The Real Factors of Obesity

Discussion 1. Do you new the meaning of the word “obesity”? 2. If you are obese, what problems may arise?

Obesity Obesity is a medical condition in which excessive body fat has accumulated in your body. The fat may have bad effects on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and more health problems.

Measurement Body mass index (BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) if their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2.

BMI = kg / m2 Is your BMI more than 25 ?

Before the theme…… What factors may cause you to be obese?

The research paper In the research paper “Why Are 6 of Top 7 Fattest countries English Speaking ones”, the author tells us that the countries in the world with the highest obesity rates are (in order) USA, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland. With the exception of Mexico, all the fattest countries have one thing in common - they are English-speaking nations.

Statistics

Obesity prevalence in the world

Why English speaking countries? 1. American lifestyle Because the countries speak the same language, they are more likely to absorb and embrace features of a major nation.

2. The other reason is that English speaking countries are the main source of recent Anglo-Saxon culture.  Anglo-Saxon culture has had a diet based on butter for cooking whereas the Mediterranean countries which predominantly have used olive oil.

Discussion The 2 reasons I mentioned above are the ways the author tries to prove his thoughts. Do you think it’s appropriate or not? Why? Can you think of some reasons that are better than the author’s thoughts?

Arguments It is better to understand the issues from various dimensions such as diet, lifestyle, economy and cultural background.

Diet The association between fast food consumption and obesity becomes more concerning. In the United States consumption of fast food meal has tripled and calorie intake from fast food has quadrupled between 1977 and 1995. Consumption of sweetened drinks is also believed to be a major contributor to the rising rates of obesity.

Lifestyle Feeling stressed→ sit on a couch watching TV or eating snacks drink excessive amount of wine. Lie on beds during weekends after hard work during weekdays. → people don’t go outside for exercising or traveling. Day by day, the fats in their bodies will be preserved instead of being consumed.

Economy People who are having money problems have less money to spend → less able to buy healthy foods because these foods are more expensive than unhealthy processed foods.

Therefore, not only are we unable to afford healthy foods, but we are also craving the junk foods. Moreover, when we are stressed, our bodies produce hormones that tend to hold onto fat.

Non-English speaking countries may have the same problems If we focus on the obesity problem in Greece, we will discover that the diet of Greek has been changed rapidly recently. The key factor is that the very rapid change from the classic Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on fruit, vegetables and olive oil, to a more westernized diet high in animal fats.

Cultural background Another factor behind Greece's weight problem is that fat babies and children are still seen as being more desirable than thin ones. This is an idea from the past that is preserved by the older generation who suffered acute deprivations both during and after the Second World War and who still believe that being overweight is a sign of health.

Socio-economic stress is emerging as a major factor in obesity in Greece. Uncontrollable socio-economic stress can actually cause growing elevations of cortisone levels, which fuel the fat tissue, particularly of the abdomen, and can cause both obesity and a tendency to atherosclerosis. That is a big problem to all of the Greeks.

Discussion What can we do to prevent us from being obese?

Diet control Restriction in diet (do not consume foods those contain high calories or processed foods that may contain some ingredients which may do harm to our health )

Exercise We should exercise on a regular basis. Aerobics, Yoga and are now considered to be very effective in such case to get rid of obesity. These exercises are now proved to be beneficial to our health by lots of scientific papers and clinical trials. However, to get maximum benefits, one has to practice it regularly for months together.

Other ways We can also get rid of obesity by medication or surgery. However, this is the last thing we can do to prevent from being obese.

Conclusion Speaking what language isn’t the main factor to determine whether we will be obese or not. Obesity depends on our lifestyle, what we eat, financial conditions and the cultural differences we might have.

Video How To Develop Healthy Eating Habits (1’38’’)

Thanks for your attention !