There is a disagreement about obesity; many people feel it is a disease. Opponents argue that obesity is not a disease. They feel it is a result from a person’s chosen lifestyle, eating habits, and environment (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
Supporters also believe that obesity can have positive health benefits like increasing bone mass and preventing osteoporosis (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
Obesity is a disease that affects sixty seven percent of the adult population in the United States.
The first reason why people believe obesity is a disease is that obesity impairs the normal functioning of a body. People who are obese have excess fat tissue in their bodies. The excess fat causes the overproduction of certain molecules, which will lead to an abnormal regulation of food intake and energy waste (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
A person is categorized whether they are normal, overweight, or obese by their BMI. A BMI is a calculated y by their height and weight. A normal non-obese adult’s BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24. 9.
An overweight adult’s BMI is 25 to 29. 9. Anything over 30 is classified as obese (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
Another reason people believe obesity is a disease is obesity can decreases a person’s life expectancy or can even cause death. Obesity in adults can lead to three years loss of life; extreme obesity can shorten a person’s life span by ten years (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
The Term Paper on Childhood Obesity: A Threat To Health
Nicholas (Nick) Reeves, who weighs around 117 pounds at the young age of 8 years, is fighting the bulge (excess fat). According to his mother, Angel Reeves, “He’s just hungry all the time. He can finish eating a meal, and then, five minutes later, he’s coming in the kitchen saying, “I’m hungry again. I’m hungry again'”. Angel Reeves states, “Nick is a very active child who ...
In 2005 obesity accounted for an estimated 216,000 deaths (One in Ten deaths) among US adults.
It was the third-leading risk factor in US adult deaths, after tobacco smoking (467,000 deaths) and high blood pressure (395,000 deaths) (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
The final reason obesity is a disease is that some studies have shown that obesity can be hereditary. Therefore, obesity is not the result of people lacking willpower to exercise or eat less, but is genetically predetermined (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
Some illnesses can even cause weight gain.
Illnesses like Hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, Hypertension Diabetes and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome just to name a few (ProCon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
Some studies show that obesity is in comparison to height when it comes to genetics. Obesity is a disease because it impairs the normal functions of a person’s body, it can decrease a person’s life expectancy by ten years, and it is hereditary. Multiple organizations have even stated obesity is a disease; including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the World Health Organization (WHO), FDA, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (procon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
Supporters lay emphasis on declaring obesity a disease. They feel it would remove the social stigma associated with obesity, also, it will have the same legal protections as other illnesses; it would also force the medical professionals, insurers, and employers to treat it like all other diseases (procon. org “Is Obesity a Disease? ”).
