsurancewill

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coverthehealthproblemsrelatedtoobesity,ortheeffectsthatobesityhasonourbodies. Obesityrelateddiseasesaccountfor61%ofhealthcareinsurancecosts.KatrinaTangsays, NeitherMedicarenorMedicaiddirectlycoverstheconditionofobesity,butthehealth problemsrelatedtoorcausedbyobesityarecovered.ObesitycanleadtoType2diabetes, chronicheartdisease,hypertension,andmanyothersyndromesanddiseasesthatarecovered byMedicaidandMedicare.Asobesityhasincreased,sohastheincidenceofthesediseases, therebyincreasingthecostofhealthcare(Tang2013).Thegovernmentinterferencetodecrease obesitythroughoutschoolscannotreallymakeadifferenceliketheyhaveintendedtoforvarious reasons.Consideringthebasicfactsthathealthierfoodgenerallycostsmore.Americanswill obviouslygoforthecheaperoptions.Wherethegovernmentcouldreallymakeadifferenceis bycreatingasystemofcheaperandhealthierfoodeverywhere,notjustatschool.Tangsays, Thenumberonethingthegovernmentshoulddotohelpthehealthcaresystemistobring downobesityrates.Moneyshouldbespentonprogramsthatencourageahealthylifestyleand educatepeopleonbeinghealthy.Ifobesityrateswerereducedbyonlyfivepercent,the governmentcouldsaveanestimated$611.7billiononhealthcarecostsoverthenexttwenty years(Tang). Somesaythatgovernmentrestrictionswehavenowarebeneficialandhelplowerchildhood obesity.Therearemanythingswrongwiththisstatement.Thegovernment'sinterestsinthisprograms anddecisions,whileappearingtobeforthegoodofthepublictheyhavenegativeintentionsby benefitingthecorporationsandspecialinterestgroupswearenotteachingchildrenhowtoeatbut solvingtheproblemforthemwhichdoesn'tteachthemhowtochoosewiselyforthemselves.The governmentshouldnotbeinfringingonourpersonalrights,buteducateandadvisethepublictobetter

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understandtheimportanceofeatinghealthywhilehonoringtheirfreedomofchoice. Obesityisamajorprobleminoursociety.Anothersolutioncouldbegivingalltheresponsibility tothegovernment.Thatiftherewerentanycupslargerthansixteenouncesthatitwouldhelpfight obesity.ThatbyrestrictingAmericanswearehelpingthem.Weareallowingthemtotake responsibilityfinallybutinadifferentway.Theyareallowingtheburdenofchoosinghowtheyeattothe government.Alltheregulationtheyplaceonuswouldhelpusrealizehowmuchhealthierwecouldbe. Byallowinggovernmenttotellushowmuchsaltshouldbeinthefoodwebuy,weareensuredthat whatweareeatingishealthy.Therateofheartattacksandstrokeswouldgodown.Makingthe burdenofdeathalittlefartheraway.Therateofobesitywoulddecreaseandwewouldbeahealthier nation.Allowingustobehealthyreducingthecostofhealthcare.Thiswouldhelpavoidsomeofthe majorhealthproblemsassociatedwithobesity.Thiswouldensuretomorrowofnothavingtoworry aboutthehealtheffectsofnoteatinghealthy. Itistruethatwecontrolourobesityandwhatweeatthereforewecannotblamethe governmentforourincreasedcostinhealthinsurance.Asmentionedbeforehowever,weareobesedue tothecostsofhealthierfoodversusacheapmealatafastfoodrestaurant.Wecannotblamethe governmentforourhealthproblemsasawholebecausetherearegeneticsandthingslikethattobe includedinourhealthinsurancecost,butthegovernmentshouldnotinterfereinourdietsunlesstheyare goingtomakeitbetterasawhole,notjustatschool.Thegovernmentsplanofactiontodecrease obesityatschoolisobviouslyagreatidea,butassaidbefore,maybetheyshouldbelookingbeyond schoolorleaveitbe. Inconclusion,thegovernmentshouldnotinterfereinourdiets.WeasAmericansare inclinedtochoosewhatweincludeinourdiets.Whetheritbehealthyornot,weshould

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choose.Wemustbegivenachoiceonwhatweeatbecausewemustberesponsiblefor makingourownchoices. Asmentionedbefore,therearesomanyfactorsthattieintothissubject.Wemakeour ownchoicesonwhatweeatbecauseofoureverydaylifestyles.Thereareotherwaysto regulateourdiets,andschoollunchshouldnotbetheplacetodoit.Thegovernmentisnot inclinedtodoso.Theyneedtolookatitasawholeandfixtheproblemwithdifferent strategies.Obesityisandwillalwaysbeanissue,thequestionishowtofixit.Thegovernment shouldntbeabletocontrolwhatorhowmuchweeat.Weshouldbeabletochooseforourselves. TheAmericanpeopleneedtohaveasenseofresponsibilitytowanttobehealthy. Eventhoughobesitymaybeahugeprobleminourcountry,shouldthegovernmentbe allowedtodictatewhatweeattoreducetherateofobesity?Eventhoughitisforthebetterofthe people?Thegovernmentwantstoregulatewhatweeatandhowmuchweeat.Iwouldconsiderthem tellingmewhattoeataninfringementonmyrightsasaperson.Whataboutthepeoplewhoare responsiblefortheirownhealthandaren'tobese?Ibelievethatweshouldbeabletomakeourown decisionsonwhatweconsume. Aswellasmakingourowndecisionsonthematterofourownhealth,thegovernmentshouldnt tryandregulatethecostofhealthcaretoeveryone.Thepeoplethatareresponsibleandmanagetheir healthshouldntbepunishedwithhigherinsurancerates. Lastly,obesityisaproblem,butthegovernmentdoesnthavetherighttoinfringeonwhatwe eat.Weshouldbeabletodecideforourselvesourhealthchoices.Theyshouldfocuson advertisementsofhealthierfoodsandeducationofhealthychoices,insteadofregulatingallouroptions. Junkfoodisntbad,aslongasitisintherightproportionsandpairedwithadequateexercise.Ifyou

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takeawaythepeoplesoptions,youaretakingawaythefunchoicesortherewards.

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WorksCited Ax,Joseph.Bloomberg'sBanonBigSodasisUnconstitutional:AppealsCourt.Reuters.Thomson, Reuters,3July203.Web.14Dec.2013. BloombergStrikesAgain:NYCBansFoodDonationstotheHomeless.CBSNewYork.CBS2 NewYork,19Mar.2012.Web.15Dec.2013. CausesandConsequences.CenterforDiseaseControlandPrevention.CentersforDisease ControlandPrevention,27Apr.2012.Web.15Dec.2013. OverweightandObesityintheU.S.FoodResearchActionCenter.N.p.,2010.Web.15Dec. 2013. Randall,Tom,andShannonPettypiece.NewYorkPushesfor25%SaltReductioninU.S.Foods. Bloomberg.com.Bloomberg,11Jan.2010.Web.15Dec.2013. Ruskin,Gary,andJulietSchor.JunkFoodNation.Nation281(2005):1516.EBSCO.Web.06 Dec.2013. Tang,K.(2013,March13).ObesityandtheRisingofHealthcareinAmerica.Web.15Dec.2013.