
Why should someone be blamed for a condition they have to deal with when they did not do anything to cause it? Society places an image in everyone’s mind on how you should look and if someone does not meet the criteria then they are categorized as “ugly” or “fat.” People do not understand that obesity can be brought upon anyone without just eating too much. The issue is overlooked by not only the general public but also by doctors because some people can become over weight by eating too much. However, they are not taking into consideration how much gaining weight can occur other then just indulging in food. The genetic, medical, and economic pieces are not being looked at and the epidemic has become a universal issue. Therefore, fingers need to stop pointing and problems need to start being solved because this is no longer a personal issue, it is now a medical condition that needs to be studied.  

Obesity was very common amongst the English upper class in the eighteenth century and started to spread throughout the United Sates and Britain in the twentieth century. Over the past sixty years, social, economic, and technological changes have altered life style throughout the world. Throughout the world it is estimated that three hundred million adults are considered obese and seven hundred million are considered over weight and weight gain in children is beginning to increase (Ulijaszek). It was only in the last twenty-five years that childhood obesity has been viewed as a medical problem. “Thus, at the beginning of the 21st century the “obesity epidemic” was recognized as an official and legitimate medical and societal problem, backed by research funds from leading international and national organizations” (Moffat). Regardless of whether obesity is increasing or decreasing in the population the effect it has on people has remained the same.

Obesity is one of the most universal, long lasting diseases that is in need of new strategies and medical treatment. “Obesity is defined as excess adipose tissue” (“What Is Obesity”). Adipose tissue is the storage of fat tissue in the body; therefore, excess adipose tissue is a surplus amount of fat in the body. “Obesity is a disease that affects more than one-third of the U.S. adult population (approximately 78.6 million Americans)” (“What Is Obesity”). The disease has increased enormously since 1960. Sixty-nine percent of adult Americans are now classified as being overweight (“What Is Obesity”).  The CDC, has estimated that 112,000 are linked to obesity. More than thirty health conditions can come about from having obesity giving the individual a life time of poor health (“What Is Obesity”). Obesity is now ranked as one of the most major global health problems in America. The obesity epidemic that has now affected millions of Americans should be classified as a disease because it will help change the way the medical community looks at the issue, the life long symptoms it causes, and how it can come about without one’s control.

The American Medical Association classified obesity as a disease for many reasons but one is that it will help physicians focus more of their attention on obesity and can help advance payment for obesity drugs, surgery and counseling (Pollack). Many doctors fail to diagnose obesity with their patients and therefore miss an opportunity to prevent life long risk factors for patients. “Among patients whose body mass index indicated obesity, providers diagnosed and documented obesity in less than a quarter of office visits with children, and less than half for adolescents and adults, researchers found” (“URMC Study Shows Obesity Diagnosis is Often Overlooked”). Looking at documents of 885, 291, 770 office visits for adults and children from the National Center for Health Statistics, it shows that of those visits where the patients body mass index indicated that they were obese, the actual diagnosis was made in only 23.4 percent of children and 39.7 percent of adolescents and adults were diagnosed 39.6 percent of the time (“URMC Study Shows Obesity Diagnosis is Often Overlooked”). Previous research has showed us that up to eighty-two percent of children and adolescents are not being properly diagnosed. Some assumptions are made that doctors do not properly diagnosis their patients as obese because it is a sensitive topic and they do not want to offend them. Also, some areas lack resources to help the patient, and educate them on how to overcome the issue so they just avoid the topic completely (“URMC Study Shows Obesity Diagnosis is Often Overlooked”).  Everyone knows that you can you lose weight by eating healthier and doing more physical activity but that is not the case in all situations. Doctors need to be informed on how obesity can be treated medically because obesity is not just poor choices in eating habits and lack of exercise, some people can not control obesity. When healthy eating and exercise are not enough a doctor should prescribe the patient with medicine or give him or her a surgical procedure. In Chapter 17 of Obesity: Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention, obesity is described as a clinical medical issue that can be treated using various medications (Anderson p.255). 

