Fast+Food+-+Obesity+In+Depth

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====Today, most people are aware that fast food is a significant cause for obesity in countries like the United States. Over the last decades, there has been a huge increase in the number of obese adults, children, and adolescent. In fact, this issue has worsened to the point where obesity has become an epidemic.====

====[|Obesity], defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher, is a national epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the prevalence of obesity has risen sharply from 15% in the late 1970s to 34% in 2006. Since obesity is associated with a range of diseases including type 2 [|Diabetes], heart disease, stroke and cancer, the financial impact amounts to more than $117 billion each year in medical costs and lost worker productivity. As obesity has increased, so have weight loss methods with billions spent on pills, machines, diet literature and surgeries.==== 

====A variety of factors is correlated with the epidemic including sedentary lifestyle, convenient fast food, larger restaurant portions, the electronic culture, and lack of venues for physical activity. A key concern in this epidemic is the rising rate of obese children. Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity predicts that by 2010, almost 50 percent of children in North America will be overweight. ==== ====http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-sub-display?id=SXX1598-0-2909&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=Y&keyno=0000018600&leadiss=Y&auth_checked=Y  ====

__Fast Food Dangers__
 The nutritional make up of fast food encourages people to gorge on it unintentionally, increasing their risk of obesity, research suggests. Experts at the Medical Research Council found most fast food is very dense in calories - you only need a small amount to bump up your calorific intake. They found that these "energy dense" foods can fool people into consuming more calories than the body needs. The research is published in the journal Obesity Reviews. A typical fast food meal has a very high energy density. It is more than one and a half times higher than an average traditional British meal and two and a half times higher than a traditional African meal. The researchers concluded that a diet high in fast foods will increase a person's risk of weight gain and obesity - even though they may feel that they are eating no more than they would if they ate an average meal. In addition, the high levels of trans fat in fast food products increases risk of coronary heart diseases and levels of bad cholesterol called LDL Cholesterol. Trans fat are not known to have any benefitial nutritional advantages and is therefore something people should limit in their consumption.

__Preventing Obesity__
==== To address this health crisis, the government has introduced the Food Guide Pyramid, mandatory nutrition labels and the regulation of dangerous diet drugs. Local and private initiatives have directed food advertising toward healthier choices, banned trans fats from restaurants and removed sugary sodas from school vending machines. ==== ====In the formulation of a strategy to address this epidemic, controversy exists over whether obesity is the result of a toxic food environment that requires government intervention or is simply a matter of personal responsibility. http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-sub-display?id=SXX1598-0-2909&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=Y&keyno=0000018600&leadiss=Y&auth_checked=Y  ====

With growing obesity rates, people have become more conscious of what they consume and have limited their trips to fast food restaurants. To deal with the bad label put upon them by the public, researchers, and health nuts, fast food chains have broadened their venues. They've incorporated healthier foods like salads and alternative healthier choices like grilled chicken instead of deep fried chicken. They've also labeled their products with all the nutritional facts so customers can control what they consume.

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