Obesity Waging War

The Waging War Against Obesity

Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has pledged that one of the goals of his administration is to make the public aware of the problem of Obesity, which affects the health of large numbers of citizens. The Medical community largely supports his efforts. One of his strategies has been to encourage restaurants and the public to be aware of the caloric content of the food they consume. The Mayor and those who agree with this strategy, model their campaign on the campaign to reduce the consumption of tobacco. While there is a direct correlation between smoking and lung cancer, the public accepts this correlation and the use of tobacco has declined dramatically; the Mayor’s campaign to encourage citizens to eat less
It is founded on the principle that assembling people who share the same goal – weight loss – led by a leader who participated in the program and achieved success, will motivate people to achieve significant weight reduction “When people who are working on a similar problem get together, they can support each other so they don’t feel alone in this weight-loss journey.” (“Commercial Weight-loss Products and Programs”) According to Keith Ayoob, director and nutrition clinic Rose F. Kennedy Center at the Albert Einstein of College of Medicine, “The group environment may make some participants more likely to trick through the program” (Salahi) Among non-medical commercial programs (including Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and LA weight Loss), the researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine concluded that these programs resulted in a loss of 570 of member’s initial weight (about 101 pounds) in three to six months. But researchers are continuing to evaluate these programs for evidence of long-term success in the battle against
Many Americans aren’t very physically active. “In fact more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity.” A topic that has recently been the focus of scientific investigation of the causes of obesity is the role of genes and family history. “Studies of identical twins who have been raised apart show that genes have a strong influence on a person’s weight. Overweight and obesity tend to run in families.” (“What Causes Overweight or Obesity?”) Scientists studying the cause of obesity have concluded, “Your genes may also effect the amount of fat you store in your body.” (“What Causes Overweight or Obesity?”) Additionally, some hormone problems may cause overweight and obesity, such as an underactive thyroid. But hormonal problems can be dealt with medically with medication that increases your metabolism. There are over-the-counter and prescription diet pills that work to curb your appetite. However, these pills have side effects that make physicians reluctant to prescribe them. So where does that leave the obese person who wants to get thin and stay