Effects of Obesity

More than half this nation is currently suffering from obesity, meanwhile the fast food giants are dominating the scene with their poison, and some of us willingly allow it into our bodies not knowing that the ingredients in their food are the same ingredients found in our household products like disinfectants, cleaning solutions and beauty products.

The medical field and pharmaceutical companies are growing due to the increase of sickness and of chronic diseases which have become the leading cause of death as well as disabilities in the U.S. accounting for 70% of deaths.
The impact of chronic disease affects nearly every single American living in the U.S. directly or indirectly. Indirectly Chronic disease takes a big toll on the economy in several different ways such as lowering the productivity rate, thus slowing economic growth and as a result corporate health care costs escalating, as a result $0.75 of every dollar is now spent on health care and $1.7 Trillion annually, goes toward treating chronic diseases and what exactly defines a chronic disease?
It is defined as an incurable illness that has persisted for a year or more resulting in the need for ongoing medical care and functional limitations/disabilities.
As it turns out 25% of people which have been diagnosed with chronic disease(s) are significantly impaired either mentally or physically therefore becoming limited in one or more activity of daily living.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, chronic disease was 5 of 6 of the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2006.

• 75% of which were caused by some type of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and nearly 80% of these could have all been avoided with a healthy lifestyle.

• Estimated direct and indirect  costs for cardiovascular disease for 2010 alone are estimated at $503.2 Billion.

• Another condition often associated with cardiovascular disease is obesity, which is currently a world wide problem.

• At present, 66% of Americans older than the age of 20 are over-weight, and approximately 34% of Americans are obese, which equates to approximately 72 million Americans. http://www.cbsnews.com refrence

• more than 9 million young people ranging between ages 2-19 are considered to be over-weight or obese.

• Expert predictions suggest that by 2015 nearly 1 in 4 kids will be overweight.

• Excessive body weight is associated with a multitude of health risks such as, Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol,pregnancy/birth complications, osteoarthritis, certain types of cancer, shortened life expectancy as well as a decrease in quality of life.

• Type 2 Diabetes accounts for 90-95% of all diagnosed diabetes and is associated with obesity, commonly abdominal obesity.

Furthermore, research suggests that musculoskeletal pain is more common now than it had been 40 years ago, and one of the primary causes attributed to muscular dysfunction is a lack or decline of physical activity as a result becoming de-conditioned due to the increase in sedentary lifestyles losing physiological, physical and performance benefits.