The Classification of Obesity As a Disease
Obesity has become very prevalent throughout the years as the fast food industry and the availability of processed foods has become more accessible. There are many different opinions when it comes to classifying obesity as a disease, some people do believe that obesity is a high-risk factor and should be considered a disease but from previous classes that I have taken and different stories that I have encountered, I have formed my own opinion as to why obesity, in fact, should not be considered a disease. I can definitely see as to why individuals would classify obesity as a disease. In this case, people believe that obesity is a disease due to the lack of exercising and food moderation which
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Although obesity can lead to other diseases, obesity does not necessarily mean you are unhealthy. Many obese individuals live long healthy lives. There are other risk factors associated with obesity such as eating unhealthy and living a sedentary lifestyle. The way that I see it is that obesity itself is a risk factor but it is not a disease. There are many individuals who have high cholesterol, and high levels of fact but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are obese, it just means that they are living an unhealthy lifestyle. Also, being obese does not necessarily take away from a person's everyday lifestyle. A disease such as cancer or heart disease, however, does take away from a person’s everyday lifestyle. The most common method of measuring weight status today is Body Mass Index or BMI, which is a ratio of your height to your weight. This method is inaccurate and it should not be able to determine whether a person is obese or not. Many people who are labeled obese by the BMI are also considered to be “unhealthy” and “diseased” which is not the case. BMI does not take into account the overall health of the individual and can identify fit, muscular people as obese because muscle weighs more than fat