Gonzalez 1

Gonzalez, Sarah
ODowd
Anatomy
8, March 2015
Disease Prompt #1
Sugar, spice, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect
meal. But the food industry accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoctionchemical
HFCS. Thus, health diseases were born! Using their ultra super powers, diabetes, obesity, and
cancer have dedicated their lives to boosting blood pressure, and the forces of cardiovascular
disease! As referenced in this parody of The Powerpuff Girls, the food industry puts harmful
chemicals in our food, leading to diseases. Adult obesity rates have doubled since 1980, while
childhood obesity rates have more than tripled. Rising obesity rates have significant health
consequences, contributing to increased rates of more than 30 diseases. Lifestyle, diet, culture
and society greatly contribute to diseases in America.
A disease is a disorder or illness that affects an organism and prevents the body or mind
from working normally. Diabetes and obesity have a co-dependent relationship; obesity is
believed to account for 80-85% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes occurs when
the body had an inability to produce any or enough insulin, causing elevated levels of glucose in
the blood. According to the NHS, a 5% reduction in body weight followed up by regular
moderate intensity exercise could reduce your type 2 diabetes risk by more than 50%. Obesity is
the condition of being immensely overweight. If a person's bodyweight is at least 20% higher
than it should be, he or she is considered obese. Following a healthy lifestyle can help you
prevent obesity. Eating correct portion sizes (moderation), eating healthy food and snacks,
exercising, and monitoring weight regularly are key components to a healthy lifestyle. The longterm effects of diabetes and obesity can cause cardiovascular diseases and cancer. If you are

Gonzalez 2
overweight you may develop hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. These conditions will
put you at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart disease, such as coronary heart disease,
heart attack, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease, is the leading cause of death
for men and women in the U.S. Prevention includes quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol,
controlling high blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising. Unlike heart
disease, the link between cancer and diabetes is unknown. "The full biologic link between
diabetes and cancer has not been completely defined," Gapstur tells WebMD. "But first of all we
should prevent diabetes. Then we can prevent some cancers. And for those who do have diabetes,
it should be controlled as much as possible through a healthy lifestyle."
These diseases have always been preventable; however culture and society have greatly
influenced their rise. Advertisements on social media, billboards, commercials, and just about
everywhere you go influence our dietary choices. Research done by Geisel School of Medicine
at Dartmouth shows 27.3% of children with a TV in their bedroom are overweight, as compared
with 17.7% of children who do not have a TV in their bedroom. Convenience of food, like fast
food restaurants, makes us stray away from healthy diets. With increasingly cheap, high calorie
foods, sedentary lifestyles, urbanization and changing modes of transportation, diseases
concerning diet have rapidly increased in the last few decades, around the world. Although
dietary diseases arent the same everywhere, the number of overweight people rivals the number
of underweight people. Almost all dietary diseases can be prevented with exercise and proper
nutrition.
All Americans who do not live a healthy lifestyle are susceptible to any of these diseases.
Although hereditary factors definitely contribute to the diseases, you can easily get them through
your long-term lifestyle choices. Not getting the right nutrients, over-eating, and little exercise,

Gonzalez 3
cause these diseases. Race, age, gender, and family history can also contribute and unfortunately
cannot be prevented. African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Native
Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans have a higher risk for these deadly diseases.
With both my grandmothers, from both sides of my family having diabetes, I am genetically
susceptible. Both my mom and dad live healthy lives with healthy diets, therefore, my household
culture has prevented me from getting it. Households and parents greatly affect the prevention
of obesity from adult to child, and these factors make it very challenging for a child to try to
prevent it. For example, a family with two obese parents who love to eat high cholesterol foods
will tend to feed their children this food. Until the child is able to buy food on their own, they are
forced to eat what they are given. By the time they can make their own dietary choices, they have
already taken up the habits of their parents. In some countries of the world, big women are
deemed as beautiful, thus resulting in the norm for overweight people.
Dietary diseases are not just a national issue, but a global issue. People suffer from
diabetes, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, with heart attacks being the number one
killer in the United States. Lifestyle, diet, culture and society greatly contribute to diseases in
America.

Gonzalez 4
Works Cited
"Age, Race, Gender & Family History." American Diabetes Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar.
2015.
Anderson, Ericka. "Sugar Is Evil and Other Silly Claims in the Obesity Wars." Daily Signal. The
Daily Siignal, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"The Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease Link." The Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease Link.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
DeNoon, Daniel J. "Why Does Diabetes Raise Cancer Risk?" WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 08
Mar. 2015.
"Diabetes and Obesity." Diabetes and Obesity. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
"Obesity." - Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
"The Powerpuff Girls." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"12 Dangerous And Hidden Food Ingredients In Seemingly Healthy Foods." 12 Dangerous And
Hidden Food Ingredients In Seemingly Healthy Foods. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
"Type 2 Diabetes ." Type 2 Diabetes. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.