TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Mia Nacamulli: What is obesity?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

The most basic function of bodily fat is self-storage of food reserves. In prehistoric times, natural selection favored gopnytees that could eundre harsh conditions by snckiotg the most fat. With chronic malnutrition being the norm for most of human history, genetics elvoevd to foavr fat storage. So when did body fat become problematic? The negative impacts of being overweight were not even noted in medical literature until as late as the 18th century. Then, technological anavdecs coupled with pilubc health measures rseetlud in the betterment of the quantity, quality, and variety of food. Sustained abundance of good food enbelad a healthier population to boom ecloolmcniay. Output increased, and with it, leisure time and waistlines. By the mid 19th century, being excessively overweight, or obese, was recognized as a cause of ill health, and another century later, declared deadly. What is the dniitcitosn between being overweight and being obese? A calculation called the BMI brkaes it down for us. For example, if someone weighs 65 kilgorams and is 1.5 mreets tall, they have a BMI of about 29. Obesity is a condition of excess body fat that occurs when a person's BMI is above 30, just over the oirghwveet range of 25 to 29.9. While BMI can be a helpful etstamie of healthy weight, actual body fat percentage can only really be dreteinmed by also considering information like wasit circumference and muscle mass. Athletes, for instance, have a nrtllaauy higher BMI. So how does a person become obese? At its most basic, obesity is caused by energy imbalance. If the energy input from calories is greater than the enregy output from physical activity, the body stores the extra calories as fat. In most cases, this imbalance comes from a cioabointmn of circumstances and choices. Adults should be getting at least 2.5 hrous of exercise each week, and children a whole hour per day. But globally, one in four adults and eight out of ten adolescents aren't active enough. Calorie-dense processed foods and growing portion sizes ceulopd with pervasive marketing lead to pvaisse overeating. And scarce resources, and a lack of access to healthy, affordable foods creates an even greater risk in disadvantaged communities. Yet, our gnetiec makeup also plays a part. Studies on flamiies and on saperaetd twins have shown a clear causal hdeateirry relationship to weight gain. Recent sidetus have also found a link between obesity and virnaatois in the bacteria species that live in our digestive systems. No matter the cause, obesity is an escalating global epidemic. It substantially raises the probability of diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood prsserue, and cancer. It affects virtually all ages, genders, and scoimceonooic groups in both developed and developing countries. With a 60% rise in clihd obesity globally over just two decades, the problem is too sicnngiafit to ignore. Once a person is osbee, the cmlib to roevcery becomes progressively steeper. Hormonal and metabolic changes reduce the body's response to overeating. After losing weight, a formerly overweight peorsn burns less calories doing the same exercises as a person who is naturally the same weight, making it much more difficult to shed the excess fat. And as people gain weight, dmgaae to signaling pathways makes it increasingly difficult for the brain to mrausee food intake and fat storage. There is, however, some evndicee that well-monitored, long-term changes in behavior can lead to improvements in obesity-related health issues. And weight loss from sustained lifestyle changes, or invasive treatments like bariatric surgery, can ipovmre insulin resistance and decrease inflammation. What was once an agvdtnaae for sauvivrl is now working against us. As the world's population continues to slow down and get bigger, moving and consciously etnaig our way towards a hailehter weight is essential to our overall well-being. And with the epidemic affecting every country in the world for different socioeconomic reasons, otsieby cannot be seen as an isolated issue. More global measures for prevention are essential to manage the weight of the wlord.

