Investigative Analysis

The Obesity Epidemic: America's Biggest Health Problem

January 2004

The U.S. Surgeon General calls it an epidemic. It's a major contributing factor in a wide variety of health problems, including heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, stroke, osteoarthritis, asthma, kidney disease, and even some forms of cancer. And it's getting worse. It's obesity, and it affects almost one third of the American adult population. Moreover, if weight gain continues at the present rate, the obesity rate in the U.S. will approach 40% within the next five years. The problem isn't confined to the United States. The World Health Organization has declared excess weight as one of the top ten health risks in the world and one of the top five in developed nations. But what causes it and, more importantly, what can we do about it?

To put it simply, obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than he or she burns. But what causes this imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned may differ from person to person, with genetic, environmental and psychological factors all contributing. Because obese individuals obviously can't change their genetic makeup, strategies for combating the obesity epidemic typically focus on environmental and psychological factors.

Environmental Factors

The primary environmental factors contributing to obesity are lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and a person's physical activity levels. Americans tend to eat high-fat foods, putting taste and convenience ahead of nutrition. Also, most Americans don't get enough physical activity. The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) offers the following techniques to help obese people lose weight and keep it off:

  • Learn how to choose more nutritious meals that are lower in fat.
  • Learn to recognize and control environmental cues (such as inviting aromas) that make you want to eat when you're not hungry.
  • Become more physically active.
  • Keep records of your food intake and physical activity levels.

Psychological Factors

Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger. Although most overweight people have no more psychological problems than people of average weight, up to 10 percent of mildly obese people who have trouble losing weight have binge eating disorder. The disorder is even more common in people who are severely obese. These people often have more difficulty losing weight and keeping it off than people without binge eating problems. If you think you may have binge eating disorder, the NIDDK recommends that you seek help from a health care professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker.

How is obesity treated?

Treatment methods for obesity depend on a person's level of obesity, overall health condition, and motivation to lose weight. Treatments may include a combination of diet, exercise, behavior modification, and sometimes weight loss drugs. In come cases of severe obesity, gastrointestinal surgery (or "stomach stapling") may be recommended. Whichever treatment approach is used, weight control is a life-long effort.

New to Natural Health?
Tools
Customer Service

Sign Up for Our Emails