Obesity has become one of the most popular modern day health threats across the United States. Obesity kills millions of Americans every year as well as creates a problem for the health care system, costing 190 million dollars a year just for weight related health issues. Recently I annotated an article by Gina Kolata about how peoples weight problems are often not self inflicted.
The New York Times Article, “One Weight-Loss Approach Fits All? No, Not Even Close,” states that obesity is hard to treat because not all treatment works for every patient; the genetic mutations of certain genes makes it harder for those affected to lose the weight they gained. You could take two people of identical body types and socioeconomic classes, and the two would gain and lose weight differently from each other. Why? Genetics mutations can predispose humans to weight gain in certain conditions.
Many people will critique this article saying that obesity is more common to be self inflicted rather than genetic related. That people who are obese chose to be obese. You can’t change your genetics, but you can change your habits to live a healthy lifestyle. Most people believe that dieting is the answer to losing weight, but in a study conducted by Dr. Frank Sacks, found that that is not the case. His study was conducted with 811 obese adults who all followed different popular diets used for weight loss. What he found was that no diet can truly change your weight. In the article they give a list of solutions for weight loss like a low glycemic diet, calorie counting, drugs that control cravings etc. But overall, what works for one person may not work for the other. Weight-loss looks different on everyone; as long as you are motivated and willing to make the change, you will see results.
I agree with the solution of changing your habits to work with your genes rather than trying to force something that isn’t working. When it comes to weight loss, it can be frustrating. But realizing that all bodies are different and react differently to certain methods is the key to starting your transformation. I think the most important solution to the obesity epidemic is actually wanting and making healthy changes like going to the gym, skipping on fast food, and making sure you are keeping your body and mind moving everyday. This is both cost effective and will create the longest lasting change on all bodies.
