Essay Sample on Causes of Obesity

📌Category: Health, Human Body, Obesity
📌Words: 569
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 02 April 2022

Obesity is regarded as a global epidemic, but how much is truly understood about it? The causes can be far more complex than just a lack of self-control. From a shift in the social climate revolving around portion sizes to hormone imbalances, obesity is no is no simple issue. Knowing and analyzing the many causes and factors that contribute is crucial in developing effective treatment and understanding those that struggle with it. Obesity is a deadly condition that can be caused by many different factors. Many causes of obesity are often completely disregarded; one of those is the glamourization of an unhealthy diet. Advertising and the presence of unhealthy foods greatly contribute to rising obesity rates. The media, more specifically “Food advertising, encourages people to buy unhealthy foods, such as high-fat snacks and sugary drinks. … Oversized food portions increase Americans’ calorie intake, making even more physical activity necessary to maintain a healthy weight” (Department of Health and Human Services). The normalization of unhealthy eating and the exception of oversized food portions, that contain a large amount of unhealthy food are a leading factor in the rising obesity rates. Advertisements and the majority cause this epidemic to spread like wildfire. This is not only a problem with Westernized countries either. The epidemic had begun to spread due to “Heavy food and beverage advertising on television and other mass media, as well as depictions of the West’s overeating culture, can directly influence food choices and reshape cultural norms around food, luring people toward the unhealthier options that originated in richer countries” (Harvard School of Public Health). An element that caused the rise of obesity in the West is beginning to affect other areas and is causing their obesity rates to increase. The normalization of overeating in the West greatly contributes to the growing rates and leads to a dangerous global impact as its customs and advertising strategies begin to spread to other regions.

Another crucial cause of obesity is one’s chemical and hormonal balances and how the offset of these contribute. Hormones like “leptin, insulin, oestrogens, androgens and growth hormone influence our appetite, metabolism and body fat distribution” (Victoria State Government). Hormones, when thrown off balance, will contribute to some degree of weight gain and are associated with obesity. This is because a person with a slower metabolism and higher appetite will eat more than someone whose hormones keep their metabolism and appetite in check and properly functioning. Hormones can be very easily disrupted. Something as simple as sleeping less can lead to a hormone imbalance “… the less people sleep, the more likely they are to have overweight or obesity. This is partly because hormones that are released during sleep help control appetite and the body’s use of energy,” (Department of Health and Human Services). The people who sleep less are deficient in the chemicals that assist with appetite control. Someone with an increased appetite due to a hormone imbalance will eat more, therefore, gaining weight.  Hormone imbalance is a crucial factor in rising obesity rates. An issue with an appetite hormone, metabolism, or body fat distribution contributes to substantial weight gain.

Whether it’s from longer work hours or increased stress levels, societal changes and their effects on obesity cannot be ignored. The illness is detrimental to the human body and must be understood. Obesity in a person can be caused by one thing or a plethora of things because causes vary from person to person. However, no matter how daunting the task may be, understanding the causes and factors of obesity is crucial in finding a solution to this global epidemic. The deadly illness is negatively impacting people globally as it continues to spread with no sign of stopping without intervention.

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