“Americans, they’re so overweight.”
“Our country is getting bigger and bigger. We were much thinner when I was a kid.”
“Our food is so processed, but fast-food is convenient and much more delicious than healthy eating. Making healthy meals just takes too much time.”
These are just a few comments about today’s American culture regarding food. The problem is-they’re relatively true statements. America is arguably more fast-paced than earlier times and also more productive, but that comes at a cost. Increased productivity can come at the cost of bodily health, which often times means the way people eat can be affected. Fast-food is consequently often consumed to compensate for a lack of time needed to prepare home-cooked meals. In the short term, fast-food is the answer, but the long-term effects of eating it regularly can take a large toll on an individual, and data shows than the American people as a whole have not fared well in the wake of the American fast-food lifestyle.
The Problem
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), fast-food comprises approximately 11% of the average American diet, and this food is largely unhealthy due to added sugars, preservatives, and a lack of natural meats, fruits, and vegetables. (If you want to read more about the WHO’s analysis of eating in America, click here.) This is correlated to the rise in total calorie, meat, and grain consumption, ultimately leading to an increasingly obese society. Increased intake of unhealthy foods almost ensures an increased weight in the U.S. population, but another culprit is responsible, in part, for the rise of obesity: lack of exercise.
Along with an increase in unhealthy eating, Americans are exercising less and less. Whether it be from lack of time, inaccessibility to a workout facility, or an inadequate understanding of the overall benefits that accompany exercise, decreased exercise in America has nonetheless played a role in the rise in obesity trend.
A Solution
Many people are unaware of their options regarding healthy foods or healthy food preparation. Furthermore, many do not know of the true consequences of long-term unhealthy eating. A few of these consequences include: weight gain, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. To combat this, persistent education beginning at a young age should be pursued-a child’s education should include healthy lifestyle awareness as it affects their bodily health long-term. If young children, teenagers, and young adults are ingrained with the skills and knowledge of healthy eating and ways to prepare such food, as well as education on time-management in taking care of your bodily health, the obesity “epidemic” could be challenged.
The Science
Insulin and Leptin are hormones in the body that play a role in proper food intake and energy metabolism. During proper signaling after food intake, insulin and leptin work together to simultaneously inhibit the AgRP neurons while activating the POMC neurons. The increase in POMC neuronal activity in turn activates MC4R neuronal activity that is responsible for satiety and stimulation of energy expenditure. AgRP neurons tell your body to “eat” while POMC neurons tell your body your “full”, so when their inhibited and activated respectively, proper metabolic activity in response to food intake can occur. However, long-term overeating can lead to improper signaling in this pathway. Persistent overeating leads to neuronal inflammation that can lead to resistance of both the AgRP and POMC neurons, so overactivity in the AgRP neurons can continue, which tells your body to continue eating. This a vicious cycle of overeating due to the body’s inability to feel truly “satisfied.” This leads to the increased overall caloric intake and ultimately weight gain.