When you are prescribed a medicine for your obesity it will work in the brain and gastrointestinal tract. Some examples of medication that can be given to a patient with obesity that works with the brain are diethylpropion, phendimetrazine, lorcaserin, naltrexone/bupropion, and liraglutide ("Explore Overweight and Obesity"). These medications will control the brains urge to eat which will ultimately decrease the recipient’s appetite ("Explore Overweight and Obesity"). In some cases, when the medication has no effect on the patient, in terms of weight loss, the patient may receive surgical procedures. 

The main three procedures include gastric bypass surgery, gastrectomy, and gastric banding. Gastric bypass surgery is when the surgeon will connect a part of the stomach to the middle part of the intestine overlooking the first. This will limit the portion of food that you can eat and the amount of fat that your body can store. Gastrectomy is when the surgeon removes part of the stomach which will decrease the amount of food consumption. Gastric banding decreases the amount of food you can eat by placing a hollow band around the upper stomach making it smaller ("Explore Overweight and Obesity"). These are not the only three, there are various other surgeries such as laparoscopic band surgery, roux-en-y gastric bypass, and stomach “stapling” ("Obesity: Overweight, Unhealthy Weight."). A problem is that Medicare does not cover procedures like these because they do not recognize it as a serious health care issue.

 In 2004 Medicare discontinued recognizing obesity as a disease from its coverage manual. Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit, recognizes weight loss drugs but refuses to pay for them (Pollack). The classification of obesity as a disease would lead doctors to be more focused on finding a solution on the issue because it will make obesity a higher focus. Doctors will then know how to diagnosis it and how to educate the patient on what it is as well as what medications to prescribe. Obesity becoming known as a disease will also lower tax deductions, which will allow medication to become more affordable. 

Obesity fits the guidelines of the definition of a disease. Obesity has a negative effect on health. Obesity-related conditions cost over one hundred and fifty billion dollars per year and has caused an estimated three hundred thousand premature deaths in the United States. The health issues are associated, but are not restricted to: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, sleep apnea, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and psychosocial effects (“Obesity”). Obesity can cause high blood pressure because additional fat tissue needs oxygen and nutrients in order to live therefore the blood vessels have to transport more blood to the additional fat tissue. More blood being pumped through the blood vessels increases the hearts workload and also means more pressure on the artery walls. This excess pressure with cause the blood pressure to increase. If the fat tissue becomes more and more the additional weight can cause the heart rate to rise and can slow down the body’s ability to move the blood through the blood vessels (“Obesity”). Obesity is a major cause of type 2 diabetes. Even mild obesity causes the risk of diabetes. Obesity can cause resistance to insulin, which is the hormone that regulates your blood sugar. The blood sugar will rise when obesity causes insulin resistance (“Obesity”). Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease are seen 10 times more in people who are obese. This is because fatty deposits build up in arteries that supply blood to the heart. This will cause the arteries to narrow and reduce blood flow to the heart which can cause chest pains or heart attacks. Narrow arteries can also produce blood colts which can cause strokes (“Obesity”). Obesity can also cause joint problems, which includes osteoarthritis. Excess weight can cause stress on the joints in the knees and hips. Joint replacement surgery is never recommended to those who are obese because the artificial joint has a higher risk of loosening which can cause further damage (“Obesity”). Sleep apnea can be caused from obesity which is when you stop breathing during the night for short periods of time and disturbs your sleep which will cause you to be sleepy throughout the day. Sleep apnea can also cause you to snore. Respiratory problems are connected to obesity because more weight on the chest wall can squeeze the lungs making it harder to breath (“Obesity”).  Women who are obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer, colon, gallbladder, and uterus cancer. Men who are obese are at a higher risk of getting colon cancer and prostate cancer. Metabolic syndrome is found in approximately one-third of obese people in the United States. Metabolic syndrome contains six major factors: abdominal obesity, elevated cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance with or without glucose intolerant, elevation of certain blood components that indicate inflammation, and elevation of certain clotting factors in the blood (“Obesity”). Lastly, the psychosocial effects of obesity (“Obesity”). Living in a culture where being overly thin is considered to be more attractive, people who are obese can be looked down upon and are often blamed for the condition they are in. It is not unlikely for people that are obese to have lower incomes or have very little to no romantic relationships. The judgment that some individuals hold on those who are obese can lead to discrimination and unfairness. By not declaring obesity as a disease you would be over looking these life long risk that the illness causes. It needs to be classified as a disease so we can find ways to stop obesity from progressing and prevent individuals from getting these deathly effects.

