Obesity

Obesity is a medical classification regarding an extreme and unhealthy level of excessive body weight. It is a more serious classification on the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale than overweight. From a medical perspective, an obese person has accumulated enough body fat that it can have a negative effect on their health. If a person's weight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he/she is generally considered obese. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight. If your BMI is 30 or over you are considered obese. In addition, the term obese can be used in a more general way to simply mean the "excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body". Some consequences of medical obesity include Type 2 diabetes, strain on joints, and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Obesity has become more common in the United States and is increasing in many developed countries.

Obesity has many causes, including some that are choice and controllable such as sinful overeating (gluttony) and/or lack of exercise. It can also be caused by improper hormone production or other malfunctions of various brain structures, including in particular the hypothalamus (site of the reward pathways, [this action=release of serotonin=feeling of pleasure]) and thyroid gland.

Obesity is most dangerous among the children and the elderly, whose bones, livers, and lungs are too weak to deal with the excess weight and fat. Obesity can significantly shorten a person's lifespan.

Many in the medical establishment consider obesity to be an illness, in the sense that it is a serious medical condition, but disagree about the root causes of non-hormone related obesity. The medical world is nearly unanimously agreed that obesity is a big problem in the Western world, and in fact becoming a problem world wide.

Liberals' answer to this problem has been to shift responsibility from those who are overeating (not including people with medical factors that cause the problems), to regulating how much fat can be in foods, what foods can be served at what restaurants, and trying to put financial penalties on restaurants that serve "fatty" foods.

World issues on Hunger vs. Obesity

It has been noted that world obesity has risen, yet there is still an endless problem with starvation and hunger and malnutrition in both America and the world at large. A growing problem is food distribution being horded and poorly distributed by groups like the United Nations, as well as poor food choices made by the less fortunate who would rather spend limited dollars on treat-like foods than on (admittedly harder to cook and less tasty, but better for you) choices like beans, rice, and canned vegetables. Liberals tend to deny the roles of personal choice and problems like greed in the UN, rather blaming the "establishment" for the entire problem of both hunger and obesity.

Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism

See also: Atheism and obesity and Psychology, obesity, religiosity and atheism and atheism and suicide

Many people overeat in response to negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and boredom. Concerning atheism and mental and physical health, there is considerable amount of scientific evidence that suggest that theism is more conducive to mental and physical health than atheism. For example, atheists have higher rates of suicide than the general population. For more information, please see: Atheism and obesity.

Lesbianism and obesity

See also: Lesbianism and obesity and Homosexuality and health and gluttony

Concerning lesbianism and obesity, in April of 2007, the American Journal of Public Health analyzed data from 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the data suggested that American lesbian women were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese than all other female sexual orientation groups. The abstract for this study indicated that "lesbians are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality linked to overweight and obesity."

In 2009, the PubMed article abstract for the Polish psychiatry journal Psychiatria Polska article Body Image in Homosexual Persons declared:

“

Homosexual women are less concentrated on physical appearance and more satisfied with their bodies while being more tolerant to obesity.... For lesbian women the ideal body image is more massive than for heterosexual women.

”

In 2007, a purported lesbian wrote to Andrew Sullivan, the political commentator and administrator of The Daily Dish blog:

“

And - oh heck, I'll admit it - aesthetics have value, too! As a woman, I may not be as focused on looks as men are predisposed to be, but I sure am tired of seeing so many queer ladies out there who are way past 200 pounds. Way, way past. Sorry, but no amount of "fat acceptance" is going to make that a pleasant sight - gay, straight, butch, femme, male or female.

”

Obesity in the United States

The incidence of obesity varies by region within the United States. In 2010, the five leanest states (that is, the states with the lowest rates of obesity) were Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Hawaii. The five states with the highest rates of obesity were Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia,and Louisiana .

See also

• Overcoming obesity with the aid of Christian faith
• Physical and mental health related problems associated with obesity
• Evolutionists who have had problems with being overweight and/or obese
• Atheism and obesity
• American Medical Association
• Doctor
• Gluttony
• Naturopathy
• Lesbianism and Obesity