Obesity Epidemic
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is not the same as being overweight, which means weighing too much. A person may be overweight from extra muscle, bone, or water, as well as from having too much fat. Both terms mean that a person's weight is higher than what is thought to be healthy for his or her height. Taking in more calories than one burns can lead to obesity because the body stores unused calories as fat. Eating more food than ones body can use, drinking too much alcohol, or not getting enough exorcise can cause this. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and asthma.
Today, we know that biology is a big reason why some people cannot keep the weight off. Some people who live in the same place and eat the same foods become obese, while others do not. Our bodies have a complex system to help keep our weight at a healthy level. In some people, this system does not work normally therefore causing their obesity. There has recently been talk about taking away children from obese parents which is unfair to those who have a medical condition and can not help their obesity. Because obesity is becoming so common among adults some fear that children are becoming obese from their parents bad habits and view this passing on of obesity as a form of child abuse.
Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than thin people, due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass. According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a whopping 78 million adults—more