Page 11 Sophomore Horacio Lopez consumes 46.9 grams of fat at lunch each day. This one meal contains 62.5 percent of his daily-recommended fat intake. The majority of Blazers rarely considers the nutritional value of what they put into their bodies during school, despite warnings that poor dietary habits during adolescence can lead to serious problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes later in life. This indifference could be the start of long term health problems. He estimates that 20 percent of American children are overweight, a number that has doubled since 20 years ago.
Obesity often results in problems greater than aesthetics.
Researchers have found that overweight people have an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disorders and certain cancers. Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of death after smoking. Another major problem related to obesity is diabetes. Insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes, is worsened by high levels of sugar in the diet. The number of children with Type II diabetes, also known as adult onset diabetes, has risen in recent years.