Fighting obesity in the United States

By Crystal D. Hancock

Nevada Daily Mail

The foods we eat every day contribute to our well being. Foods provide us with the nutrients we need for healthy bodies and the calories we need for energy. If we eat too much, however, the extra food turns to fat and is stored in our bodies. If we overeat regularly, we gain weight, and if we continue to gain weight, we may become obese.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, since the mid-1970s, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply for both adults and children. "Overweight" and "obese" are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

The obesity epidemic covered on TV and in the newspapers did not occur overnight. Obesity and overweight are chronic conditions. Overall there are a variety of factors that play a role in obesity. This makes it a complex health issue to address. Behavior, environment and genetic factors may have a great effect in causing people to be overweight and obese.

Over the next few decades, life expectancy for the average American could decline by as much as 5 years unless aggressive efforts are made to slow rising rates of obesity, according to a team of scientists supported in part by the National Institute on Aging, a component of the National Institutes of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services.

These days, there are many supposed "quick fix" programs available to those looking to lose weight fast. However, these programs may not be the healthiest way to do so. In today's medical world, there are many safe, healthy and efficient ways for extremely obese people to become healthier through weight loss. Weight loss methods that seem to be becoming more and more popular among the medically obese society are gastrobypass surgery and lap bands.

According to two organizations, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health, gastric bypass surgery is the most popular bariatric surgery in the United States. In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small stomach pouch and then constructs a "bypass" for food. The bypass allows food to skip parts of the small intestine. By skipping a large part of the small intestine, the body cannot absorb as many calories or nutrients.

According to the Consumer Guide to Weightloss, Lap Band surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that is growing in popularity in the United States as the procedure of choice for weight loss surgery. More than 250,000 Lap Bands have been placed worldwide, and as more people become aware of the procedure, this trend will likely continue. The "Lap-Band System" is the brand name of the FDA approved, adjustable gastric band used in the procedure. Most simply, a Lap Band is a silicone belt that goes around the top of the stomach. This results in the ability to control hunger and achieve a "feeling of fullness," or satiety. Ultimately, patients eat much less and should feel full sooner.