Obesity in America

Obesity in America

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By the year 2030, more than half of America's population will be obese, this is an alarming case resulting in rising cases of coronary heart diseases, diabetes and strokes, constellations of illness and will cost the country up to $66 billion in treatment and over $500 billion will be lost to the decrease in economic productivity. The scenario is sobering, to say the least, with a projected 6 million new diabetes cases, more than 400,000 cases of cancer and 5 million cases of coronary heart illness, America is on a course that will have a terrible and tragic impact n the quality of life for many citizens and will overburden the already overwhelmed health care system.

Through the use of a prediction model that was established in lancet last year, American analysts estimate that if the adult obesity rates increase in their current rate, all 50 states in the country will have a 44% increase by the year 2030. The experts also agreed that the effects that are associated with obesity are profound and America is not destined for a bright future if the citizens do not watch their eating habits (Frank & Narayan 2010). Obesity is a causal pathway to many of the major chronic diseases that plague the society today, thus the condition is thought of as canary, and is a coalmine for all chronic illness. Wherever obesity goes, so does health (Flegal et al 2010).

In the American society today, more than two thirds of the adult population is obese or overweight. This is despite the attention that the media, health professional, the general public and mass campaigns that try to educate the public of the benefits of healthy diets and an increase in physical activity, the perseverance of obesity n the country has more than doubled over the last few decades (Rodhard et al 2009).

We all inherit our genetic makeup from our ancestors who were hunters and gathers. These are people who ate diets that were rich in low fat meals and grains, they had to stalk and capture entrée for their dinner. During the times when they had feasts, their bodies were designed in such a manner that they could store nutrients in their adipose tissues for them to be used during the times of famine. We all descended from these people, and we have the ability to store excess fat when we have food in abundance. However, famines are rare and fewer, future in the United States today and thus the stored fat is not used up, and through the years, the fat accumulates and leads to obesity (Tremblay & Chaput 2008).

Despite the abundant information and evidence that supports the benefits of health weight maintenance and a lifestyle that includes regular physical activity, Americans continue to more than they require and remain