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Nazeli Manukyan
Math 1030
Kyle Falbo
Obesity:
A never ending war America
No matter where you are in America if you glance around, you are bound to
notice an insufficient amount of overweight individuals. The staggering obesity rate in
the United States has finally dawned on people that this is an epidemic. In 2008, the
Center for Disease Control has stated that, “About 110,000 people die per year due to
obesity, 1/3 of all cancer deaths are directly related to obesity.” So what has caused
this great nation called the fattest nation? Pointing our fatty fingers at the infamous fast
food industry, which is a contributor to this issue but sadly, only covers a miniature list
to the obesity epidemic. Our fast past society is the cause of the nations greatest
epidemic, it seems that there is no way to stop this terrorist.
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Television commercials, billboards, magazines all target different ages, but the
industry is attempting to reduce marketing aiming towards children, but the fast food
ads have increased targeting 2-to-18 year olds. The L.A Times reports,
“In 2009 preschoolers saw 56% more ads for Subway, 21% more ads for
McDonald’s and 9% more ads for Burger King, compared with 2007. Children age
6 to 11 saw even more: 59% more ads for Subway, 26% for McDonald’s and 10%
more for Burger King. (Hellmich, 2010)
The L. A times also reported that it resulting in 40% of parents reporting that they that
their children ask at least once a week to go to McDonald’s, and 15% of preschooler’s
parents are asked everyday. Which 84% of parents give into their demands within the
week the child asks. The study indicates that children are more likely to want fast food
because of the constant advertisements that target their adolescent minds, and parents
are more likely to feed into the child’s request because it’s a quick meal.
When looking into obesity as a whole we must first understand the way to
determine ones body fat. Body Mass Index, also known as BMI, is a number calculator to
calculate a person’s weight and height, it’s a way to indicate the percentage of fat a
person has. The formula to figure out the BMI is,
BMI = (
Weight in Pounds
(Height in inches) x (Height in inches)
) x 703
For example, If the test subject weighted 125 lbs, Height = 5’4” the calculation would be
[125/(64)2] x 703 = 21.5. The test subject would be in the normal category, since she is
not overweight or underweight. If the subjects BMI was below 18.5 they would be
significantly underweight, the best BMI to aim for is between 18.5-24.9. To be
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considered overweight the subject would have to have a BMI of 25-29.9. Anything
above 30 is considered obese.
America’s lifestyle has changed over the years, with the change so has America’s
waistline. This fast pace society has insure the fast food companies, they will be making
billions of dollars each year. The unhealthy drive-thru food cuts down time on preparing
food and the cost of food. Fast food chains weren’t recognized as the main reason for
the high rates of obesity, until Supersize me. Americans had no idea how bad it truly
was, until Morgan Spurlock came into the picture. He went where no man has thought
to go because no one knew the actual affects that fast food would impact our bodies
and how harmful it was. , Dr. Seigel stated,
“I expect to see an increase in your triglycerides, because that can be affected.
You’re at 87 now and I think that will change. And I think that’s the only thing
that will change . . . out of everything… But the body is extremely adaptable,
and the kidneys will handle any extra salt that you’re taking in and your liver
will be able to metabolize additional fats.”
Spurlock’s diet would consist of 3 meals a day; Eating only at McDonalds. He would
eat each item on the menu at least once, if offered to supersize he had to and he
would walk as much as the typical U.S citizen; walking only 5,000 steps a day.
Before the subject began the test, he was a healthy 185.5 with a BMI of 23.8,
which is a normal weight range for his weight and height. Only had 11% body fat,
blood pressure was normal, cholesterol 168, triglycerides 87, SGOT (liver enzyme
21 and SGPT (liver enzyme) 20. The subject showed no signs of diabetes,
electrolytes, kidney function and liver function were perfect and general health was
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outstanding. Within 5 days of Spurlock’s test, he weighed in at 195 lbs. A 5% of body
weight gained, by day 10 he gained even more weight weighing in at 203lbs, a 10%
weight gain.
The patient started to feel more depressed, claiming to have more headaches
and feeling more exhausted but once he consumes McDonalds he’d feel relieved.
For his 3rd weight in Spurlock weighted in at 202 lbs, his blood pressure was
increased to 150/90. His cholesterol was at 225; SGOT is 130 and SGPT reached
290. This mean the he has gained 16.5 lbs within three weeks, his BMI has reached
25.9, now reaching the overweight category. His cholesterol has increased so much
that he has high cholesterol. His SGOT is increased by 109, while his SGPT has
increased at 270 from his first weight in,
“In only 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald’s I gained 24.5 lbs., my liver
turned to fat, and my cholesterol shot up 65 points [to 230]. My body fat percentage
went from 11 to 18%, still below the average of 22% for men and 30% for women. I
nearly doubled my risk of coronary heart disease, making myself twice as likely to
have heart failure. I felt depressed and exhausted most of the time, my mood swung
on a dime, and my sex life was non-existent. I craved this food more and more when
I ate it, and got massive cravings when I didn’t. In my final blood test, many of my
body functions showed signs of improvement, but the doctors were less than
optimistic.” (Spurlock, 2004)
The quantities of Fast Food chains that have opened through out the
years are direct correlations to the increase of obesity in America. The National
Bureau of Economic research decided to test out a theory, are children more
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inclined to eat fast food if it’s near their school. First the researchers computed
whether the fast food restaurant is within 0.10, 0.25, or 0.50 miles of the schools.
Testing whether there is a differential effect by distance. Also the researchers
control for a rich set of schools and neighborhood characteristics in their analysis,
allowing these to vary over time. Another thing the researcher is looking for is the
relating changes in obesity to changes in access to fast food restaurants, relying on
schools that gain or lose a nearby fast food restaurant.
In the end the National Bureau of Economics in 2009 suggested children who
had fast food restaurants within 0.10 miles of a school increased the probability of
obesity by 1.7 percent points or 5.2 percent. Surprisingly there is not significant
effect of having a fast food restaurant 0.25 or 0.50 miles from a school. They also
found the effects of fast food access are larger for girls. Overall the study suggests
that being closer to a fast food restaurant significantly increases the risk of obesity.
The goal of theses studies were to determine if fast food was the main
contribution to the obesity epidemic, based on the data found that it has contributed
in increasing the amount of overweight Americans. The research given has
supported that eating fast food will increase obesity. However, while the majority of
the nation blames the fast food. There are other contributors that can be blamed for
the obesity epidemic but the nation only wants to point their fatty fingers at the fast
food industries and none at themselves for consuming the food.
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Work Cited
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(2000): 2. Alt HealthWatch. EBSCO. Web. 30 June. 2012.
Perrine, Stephen, and Heather Hurlock. The New American Diet: How secret
"obesogens" are making us fat, and the 6-week plan that will flatten your belly for good!
N.p.: Rodel Inc , 2010.
Food Matters. James Colquhoun, Laurentine ten Bosch.
2008. Netflix. Web. 13 July 2012.
Food, Inc. Robert Kenner. 14
2008. Netflix. Web 13 July 2012.
Hellmich, Nancl. “U.S obesity rate leveling off, at about one-third of adults.” USA TODAY. 13
Jan. 2010. Web. 21 July 2012. <http://usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-01-12obesity-rates_N.htm>.
"Assessing Your Weight: About Body Mass Index." Centers for Disease Control and
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<http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html>.
Super Size Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock. 2004. DVD.
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