Obesity has become a serious problem for the entire human race. Although it is more severe in developed countries such as the United State, both developing and underdeveloped countries are also suffering from obesity socially and economically. In the America, obesity has grown dramatically in the past fifty years. According to data reported by the CDC, the percentage of obese population has increased from 13% in 1962 to 35.7% in the year of 2010. Obesity can lead to many negative health effects such as cardiovascular diseases, and even neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s), which can result in gigantic medical expenses for our society. And since there are multiple dimensions to obesity, it is very important to investigate the causes of obesity from different perspectives.
In this week’s paper, we learned about the neurochemical mechanisms that are responsible for our appetite, which directly affect our food intake and therefore could be one of the biological causes of obesity. According to the paper, there are two types of neurons located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus that are affected by different levels of leptin and insulin in our body. When the levels of leptin and insulin in our body are high, the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons are activated, and a-MSH is secreted. This will signal our body to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure. On the other hand, when the levels of leptin and insulin in our body are low, the AgRP/NPY neurons will be activated and stimulate food intake. These results have been tested by the researchers, and the scientists from all over the world are trying to apply these informations to treatments of obesity.
Some might argue that weight problems are personal, and irrelevant to the society. And I respectfully disagree, in my opinion, obesity is a common problem for the society as a whole since it escalated to not just the personal health problem, but multi-dimensional. According to the former economist of the Qantas Airways, Tony Webber, the average weight for their costumer has gone up by 2 kilograms since the year of 2000. This means a 472 U.S. dollar increase in fuel cost for an A380 flying from Sydney to London, and nearly 1 million dollar increase in fuel cost for this particular line in a year. No wonder the airfares in general have skyrocketed so much. Furthermore, according to the Society of Actuaries, obesity has increased the medical cost in the U.S and Canada by nearly 130 billion dollars. All these facts suggest that obesity is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with as a society as soon as possible.
Obesity, Solved?
