Why Are We Getting Fat?

Obesity is a growing concern in the world. Why are people gaining so much weight and what can they do to prevent it?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than one-third of the adults in the United States are obese. Worldwide, the rate has doubled since 1980, states the World Health Organization.

What can be done to help prevent this growing epidemic? The World Health Organization suggests that people need to limit energy intake from total fats, increase fruit and vegetable consumption, limit the amount of sugars consumed, increase physical activity, and achieve an energy balance and healthy weight.

While such measures seem logical, the rise of obesity is still intriguing.  The Institute of Medicine released a report on the increase in weight in the United States, and according to Dan Glickman, Executive director of Congressional Programs of the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C. (and former U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary), “As the trends show, people have a very tough time achieving healthy weights when inactive lifestyles are the norm and inexpensive, high-calorie foods and drinks are readily available 24 hours a day.”

He also states, “Individuals and groups can’t solve this complex problem alone, and that’s why we recommend changes that can work together at the societal level and reinforce one another’s impact to speed our progress.”