Chemistry

Introduction
Obesity can be defined as a condition whereby an individual has an abnormally high proportion of body fat. It is considered a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). It can also be defined clinically where an obese person is said to be having a BMI [Body Mass Index- weight (kg)/ height(m)2] of greater than 30 while overweight is a BMI of 25-29.9. It is possible to have an individual who is overweight but not obese. This is so because someone overweight can be said to be having excess weight which might be a result of muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. About two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight, and almost one-third are obese, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001 to 2004.  The rising obesity rates have resulted in numerous health complications chiefly nutrition related diseases over the last few decades.

The above few statistics coupled with the fact that obesity is becoming more and more widespread has generated interest in obesity. Obesity has come to be regarded as a social problem. Obesity prevalence has lead to an urgent need for evidence to support advocacy and for corrective policies and intervention programs targeting an array of societal sectors (Kumanyika 2007).

A simplistic cause of obesity can be said to be consuming more calories than one is expending thus accumulating fat as a result. In a 2006 Pew Research poll asking Americans why the nation consumed so much junk food, "convenience" was the most popular answer. The same poll revealed that more children can identify Ronald McDonald than Santa Claus (Pew research poll qtd. in waterson 2009)

Causes of obesity are more complex than this. It has become synonymous with economic and technological advancements. Obesity can be said to have a wide range of causes. Genes and individual psychobiology is one cause that has been greatly investigated over the years. Obesity can also be said to be caused by processes indispensable to human survival and interaction.

Obesity has become an important field of study today because the increase in nutrition related chronic disease morbidity and mortality have brought about significant burdens to families, communities and health care systems. Diseases associated with overweight and obesity include diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood cholesterol, stroke, hypertension, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and some forms of cancer. Implications brought about by being obese have immense consequences on the global as well as the American economy. According to the weight control information network, the estimated total cost of implications arising from being obese and overweight is $ 117 billion. Quite an astronomical figure by any standards (Weight control information Network 2007).

Knowing obesity causes will not necessarily lead to solutions. This is so because it is practically impossible to remove high calorie foods from our diets, do away with automobiles or return to our lean hunter gatherer eras. All these factors are deeply embedded in our lifestyles. The way to go would be to shift some environmental factors in a direction more favorable to achieving energy balance while also fostering individual behavior changes in the same direction (Kumanyika 2007).

Projections by Wang and Beydoun show that 75 percent of adults will be overweight (body mass index _25 kg/m2) or obese (body mass index _30 kg/m2) and that 41 percent will be obese by 2015 (Wang and Beydoun 2007).

These are truly shocking statistics that have contributed immensely to raising awareness and making studies on obesity and its probable solutions an immediate and important priority.
It was thought for a long time that weight issues and obesity was predisposed to people of high social standing. On the contrary, recent studies indicate that the low cost of high-calorie foods that are easy to over consume predisposes to obesity among the poor. In fact in high income countries, the gap in obesity levels between the high and low socioeconomic strata may be decreasing (Kumanyika 2007). Many people tend to purchase foods that offer the greatest caloric content for the price when hunger lurks and money is tight. This according to Plotkin is the very real link between being poor and being overweight and obese (Plotkin 2009).
Another interesting factor that has been linked to obesity is the built environment. Built environment refers to factors such as community design, location of retail food outlets, recreational facilities and the transportation infrastructure, which determine the availability and convenience of options for physical activity and food acquisition. According to papa et al.changes in the built environment are potential strategies for corrective interventions to improve the eating and physical activity patterns of populations (Papa et al. qtd in Kumanyika 2007).

Chemistry factors in quite strongly or becomes relevant in obesity issues when the processed foods factor is considered. Processed foods contain elements that are known to cause cardiac problems, obesity, overweight problems and a host of other lifestyle diseases. An example of such elements is trans fats or trans-fatty acids. According to the natural health information centre, these are unnatural compounds which are known to be detrimental to health. They are created by industrial processes where hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oil to make it more solid. (Americanheart.org 2009)

They are referred to as unsaturated because they have double bonds between adjacent carbon atoms. Saturated fats have no double bonds and all the "spaces" available are taken up by hydrogen atoms.
When a natural unsaturated fatty acid is hydrogenated, it is not possible to control where the hydrogen atoms are added to the structure. If both hydrogen atoms are added to the same side of the structure, it is referred to as “Cis” fats. These are naturally occurring and able to allow other chemicals and enzymes to bind to them. When one hydrogen atom adds to one side of the structure and the other atom to the other side, then a trans fat comes into being.

Trans fats do not exist naturally except with a few exceptions. Their structure is not crowded and so they do not accommodate other enzymes and molecules. Trans fats being straight can solidify at room temperature (National-health-information-centre.com 2008).

Trans fats raise the bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and lower the good cholesterol level (HDL). This increases the risk of developing heart diseases, stroke and type 2 diabetes not to mention the increased fatty accumulation and therefore obesity. They are present in fried foods, baked goods, stick margarines and shortenings (Americanheart.org).

Other studies are being conducted into relatively new compounds like 2-furoylmethyl aspartic acid, 2-furoylmethyl pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and 2-furoylmethyl lysine (furosine) which have been detected in stored dehydrated orange juice and tomato products to determine their exact identities and their contribution to the obesity endemic.

Current frontiers on fighting obesity remain largely new uncoordinated. Discrepancies in social facilities that promote healthy living habits should be addressed. Sensitization starting in schools should be carried out on the entire populace to promote healthy eating habits and promote increased physical activities. Integration of schools as a key partner in the fight against obesity would be a good step in the right direction as success in tackling obesity and overweight in childhood and adolescent would translate into success in dealing with obesity in later years. Though obesity prevention is still in its infancy, it is an emerging field with a clear mandate.