As the number of people in America that are obese continues to increase, many people are beginning to question what is causing this epidemic. There are a few theories that have been tossed around the scientific community for the cause of this rapid obesity epidemic. One of the theories is that the body cannot readily break down high fructose corn syrup which is a cheap alternative to table sugar and is found in many of the foods the average American eats daily. Another reason that is believed by many scientists is that people are on average living a more sedentary lifestyle than Americans ever have in the past.
When looking into the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) theory, there are some facts that are hard to ignore. HFCS is structurally similar to table sugar, the difference is the amount of fructose found in HFCS. The higher percentage causes a change in the bodies ability to break it down effectively.
In looking at the lifestyle changes of Americans, it is clear that Americans have become more sedentary over the last 20 years or so as jobs have moved more into the white collar world where people are moving less during the day. This added to the fast food frenzy that has begun to save time both lead to Americans gaining weight and losing overall health.
It seems that studies have not gone far enough into this subject yet to find the exact cause but as a scientific onlooker, it seems that these causes together may have caused the obesity problem together rather than as two separate entities.
http://www.epinions.com/content_4312834180?sb=1
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/05/obesity-in-america-by-the-numbers-1.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588
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