It’s no secret that obesity is a huge issue worldwide; over three hundred million people are clinically obese on the earth. No matter where you go there is bound to be an overweight population; over thirty percent of America’s population is obese. In fact, there is an average of above fourteen percent of people that are obese in each country. Fatty and unhealthy foods that are harmful to the human body are served everywhere you go; you just can’t get away from them. Even though obesity can lead to many fatal diseases, it is not a disease by itself. It can harm the body and reduce normal body function (like a disease), but it can be cured (unlike some diseases) and someone can return to a healthy lifestyle if they have enough determination.

One of the keys to living a long and happy life is being physically and mentally healthy. Being obese puts a vast strain on the human body; it forces the heart to pump faster because of the increased amount of body fat. This, as a result, causes high blood pressure and puts unneeded strain on your heart. It has been proven that being obese greatly increases your chances of being diagnosed with diabetes; it is the leading cause of type two diabetes. This is because if there is too much fat in the body then it can become resistant to insulin and without insulin the cells can’t get their needed energy. Obesity is also a contributing factor to some people getting cancer. People who are overweight have a greater risk of developing many different types of cancer.

It’s quite obvious that if you weigh too much for your age, gender, or overall size that it can really hinder your normal body function. Even the simplest things such as taking a shower can become a major struggle of a person’s day. But it can also pin down movement on the inside of the body. As excess fat accumulates it can build up and cause pressure on the major organs of the body and can cause large difficulties with things most people have no problem with like breathing. It also makes it really taxing just to walk so a lot of really obese people have to be moved in wheelchairs instead of being able to walk under their own power.

It seems like a lot of the best political and popular heroes we hear of have been diagnosed with a disease like AIDS, and every year we hear about a new breakthrough or treatment for this fatal disease. Now I’m not trying to be a downer, I’m just pointing out that even though we’ve known of this disease for about forty years, we still haven’t found a cure for it. Most of the life taking diseases that we know about like AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and so on have no cures; they can be treated but they cannot be cured. However obesity can be cured with a superior diet, a vigorous exercise plan, and more willpower than you can imagine. You can’t just eat right and run every day and expect for a case of AIDS to be cured, but with obesity that could happen over time and a person who was once obese can start living a normal and strong lifestyle.

If obesity is a disease then we’ve got millions of people in this world just laying on their deathbeds waiting to take their last breath. But obesity is not a disease; it may act like a disease at times in the way it inhibits body function and can be fatal, but it can be cured and can have minimal lasting effects if it is dealt with correctly. Other diseases can only be treated and stick with you the rest of your life, but obesity can be a temporary problem that a willing individual can overtake.



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WebMD. "Obesity Facts, Causes, Emotional Aspects and When to Seek Help." WebMD. WebMD, 18 Jan. 0031. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/what-is-obesity>.

Nation Master. "Obesity Statistics." Www.nationmaster.com. Nation Master, 2003. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity>.