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Supersize Costs

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Supersize Costs

What did you have for lunch today? What about your relatives, friends, or co-workers? Perhaps they visited a McDonalds or a Burger King or Taco Bell. Or, maybe someone you know visited one of the many regional fast-food chains that exist such as Sonic or Jack in the Box. Or maybe it was you that ended up briefly stepping out of the office for a quick trip down to the neighborhood take-out joint for a greasy burger, fries, and a sugar loaded Coke. It is doubtful that any of the previously mentioned scenarios would surprise anyone given the rising popularity of the fast food industry. The fast food industry is growing into a 200 billion dollar a year industry being helped along by 8 out of 10 Americans eating at a fast food establishment on at least a monthly basis (IBISWorld, Dugan). So it is not hard to argue that fast food has become a popular staple of the American diet. There is however, a downside to this increased popularity. The combination of America's love affair with fast food and the rising obesity rates comes with heavy financial costs to health care, health insurance, the US taxpayer, and businesses.

The obesity rate in America is rather astounding. In one study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, it was noted that in the years 2009-2010, there were over 78 million adults and roughly 12.5 million children and adolescents who were obese in the United States (Ogden et al. 3). For those who are classified as obese, the risks of contracting a serious illness or disease are highly increased. Illnesses and diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart and liver disease, and other health ailments such as sleep apnea or infertility have been linked to obesity (“Obesity,” 2). These health risks far outweigh the popular reasons given for fast food's popularity, namely convenience, price and taste. Furthermore, these health

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