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BELLY FAT HEALTH RISKS

The Obesity Epidemic

Some Stats

Calories are perhaps the most abundant resource in the western world, and the population is suffering from a case of wild calorie excess. The rates of overweight and obesity, especially childhood weight-gain, continue to stun the medical community. They hang as a heavy shroud over the future health of our population.

  • Currently, over 60 percent of adults in the United States are considered overweight .
  • One third of the population has reached the level of obesity.
  • Most other westernized countries seem intent on catching up and matching the United States pound for pound.

Obesity Health Risks

The obesity/belly fat epidemic means more than expanded plane seats, late night comedian jokes and happy fast food executives.

Overweight children and adults are at risk of a whole portfolio of diseases including: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and death.

The cost of healthcare to treat these diseases continues to spiral farther and farther out of the reach, especially for the poor who suffer the greatest rates of obesity.

The physical and emotional pain of being overweight or obese is incalculable but certainly lowers the general wellbeing of the population.

What's Causing the Obesity/Belly Fat Epidemic

There are many causes of the obesity/belly fat epidemic. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) “society has become ‘obesogenic,’ characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity.” In other words, we live in the perfect cauldron of obesity.
  • Fast food chains hover on every street corner.
  • Houses hide far away from cities and towns so that walking is hardly an option.
  • Computers, television and video games beckon attention away from physical activity.
  • Long eight hour stretches of work require little more than typing and occasional short walks through the office.
  • Our entire society has been crafted to accommodate and encourage fat gain and unhealthy lifestyles.

Obesity and the Future

If obesity rates continue at their current level, we could have the sad obligation of watching the first generation of Americans die younger than their parents.

The future of an unchecked obesity epidemic is one of an entire society held captive by ill health and disease. It predicts overflowing dialysis centers, growing use of wheelchairs, lifetime prescriptions of blood pressure medications and over packed hospitals.

Belly fat is the current plague of society. Its victims abound, and their suffering harms the whole of society. Now is the time to change. Our future in on the line.

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