Argumentative Essay Example About Obesity in America

Obesity in America has only been on a steady rise since the 1990s, at this rate we are more likely to see this problem within our everyday lives. Could you imagine a world that lacks a conscience to be healthy, while also living a happier life? Upon research of this topic, we have found that obesity can cause serious health issues that could lead to death. Despite the causes, Americans should consider labeling obesity as a health issue since it can cause serious health diseases. 

Qualifiers

A commonly known thing is that if one is practicing good health, most likely they are living a much happier and successful life. Our doctors have always recommended exercising, getting a proper amount of sleep every night, and as well as keeping a good healthy diet. Although obesity is an ever going problem that will take decades to truly solve. Countless research studies have proven that this is true, but needless to say, everyone has felt different while maintaining good health. 

The trait that is known as obesity was only discovered seventy years ago when researchers found it within mice. The issue of obesity within humans was first noticed around the early 2000s, this is because cases of childhood obesity went from 5% in the 80s, then jumped to 15% in the 2000s. What we know that could affect all of us, is the fact that this trait can be passed down from generation to generation through genetics. That being said, obesity could be a major issue not in just our lifestyles but the future of the world as well. 

The main issue of obesity is the major health issues that it causes the person who suffers from obesity. Although all people who are considered obese don’t necessarily have these issues, certain health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers are a direct result of obesity. Another thing to consider is how one is diagnosed with obesity, the national standard is to follow the BMI (Body Index Scale) to determine if one is obese. 

Reasons

When we look at Finland, which is one of the happiest countries in the world, and compare their obesity rates to the United States we see a significantly lower rate. This is because Finland follows government nutritional guidelines that are aimed to better the country by practicing good health. “The main targets defined by the Government are the promotion of population health and the prevention of diseases so that: (i) the number of people that pursue sufficient physical activities for health benefits increases and the number of people marginalized from physical activity decreases; (ii) the number of people following nutritional recommendations grows through increasing the intake of vegetables, fruits, and berries and through decreasing the intake of saturated fat, salt and sugar; (iii) overweight and obesity, as well as other health problems related to nutrition and physical inactivity decrease” (Pietinen 1). While it is not the law to follow these guidelines, the study has found that people willingly follow the guidelines. This is a great example of one of the ways we could prevent the very growing problem of obesity. 

This trait passing within the bloodline is a big role in why overweight parents will have overweight children. This means that this has a direct effect on our future, putting many people at risk to suffer from this disease. “Not every child is equally at risk. Fat parents tend to have fat children and the evidence is that a tendency to be obese is inherited and not just a matter of children picking up poor eating habits from their overweight parents. Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania reported on a study of 540 Danish adoptees indicating that a person's relative weight in adulthood is strongly correlated with the relative weights of his biological parents and not correlated at all with the relative weight of his adoptive parents” (Kolata 1). We are not to blame parents teaching their children poor healthy choices to be the main cause of why this is an arising issue. It is truly just passed down through the gene pool. That doesn’t mean there are ways to maintain/prevent the issue. 

Perhaps the biggest issue of obesity is the health problems that follow the disease. “Overweight and obesity lead to serious health consequences. Risk increases progressively as BMI increases. Raised body mass index is a major risk factor for chronic diseases such as Cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke)—already the world's number one cause of death, killing 17 million people each year. Diabetes—which has rapidly become a global epidemic. WHO projects that diabetes deaths will increase by more than 50% worldwide in the next 10 years.” (World Health Organization 1.) This is very shocking news, at hopefully makes you understand the serious dangers of being obese.

Warrants/Backing

While one is maintaining a good diet, that naturally means cutting the number of fried foods and high-fat foods being consumed. Although American culture is consumed with ads for fast food. You are more likely to notice more money in your pocket. Studies have found that cutting fast food has had a major effect on one’s health. This will also help our local economy because following good nutritional means consuming more fruits and vegetables that are grown by our farmers. 

Educating our future is the biggest way to prevent this issue from the inclined rate that it stays at. By making it a standard in schools to be tough on what is good versus bad health will make a huge difference within our society. “ Emphasizing health in schools by teaching students how to develop lifelong healthy habits and offering appealing healthy food options, including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, water, and low-fat or nonfat beverages; schools should require daily physical education—150 minutes per week for elementary students and 225 minutes per week for high school students (Wexler 1). Just simply making this a standard will play a major role in our future. 

Living a healthier lifestyle could lead to a much longer life with less serious health problems when one gets older. Take for example running, if you run at least 3 miles every week for a month. You have trained your body to run 3 miles, and you will be used to it, now do that every week for the rest of your life. This is an exercise that is a part of our survival, so really there are no disadvantages to staying healthy. 

Rebuttal/Responses

The common counterargument is that if obesity can be passed down through genetics, then why should anyone be worried about it since it is inevitable. Well if you were considered to be at risk for obesity, Maintaining a good diet and getting plenty of exercises can help fight the risk. 

Another counterargument is the fact that some drugs can have a side effect of rapid weight gain. This is highly debatable, but the simple answer is that if you are taking a drug that has this side effect and you do see that it is happening. You should go to the doctor to change perceptions because the side effect is harmful. 

Conclusion

Despite the causes, Americans should consider labeling obesity as a health issue since it can cause serious health diseases. In this essay, we learned about the dangers and effects of obesity. Obesity is genetic which means it can be carried down from generation to generation. We can prevent this problem by educating our future as well as maintaining a good diet as well. Loving one’s self means taking care of the mind, body, and soul.