No one can deny that obesity is a growing problem in the U.S and all around the world, but whether you choose to educate yourself on obesity or not is the reason obesity is becoming a more severe problem every day.  Obesity is an epidemic that has multiple causes, not any one cause is directly linked with obesity.  In some cases one of the main contributors is fast food, in others inactivity is the main reason people become overweight, and also food preservatives could also be in guilt for causing one of the leading deaths in the U.S. Obesity may seem like a harmless disorder because it is only excess body fat but obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of diabetes since 90-95% of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, it can also lead to hypertension and atherosclerosis which may lead to cardiovascular disease and put the patient at risk of a heart stroke.  Obesity is taking the lives of people and ripping families apart and each year that passes it is getting worse and worse

 There are many different theories to the causes of obesity and one of them is that the fast food industry is the main contributor to the obesity epidemic. Fast food is said to be the main contributor because of its supersized portions and low prices, to the consumer it seems reasonable that more food for a cheaper price is better. (Miller, 12)  What the consumer does not know is that every time he or she eats at a fast food restaurant they put themselves in danger of becoming obese over time.  The average fast food meal ranges anywhere between 1500 to 2000 calories when a home cooked meal of chicken, baked potato and vegetables range between 500 and 700 calories.  There is a difference of around 1000 calories between a fast food meal and a home cooked meal but even more fascinating is that there is a difference of at least 65 grams of fat between the two.  About 44% of all Americans visit a fast food restaurant at least once per week, that is at least 52 times a year where they may consume more than the daily recommended amount.  This may not seem like much but with only 400 unused calories in the body each day for a year there is a weight gain of around 41 pounds which is enough to put a person with healthy weight overweight or obese in 2 years or less.  

 The world is constantly changing and every day people find ways how to do things simpler or entertain themselves without any physical labor and how to get them from place to place quicker, safer and easier.  This causes people to become inactive for long periods of time.  Instead of seeing children playing ball with friends they are now found playing computer games or watching the television with friends while sitting on a couch occasionally getting up for snacks and drinks.  Instead of seeing parents mowing the lawn or walking the dog they are found in doors watching sports on television and occasionally getting up to get snacks and drink. Television usage has gone up, the average American watches 9 years of television in their lifetime.  These years could be spent doing more active things such as taking walks to parks or jogging.  The use of bicycles and walking has also decreased since there are so many car drivers that it is not safe to ride a bike to and from places without the fear of getting hurt.

 If you look at the label on most of your favorite store bought foods or snacks you will find that mostly all of them contain high fructose corn syrup.  High Fructose corn syrup has been known to contribute to obesity because of its high calorie and LDL cholesterol levels, yet barely anyone knows of this or worse knows how to read the labels on the food they intake.  People need to know what they are eating to maintain healthy and not become obese over time.  You may feel like you will not get obese but obesity is not something that happens overnight it takes time to become overweight or obese.