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Obesity In America

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According to very recent data, adult obesity has increased to 35 percent in 5 states, 30 percent in 25 states, and 25 percent in 46 states. Sadly, children are affected by obesity every day also. Obesity can lead to several deadly illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and even cancer. It continues to be the leading public health problem in America. So the question is, why is obesity increasing so much in the United States?

Genetics can play a role in obesity. “Offspring of obese parents are much more likely to become obese than offspring of lean parents”, according to what Kris Gunnars wrote on https://www.healthline.com. Even though our future cannot be determined by our genes, genes can have a major …show more content…

Children spend nearly $30 billion of their own money on junk food. Marion Nestle stated on https://www.nejm.org that, “The food companies make misleading claims and they spend massive amounts sponsoring scientist and major health organizations to influence their research and guidelines.” Yet, marketing’s recent tactics have gone way further to persuade children. Along with television advertisements, they have shifted to product placements in toys, games, educational materials, songs, movies, and much more. The IOM noted that “…by two years of age most children can recognize products in supermarkets and ask for them by name.” More children are becoming obese and diabetic before they’re old enough to make decisions about these …show more content…

From corner stores and gas stations to fast food restaurants to supermarkets. Not only is junk food very easy to find, it is insanely cheaper than healthier choices. For instance, you could buy a burger at McDonald's for as little as a dollar. However, if you wanted to order a salad, it would cost about five dollars. John Rehel on http://nationalspost.com stated, “Eating a healthy diet vs. an unhealthy one cost about $1.50 more a day, which might not sound like much, but works out to more than $2000 more per year on an average family of four’s grocery bill.” In poorer neighborhoods, the availability of junk food is way higher. Which might explain why a good majority of obese people in America are also

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