Causal Argument Ryan Newhouse

The Causes of Obesity and What is the Main Cause

Composition

I found this part of my paper to be particularly interesting: 3rd paragraph because I learned more about what the dangers of obesity are.

This part was surprisingly difficult: Thinking of more information to add to extend my paper.

Next time I would do this differently: I would use more suggestion on how to prevent obesity or go into deeper detail.

Ryan Newhouse
Professor Hanman
3/17/2014
One of the biggest problems in America today is childhood obesity and obesity as a whole. Obesity is a serious issue because it leads to many diseases including diabetes. Obesity is a growing problem and many people believe it is because of restaurants and unhealthy foods. Many people may think this, but we are going to look at what has really effected obesity.
Being overweight is defined by having excess body weight from a certain height, bone, muscle, fat, and water (you lost me a little on the water bit)(Center of Disease Control and Prevention). There are many reasons why people gain weight and it is not all because of unhealthy eating and being inactive. People can gain weight by drinking alcohol, some is because of hormones which can cause people to be overweight, people may eat when they are stressed and overeating can cause you to gain weight, during pregnancy you can gain weight, after you quit smoking, as well as not getting enough sleep (National Institution of Health). (Ryan, think about rewriting this in a parallel list format)
Many people are looking at schools for the obesity problem as well as fast foods. People look at schools for the problem because their kids are there for eight hours a day that (and) eat breakfast and lunch there. You have a higher chance of being obese as a adult if you become obese when you are young. People sometimes do not understand what can happen if you become obese.
Many people who become obese while they are adults will have a higher chance of gaining diseases and will most likely not live as long as they would if they were healthy and not overweight. As a kid if you become obese you will most likely have bone problems as well as joint problems which can cause people to be even less active. Being less active is only going to increase the problem because it is only going to cause you to gain more weight which does even more damage to the joints. Obesity Increases the chances of several types of cancers which can be very serious. Including esophagus, kidney, thyroid, gallbladder, colon, pancreas, and more which all can be very serious(Center of Disease Control and Prevention).The reasons why there are so many cancers that are related to obesity issues is that fat tissue will produce a high amount of estrogen that will increase the chances of cancer. High levels of insulin is also common is obesity and will cause tumors as well( Nation Cancer Institution and the National Institutes of Health). High blood pressure can be an effect of obesity and the chances increase of becoming a diabetic. Having Heart problems is the major issue that could be caused by Obesity as well as strokes.
Obesity is a problem that can be fixed but there are many things that are preventing the issue from getting fixed. As mentioned earlier alcohol can cause Obesity and is caused by over drinking. Over drinking effects the brain like sugars and salts which increases fat (Nation Cancer Institution and the National Institutes of Health). Alcohol may cause you to eat more which will increase obesity as well. Over eating is another problem that can be fixed it is just a matter of Americans stepping up to watch what they are eating and how much they eat. People sometimes eat for fun or when they are stressed and board. Just like when you are having a bag of popcorn in movie theater and are eating only because it's a good movie. Over eating is a thing that no one can change but yourself. A decrease in physical activity is another thing that can be fixed but people just need the motivation to do so. It also can be fixed by schools increasing recess time and physical activities as well. Physical activity is one thing that people can do just by taking a walk, jogging, or using exercising equipment in the house. So if we can solve the obesity problem we can prevent allot of sicknesses from happening as well as keeping people healthy and safe.
There are many things that have caused the increase in obesity but I believe the that Fast foods has played the most major role in the increase in Obesity in America as well as School foods. Fast food is typically very unhealthy and allot of fast foods are greasy and contain allot of calories. Fast food burgers from all fast food restaurants have been found to have 200-1000 calories which some people have the tendency to eat every day(Sarah Muntel). Most Americans have felt they have no time for making a meal and just turn to fast foods instead of making a meal for themselves every morning before work. If people keep fast foods on their everyday schedule instead of preparing foods for themselves it will most decently cause you to gain weight. Fast foods could really help the problem if they worked on fixing the calorie amount in foods as well as providing more healthier foods. Obesity on children has increased as well and which I believe schools have played a major role in the increase in weight of children. Children spend 8 hours of their day in school sitting at a desk most until it is lunch time or a 10-20 minute recess depending on what time kids get done with eating lunch. If kids stayed in good shape during their school years they have better chance of not being obese as adults. Schools could increase healthier foods but make it so that the food is good then kids will enjoy the food as well as eating healthier. Schools could increase recess time and physical activities could really help kids in staying healthy. If we were to attack the problems in schools as well as stay away from fast foods or do something so that fast foods have to serve healthier foods then it would decrease the amount of obesity and solve a large chunk of the problem.
Overall Obesity is a serious issue that is causing many issues in people lives and if we can fix a large chunk of that issue by promoting healthier meals as well as increasing school health programs we could play a big role in preventing obesity. As well as keeping kids healthy so they can grow up and have a better chance of not being overweight as well as not falling into sicknesses. Many issues could be addressed to fix the issue but addressing school foods and fast foods will be the most effective way of fixing the issue.

Work cited

National Institution of Health "What Causes Overweight and Obesity" National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institution, web, July 12, 2013

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/causes.html

Center for Disease Control and Prevention ,"Adolescent and School Health", Center for Disease Control and Prevention, July 10th, 2013, web, March 6th, 2014

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Nation Cancer Institution and the National Institutes of Health ,"Obesity and Cancer Risks", National Cancer Institution Facts Sheet, January 1st, 2012, web, March 6th, 2014.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/obesity

Sarah Muntel, Obesity Action Coalition, "Fast Food is the Enemy", OAC, 2014, web

http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/nutrition/fast-food-is-it-the-enemy

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