Obesity Is A Disease - 1410 Words

Natalie Lopez Dr. Holly Elliott ENC 1101-13186 16 December 2015 Obesity Is a Disease About one-hundred million people in America are diagnosed with obesity every year, that’s one third of our population (Carson-Dewitt, Davidson, Atkins)! Obesity should be taken seriously because, it may cause permanent damage for us in the future. Many researchers have preformed various tests to prove that obesity is a disease. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a disease is an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant: a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally. Obesity being, a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body (Merriam-Webster). Once a person is diagnosed with†¦show more content†¦However, it was not until the twenty-first century that American Medical Association officially recognized obesity as a disease. Leading to the present century, obesity is a disease that is known nation wide, many doctors believe it’s on the rise to being an epidemic (Polla ck). Doctors began to preform tests to see what illnesses could be contributing factors. In particular, obesity has about seven deadly contributing factors. The number one factor is nationally known for the deadliest, which is heart disease. Heart disease is medically familiar as coronary heart disease. It is a disorder of blood vessels that constricts an artery potentially leading to a heart attack. This cannot be cured, but there is medication that can help the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart more easily. Another factor of obesity is high blood pressure. According the the American Heart Association when a person has high it is when the pressure in your arteries are too high, and this may lead to a stroke (What is High Blood Pressure?). If the stoke is experienced a person will then need to attend respiratory therapy because, breathing complications were developed. Due to increased weight lack of respiratory compliance occurs. The excessive weight on the child or adult tightens the chest making it complicated to breathe so the person is then diagnosed with asthma . Obesity also increases the chances of some cancers such as: gallbladder, kidney, breast or thyroid.