Jack Braun

Professor Lohmeyer
Composition 1
27 November, 2016
Is Junk Food Causing Obesity?
All of my life, I have always heard how bad junk food is for me and how if I keep eating
this kind of food, I would end up overweight. Every day a new health scare on the news, but the
most reoccurring issue is the increasing obesity rates. What is to blame for this new health
epidemic? Is it the fast food industry? Some people argue that it is the amount of junk food that
we eat, because of how bad it is for our bodies . Although junk food is not good for your health,
it is not the main cause of obesity in our country.
Many people blame junk food and the fast food industry for the new health epidemic,
but contrary to their beliefs junk food is not the main cause of obesity. Studies have shown that
the cause of obesity isnt just one factor but many. There are many sources and studies stating the
detrimental effects junk food has on your body. Two specific sources are Dr. Ashakiran S. from
Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College essay Junk Foods and their Impact for Lunch and Poa
Changs article Why Junk Food is Bad For Your Health. Both explain the harmful of effect
junk food has on your body and why people should stop eating. Despite of these essays are more
recent studies that prove that junk food isnt the primary cause of being overweight.
Junk food is very bad for the human body. This is the reason many people blame it for the
obesity crisis. When I say junk food, I am referring to candy, most baked goods, chips, soft
drinks, bacon, processed bread and fast food. The reason most people think that junk food is the
reason they are overweight is because of its high fat composition, high sodium makeup, and its
high caloric content. These foods are also referred to as empty calories because they have a high
caloric content and little nutritive value.

According to Energy Fanatics.com;

The harmful synthetic chemical in junk food affects your body by interfering with the
metabolism process and causing chemical imbalances in your body. These problems often lead to
weight gain, fatigue, acidosis, and other health problems. Furthermore, the refined sugar in junk
food is one of cancers favorite food. When you eat too much junk food, your blood becomes
acidic and saturated with refined sugar. This creates an environment for cancer, harmful
microorganisms, and parasites to thrive in, (Chang,2). Also, Dr.Ashakiran S. states,Fat and
sugar in combination are capable of producing a dopamine-driven surge of intense pleasure in
people with a propensity for addictive behavior. (Ashakiran,1). Dr. Ashakiran states that junk
food is also addictive which can increase the amount of junk food a person eats. There is no
doubt that junk food is bad for the human body. Because of how bad this food is for a person,
that is why junk food is commonly blamed for the increasing obesity rates in the world.
There are many causes of this worldwide health problem but some are bigger factors than
others. One major factor that is causing the obesity rate to rise is physical inactivity. The fewer
people are exercising, the fewer calories they burn throughout the day. Even if a person has a
very unhealthy diet, if they burn more calories than they consume they will not become obese.
They may suffer from other health problems, they will not be overweight. According to the CDC,
more physical activity can lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure,
reduces stress and boosts mood. (CDC, 1), Despite all of the health benefits that physical
activity gives the body, people are exercising less and less. The less exercise the fewer calories
the body will burn. This is a huge reason why obesity is a problem, the lack of exercise.
Another big cause of obesity that people rarely think about is the overconsumption of all
foods, not just junk foods. Although eating a diet of junk food would have detrimental health

effects on a body, the main cause of increasing obesity rates is overeating all types of food. The
reason that overeating is the biggest cause of obesity is because of the high caloric intake. Even
if a person never eats junk food they will still have a good chance of becoming overweight if
they overeat even the healthy foods. In today's world, the amount of people who have a diet that
consists of junk food pales in comparison to the amount of people who overeat regular nutritious
foods.
In a recent study conducted by the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, they took
people who were morbidly obese, gave them either no junk food or more junk food over a period
of a few weeks, and recorded their BMI daily. Their results state,For 95% of this studys
sample, the association between the intake frequency of fast food, soft drinks, and candy and
BMI was negative. This result suggests that a strategy that focuses solely on these problem foods
may be ineffective in reducing weight.(Wansink,1). This study proves that eating or not eating
junk food doesnt affect BMI, therefore doesnt affect weight gain or loss. If we want to fix this
problem, we simply need to pay more attention to the serving size. Instead of worrying about
what we are eating we should worry more about how much we are eating.
In addition to overeating and not exercising enough, another factor in the increasing cases
of obesity is the transformation of healthy foods into foods that are bad for the body. Even
though this isnt as big as a factor as others, it is an issue that needs to be thought about more.
When I say the way the transformation of foods, I am referring to when people put unhealthy
additives on healthy foods. For example, when people decide to eat a salad for a meal. It is a
healthy decision until they put on some ranch or another kind of dressing on their salad. Another
example is when people put butter and salt on popcorn. When people put additives on their
healthy foods, it increases the fat content and the calorie count immensely. This tricks people to

think they are eating healthy, when in reality they are actually eating foods that are very
unhealthy. In David Freemans essay, How Junk Food is Ending Obesity, he argues that some of
the healthy foods are actually full of carbs and fats. He says that some foods may seem
healthy because they are organic, but in reality, they are unhealthy, because of the natural
additives they put in these foods to make them taste better. (Freeman, 513-515). I don't agree
with Freeman when he says that junk food is ending obesity, however, he is absolutely correct
when he says that it is not the problem. We are the problem. Food additives go hand and hand
with overeating. If people think that they are eating healthier they think that they can eat more.
When in reality, they are just over eating food that is full of fat and calories.
The last major cause of obesity is genetics. A person with two obese parents has a very
high chance for them to become obese. According to Robert Kieners essay, Is It A Disease or A
Lifestyle Problem he says that genetics play a huge role in the obesity crisis. He states A recent
study of more than 300,000 people, termed by some as an obesity breakthrough, has identified
97 gene variants that have a powerful influence on weight,(Kiener, 4). Kids with obese parents
will have a higher chance of become overweight because of two reasons. First, many harmful
health problems may be passed down from generation to generation. Second, if a kid grows up
watching his or her parents have bad habits like not exercising and overeating. They are more
likely to have those same bad habits as their parents. Also, there are many genetic disorders and
diseases that are hereditary that can cause obesity. Even though genes have a role in the chances
of becoming obese, they can sometimes not be used to predict future health, because of how
many different factors determine a persons health.
Although junk food isnt good for the body, it should not be blamed for the rising rates of
obesity. Also, there are many factors contributing to this new health epidemic than people know

such as overeating, genetics, food additives and not exercising. We should stop blaming our
weight issues and unhealthiness on the food. Predictions show that if we change our ways, onefifth of the people in the world will be obese in the next ten years. Junk food is terrible for their
body, that is fact but people need to start taking a look at how they are living their lives, instead
of blaming the food. We cant keep blaming junk food for why our world is becoming more
obese.

Works Cited

Brian, Wansink. "Is Junk Food to Blame." Foodpsychology.cornell.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 26
Nov. 2016.
Chang, Pao. "Why Junk Food Is Bad for Your Health." EnergyFanatics.com. N.p., 2014.
Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
Freeman, David. "How Junk Food Can End Obesity." They Say/I Say: The Moves that
Matter in Academic Writing with Readings. Ed. Cathy Birkenstein, Gerald Graff, and Russel
Durst. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2015. 642-658. Print.
Kiener, Robert. Obesity, Is It a Disease or a Lifestyle Problem? www.northern.edu.
Obesity. N.p., 11 June 2015. Web, Nov. 2016
Kolar, Tamaka, and Ashakiran S. "Junk Foods and Their Impact on Our Health."
www3.northern.edu. Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
"Physical Activity and Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.