Obesity occurs when a persons weight is far above his ideal body weight.

It has become a major problem in many countries, and it is even expected that in the US , average expectancy will soon begin to drop sharply for the first time in !"" years because of an epidemic of obesity. In this essay, I will examine some of the causes and effects of obesity in the U #. Obesity is a complex phenomenon, but the main causes can be grouped into three headings$ poor food choice, lac% of exercise, and lac% of awareness. &oor food choice is one of the main causes. &eople today eat more and more jun% food and fast food. 'his food is high in fats and cholesterol, and contains too much carbohydrates. 'he body is overloaded with fats and sugar, which is converted into body fat. 'he second main cause is lac% of exercise. (ost people in the U # have changed their lifestyle completely, from one in which there was more wal%ing, physical and outdoor activity, into a sedentary lifestyle with little or no exercise. (ost expatriates and emirates ta%e cars to wor% and do office jobs. (aids and foreign laborers sta%e care of housewor% and manual labor. third contributing factor is lac% of awareness about good eating habits. (others give their children too much choice and too little guidance in what to eat, advertising confuses many people with claims for particular types of commercial processed foods, and conflicting information about diets and healthy eating from the food industry and medical experts leaves many people pu))led. 'he effects on individuals and society are huge. *irst of all, a vicious circle is created in which children are overfed and grow up to become overeating adults. nother effect is that people who become overweight find it harder to exercise, which in turn can lead to increased eating. (any obese people suffer from low self+esteem, especially as children, which again in turn can result in increased comfort eating. 'he medical conse,uences are huge. Obesity can lead to heart problems, diabetes and other serious health problems, which can cost millions to treat, and which reduce can economic productivity and life expectancy for the country and its citi)ens. It could even be argues that obesity saps energy from the individual and the country, leading to la)iness in other aspects of life. lthough in the past prosperity was associated with being fat, today people are beginning to reali)e the cost of such a goal. In conclusion, it seems that we will have to reassess our entire lifestyle if we are to avoid the problems associated with obesity. -espite restrictive diets and tempting advertisements, most of us instinctively understand good common+sense eating. .owever, we have to combine this with more activity and with new insights into the importance of good health. If we do not ta%e action soon, we may find ourselves paying a heavy price.

'he /auses of Obesity 'here is a big difference between being a bit overweight and being obese. Obesity is 0an over+accumulation of fat that interferes with the function of our bodies.0 Obesity is defined as having excessive fat in body tissues. Obesity increases the ris% for many health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and stro%e. 'he 1ational .eart, 2ung, and 3lood Institute defines being overweight as having a body mass index 43(I5 of !6 to !7.7 and obese as having a 3(I of 8" or greater. Obesity can be caused by many different factors. 'he most significant are$ 9enetics or .eredity 9enetics are what your forefathers 4and mothers5 be,ueathed to you in the form of your genes. 'here is a perception that very obese people are la)y and greedy. 1ot all obese people have reached that state because they eat everything in sight. If both of a person:s parents were heavy, that person has a ;"< probability that he or she will also be heavy. 'hat percentage drops to ="+6"< if only one parent was thin. (etabolic (etabolism is the amount of energy 4calories5 your body burns to maintain itself. (etabolism is the process in which nutrients are ac,uired, transported, used and disposed of by the body. #very person is uni,ue and they all have their own uni,ue metabolism. 'he terms 0slow metabolism0 and 0fast metabolism0 refer to how easily our bodies convert food into fuel 4energy5 and nutrients. person:s metabolism is affected by genetics, hormone levels, thyroid conditions, food allergies, amount of body fat, age and insulin levels. Since there are so many factors that contribute to a person:s metabolism, it is difficult to specify and special 0diet0 or 0metabolic diet0 for a specific person. n entire medical and psychological history would have to be determined.

>ould ?ou 2i%e to 2ive 2onger@ Some people call it Ababy fatB Some people say they have Ajust a few extra poundsB (any people however, more than they should. -oes it really matter if you are carrying too much fat@ Unfortunately, it does. 'he sad fact is that if you are obese, your life probably be shorter than that of people who are slim. Obesity not only affects peoples everyday lives, it also has damaging mental health effects, including low self+esteem, negative body image, anxiety, and depression, and causes serious physical conditions such as sleep apnea, heart disease, type ! diabetes, and heart failure. *irst, obesity affects a persons everyday life. Obese people tire more easily than slim people because these people have much more weight to carry around when they are doing activities. Obese women and men are less physically active because it is not only more difficult to move around, but it is also embarrassing to change in the loc%er rooms at the gym. Overweight people are often judged on their appearance, which can ma%e them feel self+conscious. s a result, they can be shy and lac% self+confidence. nother common effect of obesity is low self Cimage, anxiety and depression. *or example, some people often judge and mistreat individuals who are overweight. Some obese people are very shy. 'hey dont want to go to a party because they will thin% that everyone is staring and tal%ing about their body. 'hese people are socially undesirable, which increases their chances of anxiety and depression. *urthermore, obesity can cause serious health problems such as heart disease and stro%e. .eart disease and stro%e are the leading causes of death and disability for both men and women in the United States. Obese people are more li%ely to have high blood pressure, so they get more chances for heart disease and stro%e than people who are not obese. Obesity can and often does cause heart failure because the obese persons heart is overwor%ed.