Obesity has been high up on the discussion topics list lately, as an “obesity epidemic” is taking over America. I believe that the term “epidemic” is an appropriate description for the enormous rise in obesity, including that of children, which we are seeing in the United States. Obese people have a higher risk of heart disease, depression, sleep apnea, cancer and/or diabetes. A large number of obese adolescents plus an increasingly high number of obese adults equals an extremely high number of people who are at a high risk of getting one or all of these illnesses. So what is being done about this “epidemic”? There has been talk of mandating a ban on foods that are bad for people, as well as the ever-popular recommendation that an obese person just needs to eat better and exercise. But would either of these options have an effect? Some say no, absolutely not. Recent research may indicate that obesity is not something that can necessarily be controlled but in fact is a brain disorder.
Studies have shown the negative consequences of a high fat diet on subjects including weight gain, insulin resistance, inflammation of the hypothalamus, increased oxidative stress in the brain, decreased volume of the hippocampus and leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone created by fat cells and controls the amount of fat stored in the body by suppressing appetite (hunger). Drawing your attention to insulin and leptin, these two molecules are responsible for making sure we know to stop eating when we are full. When there is a resistance to these two molecules, which is found to be the case in obese people, there is an absence of the signal telling them they are no longer hungry. This leads to a continued cycle of overconsumption and resistance.
In addition to this type of scientific research, there are also studies which investigate the genetic aspects of leptin, the reward pathway in the brain and the blood brain barrier. The genetic aspects of leptin have to do with the gene that encodes for leptin not being produced; therefore a person has the feeling of being continually hungry. With regard to the reward pathway, research has shown that if there is not enough dopamine released into the brain it is more difficult to achieve the “satisfaction” level of eating. Finally, with regard to the blood brain barrier, triglycerides can disrupt the blood brain barrier to the point where leptin and insulin cannot cross its boundaries. I discussed earlier the effects of the resistance of leptin and insulin.
This research that exists is essentially saying that obesity is a brain disorder and not just an outcome of an unhealthy lifestyle, but do you buy it?
Personally, I do to a certain extent. Prior to reading this paper I was the type of person who believed a person was obese solely due to their lifestyle choices. After having read information and research studies suggesting there is a clinical and/or genetic abnormality potentially at play here, my opinions have changed. There are definitely neurological factors that contribute to extensive eating and the inability to reach the point of satisfaction when consuming food. This has caused me to believe that in reality, being obese is not completely the person’s fault. I think of obesity as a habit that is hard to break, like for instance smoking. Obese people have neurological responses they have to work against to achieve a healthy lifestyle and in no way will I dispute that breaking this “habit” would be anything but extremely hard. On the other hand, I still believe that there are certain things that an individual can do to decrease their risk. I understand that obtaining a healthy lifestyle is very difficult but I still do believe/hope that some are willing to work extremely hard to avoid obesity and its consequences. I also believe that exposing children from a young age to healthy eating and exercising will better instill a lifelong habit of good health. Once bad habits start and are continuous, it is a hard to recover.
Although the debate still exists as to whether or not obesity is due to lifestyle choices or caused by a brain disorder, there is no question we are experiencing an “obesity epidemic” here in America and something needs to be done to combat it.
Picture obtained from: http://obesityinamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/map_tape.jpg
Obesity Epidemic: Pointing Fingers, But Is It Really Their Fault?