A main reason everyone thinks obesity is not a disease is because they believe it is a personal problem. It is proven that people can become obese and it is merely out of their control. Some ways people can become obese other than just by eating unhealthy and not exercising are energy imbalances that will cause the body to store fat, genetics, medicines, medical conditions, societal influences, and stress related issues.  Energy imbalances are measured in calories; it means that the energy you take in does not equal the energy you take out. You get the energy in by food and drinks and the calories out are from things such as breathing, digesting, body temperature, and physical activity. This imbalance causes your body to store fat ("Explore Overweight and Obesity- Causes"). Genetics can also play a major role in someone becoming obese. “To date, more than 400 different genes have been implicated in the development of overweight or obesity, although only a handful appear to be major players. Genes contribute to obesity in many ways, by affecting appetite, satiety (the sense of fullness), metabolism, food cravings, body-fat distribution, and the tendency to use eating as a way to cope with stress” ("Why People Become Overweight.").  Each person varies on how much their weight is affected by their genetic makeup. However, the Harvard Health Publications state that in some people genes account for only twenty-five percent of weight gain when other’s can account for seventy to eighty percent. Medicines can also cause obesity ("Why People Become Overweight"). A side effect for certain types of medicine is weight gain. This can happen by it increasing your appetite and slowing down your metabolism. “These include corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone (used for a variety of conditions to reduce inflammation); estrogen and progesterone (used in oral contraceptives); anticonvulsants such as valproic acid (Depakote, others); certain anticancer medications; and drugs such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), haloperidol (Haldol), lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid), and clozapine (Clozaril), which are used to treat psychiatric conditions” ("Why People Become Overweight"). Certain medical conditions such as binge eating disorder, cushing’s disorder, polycystic ovary syndrome causes weight gain ("Obesity: Overweight, Unhealthy Weight."). There are many societal influences that can cause obesity. Today, daily life mostly includes sitting behind desks or in a car. Exercise takes an effort now instead of incorporating it with work or by transportation like it used to be. Also, food industries advertise fast food like it is the best thing for you, they make it cheap and quick to get. Society falsely advertises fatty food to the public. Food restaurants also serve a larger quantity then they did before and gives you no opportunity to determine how much you want and do not want.  Lastly, stress related issues such as depression or anxiety can cause a person to eat more. A research was done that proved that the less sleep you get can cause weight gain because it disrupts hormones that control hunger and cravings. In the research, a thousand people volunteered, those who had more body fat were those with less hours of sleep ("Why People Become Overweight").  In actuality obesity is a disease because many can not prevent the effect it has on them.

Those with opposing views say that obesity should not be classified as a disease because “it would be as false to say that everyone who is obese is sick as to say that every normal-weight person is well” (Gunderman). The reasoning behind this is that obesity is a risk factor for some health conditions but people who are obese are not the only people who can get these diseases. Another argument is that by making obesity a medical issue would mean that one-third of the American population are ill and this could lead to people relying more on expensive drugs and surgery rather than just changing their lifestyle (Gunderman). Another huge factor on why people say it should not be a disease is that the way obesity is measured is inaccurate and insufficient. Your BMI, body mass index, is what is used to measure if you are just overweight or if you are obese. The problem with this however is that the BMI measurement does not just measure someone solely on their body fat, it includes muscle mass, etc. “By BMI, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is obese. Conversely, someone with a small frame may have high body fat but a normal BMI” (Gunderman). Lastly, in certain societies overweight and obesity are considered normal. Some cultures find the plumper look attractive. Some societies do not notice weight and overweight shows people’s wealth and how much they enjoy life. While these arguments are valid there is still way more proof and evidence on why obesity is a disease. 

Obesity is now a major national issue and can only be fixed if we come together to fix this problem. Obesity is a disease not a personal issue, the only way it can be fixed is by doctors being informed, societal changes, and the overall recognition that it must be medicated. 
