Hey guys,
Today I will talk mainly about childhood obesity and how its caused. The three main factors I am going to talk about today are: 1) genetic makeup, 2) parental involvement and 3) environmental elements.
1) The genetic makeup of an adolescent
has shown to be a major player in a child’s risk of being obese. One of the key
players in regulating lipid (fat) metabolism is the gene that codes for the
protein-hormone leptin. Leptin, an emissary from fat tissue, regulates hunger
and energy storage. When leptin levels drop, the animal feels hungry and needs
food to survive. Therefore leptin works by making sure that the animal does not
starve. When leptin levels rise, hunger decreases. Just like leptin, there are
8 other hormones that are released from the digestive tract that all regulate
hunger, starvation, and metabolism. All these hormones either work together or
against each other to maintain metabolism. A major risk factor of obesity is
when the genes that code for these protein-hormones get mutated. In rare cases,
when the leptin gene gets mutated in children, the fat cells can no longer
communicate with the brain which leads to no control of hunger. As a result,
the children eat voraciously and become obese. Similarly, a gene that codes for
the leptin receptor in the brain, can be mutated which can cause the leptin to
never be recognized by the brain. When leptin can no longer communicate with
the brain, the risk of obesity increases. Latest research is being conducted
today to find ways to treat this metabolic error. However, solving this genetic
riddle will not be an easy task. When leptin was first discovered, it was considered
the master regulator to obesity and hunger. However, in the past twenty years,
new research shows as many as 100 genes that could regulate obesity risk (Okie
46). This complex picture of lipid metabolism and appetite regulation can only
get worse. The genetic makeup of an individual is one of the major risk factors
for childhood obesity; nevertheless, there are several other elements that can
put a kid in risk for childhood obesity.
2) Another major
cause of childhood obesity is too much parental attention or too little
parental attention. Laura L. Hayman, the Associate Dean for Research at the
University of Massachusetts, states that an increase in childhood obesity is
due to, “longer working hours for parents/guardians, more meals consumed outside
the home environment, fewer family meals, and decreased opportunities for
physical activity and increases in sedentary activities/screen time”
(Medscape). This idea shows that maybe too little parental attention due to
longer working hours and fewer family meals might lead to a higher risk of
obesity. However, some studies show that too much parental control over a
child’s food choices and intake may be counterproductive. Some researchers say
that “…working against children’s innate ability to monitor their own hunger or
satiety” is dangerous (Okie 64). Nutritionist researchers Leann L. Birch, Susan
L. Johnson, and Jennifer O. Fisher reported that young children whose mothers
restricted their eating were more likely than other children to be overweight. This
remains a controversial topic because research “generally show(s) very
inconsistent results”, notes Jane Wardle, a professor of clinical psychology at
London’s University College (Okie 65). These findings underscore a point made
by all dietary experts: effective strategies for changing eating habits should
involve teaching the whole family, not just the overweight child.
3) Finally, the
most common cause of childhood obesity is environmental, lack of physical
activity and bad meal choices. Susan Okie, the writer of Fed Up, surveyed the food choices kids took at D.W. Griffith Junior
High, in East Los Angeles. One boy wrote, “Breakfast: pizza, chips, cereal, ice
cream, donuts. Lunch: pizza, cupcakes, Cheetos. Dinner: pizza, soup, bread.
Snacks: pizza, chips, sugar” (Okie 7). Out of the 27 students that were
surveyed, only 2 of the 27 listed a single fruit. When Okie asked why kids do
not get enough physical exercise nowadays, they all said technology, laziness,
crime, or traffic. Several people were asked why the obesity epidemic was
spreading. The answer was the same, “They look at their children’s lifestyles
and point to super-sized sodas, TV and video games, and snack foods” (Okie 8).
Environmental factors are the most dangerous and the goal of society should be
to find ways to endorse physical activity and improve meal choices.
