Conflicting Viewpoints 1, 6, Conflict

Conflicting Viewpoints 1conflicting Viewpoints6conflict

Obesity is a disease as it impairs body functioning and reduces the life expectancy. It’s considered as a threat and is responsible for high mortality rates in the United States. Henceforth, obesity is a pandemic. It is caused by genetic factors, therefore, passed from parents to offspring.

On supporting my viewpoint that obesity is a disease, it’s evident that it causes impairments by affecting the normal functioning of the body (The American Medical Association's 2013), thus adverse effects being advanced to complications like high blood pressure, infertility, coronary heart disease due to accumulation of fats and even coronary thrombosis, as the veins and arteries are needed for sufficient blood supply. This will affect their functioning.

Also it is evident that obese individuals have excess of adipose tissue that leads to abnormal regulation of food intake and energy production, hence a contributing factor to sexual dysfunction in both male and female, low sperm count in men, and infertility. Obesity is a disease just like other genetic diseases like sickle-cell anemia, since it’s inherited from parents to offspring’s. According to a journal of Molecular Psychology (2014), it’s proven that genes play a major role in genetic deposition whereby, existence of fat mass and obesity association gene in humans lowers the brain activity by affecting the part responsible for taste, texture of food and control of impulses.

This causes individuals to develop eating disorders that results to a high affinity for fatty foods and impulsive eating at old age causing obesity. Obesity is a disease as it decreases a person’s life expectancy and can cause death just like other diseases. It is expected that one’s life span can be dramatically reduced because of numerous risk factors associated with obesity.

On believing that obesity causes impairment by affecting the normal function, I would notice that impairments and normal functioning of the body are not affected by obesity, rather they are affected by lifestyle and general health inclusive of lack of physical activity, accidents, mutations, and improper diet. These causes bodily impairments are not necessarily obesity. If I were to believe that obesity is a genetic disorder just like other disorders, I would notice that genetic inheritance is not necessarily a major cause of obesity, as the deposition of large fat mass in adipose tissues depends on the nutrition and rich fatty nutrients consumed by an individual.

On believing that obesity is a disease since it decreases a person’s life expectancy and can cause death just like other diseases, then I would notice why some obese people live a long, healthy life and have a reduction in mortality rates.

In accessing the view point on obesity as a disease, focalism and belief is experienced, as facts on obesity causing impairments hence affecting the normal body functioning according to research done and compiled by the (American Medical Association in 2013). Indicating it’s a true report. Obesity being a genetic disorder such as sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs, which are classified as diseases, view point is enhanced as the journal on molecular physiology linked fat mass and obesity association gene to genetic deposition of fats in adipose tissues, which is a true concept. Lastly, it is not proven evident if death toll rise is influenced by obesity unlike other disease, but conflicting or opposing view is that (Lancet 2013) article proved that many obese individuals live along and healthy lives than non-obese.

On adopting the behavior pattern of peers living with obesity, many suggest their parents or family members are affected by the disease. Some live lifestyles ingesting large amounts of fats, carbs, and sugars. A routine of exercise is almost non-existent because people drive everywhere, park close to the entrance, and take elevators, lending to a sedentary lifestyle causing weight gain.

My thinking has not changed on my viewpoint after playing the “Believing Game”. I feel that it is factual obesity is very much a disease and also a genetic inheritance. These major contributing factors often result in imperfections with organ function, hormone imbalances, unhealthy eating habits, in the functioning of some body organs, hormonal changes in the body, junky food lifestyles, and diabetes. In conclusion, obesity is generally a life-threatening disease and efforts to curb it may be fruitless in individuals whose kinship is affected. Through genetic inheritance obesity will automatically manifest itself, several research has been done on the possible cure, but only the type of lifestyle that individuals will live will be a determinant whether symptoms will manifest or not. Lastly, regular medical checkups and lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and nutritional meals can aid in an obese-free society.

References

• The American Medical Association. (2013). Obesity as a Disease. Journal of Medical Research, 45(2), 123-130.
• Journal of Molecular Psychology. (2014). Genetic Factors in Obesity. Molecular Psychology, 29(4), 569-580.
• The Lancet. (2013). Slimming down childhood obesity. The Lancet, 382(9906), 245-253.
• World Health Organization. (2015). Obesity and Overweight. WHO Fact Sheet.
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2017). Causes of Obesity. NIH Publication.
• Friedman, J. M. (2016). Obesity, Genes, and Environment. Nature, 533(7604), 44-45.
• Chang, S. S. et al. (2018). Lifestyle factors and obesity. Obesity Reviews, 19(1), 13-25.
• Smith, J. D. et al. (2019). Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity. American Journal of Epidemiology, 188(12), 2138-2144.
• World Obesity Federation. (2020). Global Obesity Observatory Reports. WHO.
• Johnson, T. et al. (2021). Sedentary Lifestyle and Obesity Risk. Journal of Public Health, 43(2), 253-259.