Health issues of obesity

Hypertension and stroke related to obesity

Hypertension and stroke related to obesity

An obese person is at risk of having hypertension and stroke. while being obese, build ups of
plagues block the blood flow and ruptures many arteries. Blood clots that are near the brain
causes the person to have a stroke. Stroke occurs when the brain does not receive enough blood
to the brain. Symptoms of stroke are: severe head aches, dizzines, lack of vision, trouble
speaking or hemiplegia (Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke 1). Another term for hypertension is high
blood pressure, the force of blood flowing against the walls of arteries. The average scale of a
normal blood pressure is in a range of 100-140mmHg(blood pressure) systolic; when the blood
flows and a 60-90 mmHg diastolic: when the heart is relaxed ("Hypertension").
Heart disease
Heart disease is another factor caused by being obese or overweight. Plagues building up in the
arteries which unables the blood to flow regularly in the heart. it does not produce enough blood
for the body to maintain normal function so it eventually leads to heart failure. Over weight and
obesity are measured by body mass index (BMI). The (BMI) measures the relative weight based
on the individuals mass and height. It is calculated by dividing the weight kilograms by the
square of height in meters(kg/m2). A BMI scale over 25 indicates that a person is overweight
and a BMI over 30 indicates that a person is obese. As a person's BMI scale increases,
cardiovascular disease also increases ("Obesity").
Sleep apnea
Being obese enlarges their neck tissues which encloses the airways from breathing out air
making them difficult to breathe. In adults, over weight or obese suffer from sleep apnea
beacause of the enlargment of the tonisils or mouth tissues maybe from a sickness or allergies
making it diffucult to retreive air (Karriem 1). It is usually a repetitive process when he/she is
sleeping and it can also stop a person's breathing for certain amount of time. Some of this sleep
apnea causes people to snore or breathe heavily.

What are fast foods?

Fast foods are another name for foods that are stored or packaged that is ready to serve
quickly.There are thousands and thousands of fast food restaurants today in America,
almost around every corner of the street. Fast foods are known to be quickly served and
satisfying. They can replace home cooked meals and are convenient with many people
because it saves time and money to just go grab something at the restaurant when they are
busy or on a lunch break from work. According to the National institues of Health (NIH),
fast foods are mainly cooked with oil and butter having very mal nutrition to people with
extremely high in fat, sugar and sodium (Hellesvig-Gaskell).
Other foods that causes obesity
Although fast foods are unhealthy, it is not the only cause of obesity. Beverages are also a
high contributor to being unhealthy due to the high amounts of sugar in them. Sugars such
as high fructose corn syrup or fructose are high sugar ingredients that are found mostly in
every drink ("Fast Food Causes Obesity"). Aspartame, the artificial sweetener, it satisfies
people due to its sweetness but causes many problems for ones sugar levels and contribute
to obesity. Studies have found that soda and diet soda both are linked to obesity and high
blood pressure. According to Epidemiologist Hannah Gardener, a 48% increase in heart
attack and stroke risk among daily diet soda consumers compare to non diet soda
consumers (Boyles 1).
The affects of fast food medias
One of the main reasons why people are so in love with the fast foods and beverages are
that the media of these individuals are so convincing and entertaining. fast food medias are
things like commercials, online articles, websites, etc that encourages people to try them.
This fast foods media also are very affective towards young childrens and teengagers. In
the website American Psychological Association about the impact of food advertisement it
stated " According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of
obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5 (5.0% to 12.4%) and ages 6 to 11
(6.5% to 17.0%). In teens ages 12 to 19, prevalence rates have trippled (5.0% to 17.6%)"
(The impact of food advertising on childhood obesity 1). Children who watches food
advertises seem to recall what they have seen that intrests them and may ask their parents
for the food that they have seen in the commercial.
what can help prevent obesity?
What will help our society preventing the cause of obesity is by eating portion meals so it will
prevent people from over eating and healthier foods instead of greasy and sugary foods. They
should also spend more time excercising and activities more than watching TVs or sitting down
and using their technologies. According to Department of Agriculture and the Department of
Health and Human Services, on a average daily basis a person is expected to do atleast thirty

minutes of physical exercise and a person who is overweight is recommended to do atleast ninety
minutes a day to maintain good health (Hatfield 1). By following a healthier life style by limiting
the amounts of food we consume and spend more time doing physical activities outside, we
could become more active in our surroundings and maintain a healthy living to prevent causes of
obesity.