Speech - Keanu Gomez

            When I ask the question ‘What do you feel is the most urgent threat to America?’ many of you might say things like: terrorism, nuclear warfare, global warming, and even Ebola. But some of you might not even consider obesity. In reality however, obesity is actually one of the terrors from within. According to statistics taken by the CDC and other organizations, approximately 30% of the entire American population is considered overweight or obese. They even estimate that by 2020, three-fourths of the American population will be obese.

            That’s a scary number. But I’ll remind you all that obesity comes with its own set of complications. Merely being obese not only hinders mobility, but it also causes other diseases. Once you are obese, you trigger a domino effect wherein Type 2 diabetes kicks in and can be followed by heart attack and stroke. So obesity is definitely also a massive killer. However, it is different from other threats like terrorism and global warming because it is something we can control. It’s a problem that is growing here in our country, but it is not too late to stop it.

            Everyone knows that exercise and a healthy diet are obvious ways to prevent obesity but there are some causes of obesity that are more subtle. For instance, everyone has probably seen a fast food commercial right? Well those ads have a significant influence on children today. They encourage unhealthy eating habits and this greatly contributes to the growing childhood obesity rates. Sadly, this marketing technique is very effective for the industry and they will not cease or even think twice about the negative effects they cause in the country as long as they are making lots of money. In order to counteract this, parents should be more adamant about teaching their children about the unhealthy nature of fast food.

Similarly, the growing numbers of fast food restaurants are ever increasing. For example the New McDonalds that just opened here on Richmond Rd. This just goes to show how people are becoming ever more reliant on fast food. Understandably, this country is busy in many ways and maybe home-cooked meals don’t fit in the schedule. But as many of you already know, fast food is very unhealthy. But it is this very convenience that makes them so popular. So, since it’s mostly the convenience that encourages consumers to buy, then why not just make healthier fast food restaurants? The food market should be cautioned about their great impact on the growth of obesity. They should not be allowed to air those mouth-watering, heart-attack-causing food advertisements to poor, innocent, and vulnerable children.

According to studies done by Nutritionist, Marion Nestle, poor school environments have also encouraged unhealthy diets for children. Even in this school we see the infinite instances where the school itself has provided unhealthy food options. The vending machines, the popular pizza lines that serve Dominos pizza every day and ice cream of course. But not only this. It has been proven that stress can trigger a craving for high fat, sweet diets. Teens and adults under stress resort to low-level physical activity and are less likely to exercise. And clearly, stress can be caused by many different factors. But there is one that mostly all teens have in common, school. Whether it be the peer pressures, the AP classes, or the upcoming finals we all have, we all undergo stress from school. However, it’s not like we can just tell teachers to go easy on us so that we won’t be stressed. So instead, we should just be aware of the negative effects of stress that can be harmful to our health and we should learn how to effectively manage our stress without resorting to binge eating.

Since stress and obesity are closely related, then it can be established that obesity can also be caused or considered as a psychological problem. Another Nutritionist, Jeffrey Fortuna, points out that obesity is basically a food addiction that is similar to drug addictions because of their craving similarities. In a study where chocolate was shown to women who were addicted to it they found that the same part of the brain was activated as when cocaine was shown to cocaine addicts. Since drug addiction is being taken more seriously nowadays, then how come there is not that much attention devoted to preventing obesity?

That just shows how little of a threat obesity appears to people. I don’t know. Is it because Mexico’s obesity rates have beaten the United States, or is it just because people are more scared of things like terrorism? Nevertheless, hopefully you have seen the prevalence of obesity here in our country and many factors that are encouraging it instead of preventing it. From harmful advertising, the growing fast food industry, and to the obesity-prone environment we live in, we can see how our country is doing the exact opposite of what it should be doing in order to suppress this ever-present killer. As Dr. Richard Carmona, our past Surgeon General, said “unless we do something about obesity, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event…”

Works Cited

Killer at Large. Dir. Steven Greenstreet. Disinformation Company, 2008. Film.

Tajik, Esra, et al. "Contributing Factors Of Obesity Among Stressed Adolescents." Electronic                   Physician 6.1 (2014): 771-778. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 July 2014.

Fortuna, Jeffrey L. "The Obesity Epidemic And Food Addiction: Clinical Similarities To Drug     

Dependence." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 44.1 (2012): 56-63. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 1 July 2014.

Wallis, Claudia. "The Obesity WARRIORS." Time 163.23 (2004): 78-89. Academic Search

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OBESITY in America. Digital image. Changing

            Obesity in America. MSN Health and Fitness, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 1 July 2014.