Why as Obesity and Diabetes Increased

¶ … obesity and diabetes increased?

In spite of the fact that technology and medical science have experienced significant success in the recent decades, maladies like diabetes and obesity are increasing in prevalence in developed countries. This provides society with a dilemma, considering that most people fail to understand that they are actually exposed to these diseases. Moreover, these individuals are unacquainted with basic actions that they can perform in order to prevent diabetes and obesity. Even if people have access to information that can assist them in combating a great deal of diseases, the fact that they express indifference in regard to particular aspects of their health reflects negatively on their condition.

When considering that diabetes and obesity occur more frequently in developed countries makes it possible for the masses to comprehend that certain lifestyles promoted in these areas are essential in increasing the number of individuals who suffer. What is even more disturbing is the fact that the masses have come to associate individuals in developed countries with obesity. It is thus essential to focus on particular developed countries and the recent rates of obesity present there.

The U.S. is a hallmark for obesity when taking into account recent figures regarding the malady. "By state, obesity prevalence ranged from 21.0% in Colorado to 34.0% in Mississippi in 2010. No state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more" (Overweight and Obesity). More than one third of all the individuals in the U.S. are obese and this has raised significant attention as the international public has come to focus on reasons why people in the country are exposed to an unhealthy environment. The fact that diabetes rates have increased alongside of obesity makes it possible for society to understand that there is a strong relationship between the two maladies. Skinny individuals in the U.S. have come to be a minority while a third of the country's population is overweight and the other third is obese (Obesity? Diabetes? We've been set up).

Even with the fact that the prevalence or obesity and diabetes is lower in Great Britain, conditions are relatively similar when considering the increase that these two maladies experienced. "In England about 47% of men and 33% of women are overweight (a BMI of 25-30 kg/m2), and an additional 21% of men and 24% of women are obese (a BMI of more than 30 kg/m2)" (Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Health Committee, T-15). It appears that age has a significant influence on obesity rates in England, as individuals have a tendency to become overweight as they mature. The number of elderly individuals who are obese is much larger in comparison to the number of young people who are obese. Gender is also important when considering obesity rates in England, as men are apparently more likely to develop the malady In comparison to women (Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Health Committee, T-15).

Obesity and diabetes are primarily believed to occur more frequently as a result of the fact that individuals in developed countries are unhesitant about adopting a lifestyle involving decreased physical activity and abuse of cheap food that contains a lot of unhealthy substances. It is actually surprising that being poor in underdeveloped countries is equivalent to undernourishment and underweight while being poor in developed countries is associated with obesity (Hossain, Kawar, and El Nahas).

While people generally look at obesity and diabetes and consider that the two maladies only affect health in individuals, the truth is that they are much more influential and are responsible for significant problems present in the contemporary society. "The human and financial costs of obesity are also mounting: a higher body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) has been shown to account for up to 16% of the global burden of disease, expressed as a percentage of disability-adjusted life-years. In the developed world, 2 to 7% of total health care costs are attributable to obesity" (Hossain, Kawar, and El Nahas). Billions of dollars are spent on a yearly basis as a consequence of the direct and indirect effects of obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, obesity and diabetes are also probable to cause other, more dangerous, affections. This enables the masses to comprehend that one should not express indifference concerning the two and that he or she needs to get actively involved in understanding them properly and in assisting society suffer less.

The fact that obesity and diabetes are interlinked to a 'westernized' lifestyle can be observed by looking at developing countries that have preserved most of their traditions. People in these areas are reluctant to adopt new behaviors and are thus more likely to resist being negatively affected by globalization. In contrast, developing countries that have openly accepted Western values related to cheap and fast food and less physical exercise have also experienced an increased prevalence in diabetes and obesity (Hossain, Kawar, and El Nahas).

When considering recent trends, it appears that diabetes and obesity threaten to become a global pandemic in the near future. This threat is amplified by the fact that most people are inclined to express little to no concern regarding the malady, as they are unacquainted with the numbers associated with it. Individuals generally fear communicable diseases and ignore non-communicable ones. Obesity and diabetes, however, are probable to generate significant controversy as more and more people become familiarized with their prevalence (Hossain, Kawar, and El Nahas).

Obesity is particularly dangerous for the contemporary society because it is responsible for the emergence of numerous other maladies. "There is a strong positive correlation between the average weight in a population and the presence of type 2 diabetes, and an inverse relationship between BMI and age of diabetes onset in obese adults younger than 70 years" (Akabas, Lederman, and Moore 209). Obesity and diabetes are most commonly associated because they both progress in patients as a result of insulin resistance. An obese body is less capable to assist insulin in acting at a cellular level and this leads to "decreased glucose transport, oxidation, and particularly storage" (Akabas, Lederman, and Moore 209). Obesity and diabetes thus support a vicious circle, considering that they support each-other and that they are both likely to lead to even more serious illnesses.

The fact that society has a limited understanding regarding the connection between diabetes and obesity is reflected by the medical world's tendency to prescribe drugs that themselves induce obesity with the purpose of treating diabetes. "Today, roughly 30% of overweight people have the disease, and 85% of diabetics are overweight" (Obesity? Diabetes? We've been set up). This surely comes as a surprise for most individuals in the medical world, considering that they knew very little concerning connections between the two maladies until the recent years.

The fact that recent numbers have shown that obesity and diabetes epidemics are unlikely to slow down in the future has caught the attention of numerous individuals interested in the matter. Despite that diabetes can also be caused by other factors (such as genetics), it is especially intriguing to look at one of the factors that can easily be removed. People need to be provided with sufficient education for them to understand the risks associated with living a self-destructive lifestyle that generally seems to be harmless. Society as a whole needs to comprehend that cheap fast foods and the lack of physical exercise are two of the most serious problems that the world currently experiences.