Is Obesity A Modern Disease?

French fries. Hamburgers. Pizza soaked with grease. While these meals sound like heart attacks waiting to happen, the majority of the United States is chowing down on these fattening foods. Since the rise of popular fast food chains and excessive marketing through the media, people are starting to experience obesity and major health problems. Has this always been an issue in our culture? Here we take a look at how modern this fattening disease is and what it is doing to our society.

For centuries people have been obese. Plus sized clothing, unhealthy eating habits, and an incredible sense of exercise denial. However, they were not always seen as negative images of beauty. Surprisingly, obesity was viewed as royalty and a symbol of how much money you had. If you were a King, chances are you were rather overweight due to the fact that you could eat whatever you wanted to. While others struggled through poverty and starved, those who ate well certainly did pack on the pounds. Therefore, the struggle with weight has always been part of our culture.

Unfortunately, obesity is becoming more of a worldwide problem in recent years. With fast paced lifestyles taking a toll on our bodies, it is impossible to keep health as a top priority. For many workers, there is just not enough time in the day to exercise and eat right. This is why thousands of people a day flock to fast food restaurants, hoping that they will save extra time riding through the drive-thru. Regrettably, their lack of exercise and overuse of transportation is only damaging their waist line. It is impossible to tone up any part of the body when we are constantly sitting down at our computers and driving whenever we have to travel somewhere.

Another reason for obesity is the rise in disorders such as thyroid problems. Millions of Americans suffer each year from this illness, and thus have trouble slimming down. However, medicine can easily help keep weight at bay, and reduce the amount of excess weight. While genetic problems have always been a factor, our mindsets are more harmful. We all crave immediacy. It doesn't matter if we have hours to spare or need to be at work within a few minutes. Regardless of our schedule, we are desperate to keep our days jam packed. Perhaps we don't want to realize that we are ruining our bodies and our health. No matter what the reason is, our lazy mindsets are actually taking quite a toll. If only the general public turned off their television sets and stopped playing computer games. Far too often children are encouraged to sit back and relax with their video games and enjoy a plethora of candy, even though they haven't moved a muscle. The fact that we do not motivate people enough to get up and exercise is very frightening. If we do not do something in the near future, the majority of society will be bedridden and over-obese. Unfortunately, this will only result in less productivity and death or serious illnesses.