Open Cloze

The most basic function of bodily fat is self-storage of food reserves. In prehistoric times, natural selection favored _________ that could ______ harsh conditions by ________ the most fat. With chronic malnutrition being the norm for most of human history, genetics _______ to _____ fat storage. So when did body fat become problematic? The negative impacts of being overweight were not even noted in medical literature until as late as the 18th century. Then, technological ________ coupled with ______ health measures ________ in the betterment of the quantity, quality, and variety of food. Sustained abundance of good food _______ a healthier population to boom ____________. Output increased, and with it, leisure time and waistlines. By the mid 19th century, being excessively overweight, or obese, was recognized as a cause of ill health, and another century later, declared deadly. What is the ___________ between being overweight and being obese? A calculation called the BMI ______ it down for us. For example, if someone weighs 65 kilgorams and is 1.5 ______ tall, they have a BMI of about 29. Obesity is a condition of excess body fat that occurs when a person's BMI is above 30, just over the __________ range of 25 to 29.9. While BMI can be a helpful ________ of healthy weight, actual body fat percentage can only really be __________ by also considering information like _____ circumference and muscle mass. Athletes, for instance, have a _________ higher BMI. So how does a person become obese? At its most basic, obesity is caused by energy imbalance. If the energy input from calories is greater than the ______ output from physical activity, the body stores the extra calories as fat. In most cases, this imbalance comes from a ___________ of circumstances and choices. Adults should be getting at least 2.5 _____ of exercise each week, and children a whole hour per day. But globally, one in four adults and eight out of ten adolescents aren't active enough. Calorie-dense processed foods and growing portion sizes _______ with pervasive marketing lead to _______ overeating. And scarce resources, and a lack of access to healthy, affordable foods creates an even greater risk in disadvantaged communities. Yet, our _______ makeup also plays a part. Studies on ________ and on _________ twins have shown a clear causal __________ relationship to weight gain. Recent _______ have also found a link between obesity and __________ in the bacteria species that live in our digestive systems. No matter the cause, obesity is an escalating global epidemic. It substantially raises the probability of diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood ________, and cancer. It affects virtually all ages, genders, and _____________ groups in both developed and developing countries. With a 60% rise in _____ obesity globally over just two decades, the problem is too ___________ to ignore. Once a person is _____, the _____ to ________ becomes progressively steeper. Hormonal and metabolic changes reduce the body's response to overeating. After losing weight, a formerly overweight ______ burns less calories doing the same exercises as a person who is naturally the same weight, making it much more difficult to shed the excess fat. And as people gain weight, ______ to signaling pathways makes it increasingly difficult for the brain to _______ food intake and fat storage. There is, however, some ________ that well-monitored, long-term changes in behavior can lead to improvements in obesity-related health issues. And weight loss from sustained lifestyle changes, or invasive treatments like bariatric surgery, can _______ insulin resistance and decrease inflammation. What was once an _________ for ________ is now working against us. As the world's population continues to slow down and get bigger, moving and consciously ______ our way towards a _________ weight is essential to our overall well-being. And with the epidemic affecting every country in the world for different socioeconomic reasons, _______ cannot be seen as an isolated issue. More global measures for prevention are essential to manage the weight of the _____.

Solution

recovery
eating
passive
combination
determined
measure
advantage
obesity
survival
advances
endure
meters
studies
genetic
estimate
damage
evidence
public
genotypes
improve
separated
energy
climb
naturally
coupled
overweight
distinction
pressure
waist
world
favor
hereditary
variations
families
socioeconomic
breaks
stocking
significant
hours
resulted
economically
obese
person
child
enabled
healthier
evolved

Original Text

The most basic function of bodily fat is self-storage of food reserves. In prehistoric times, natural selection favored genotypes that could endure harsh conditions by stocking the most fat. With chronic malnutrition being the norm for most of human history, genetics evolved to favor fat storage. So when did body fat become problematic? The negative impacts of being overweight were not even noted in medical literature until as late as the 18th century. Then, technological advances coupled with public health measures resulted in the betterment of the quantity, quality, and variety of food. Sustained abundance of good food enabled a healthier population to boom economically. Output increased, and with it, leisure time and waistlines. By the mid 19th century, being excessively overweight, or obese, was recognized as a cause of ill health, and another century later, declared deadly. What is the distinction between being overweight and being obese? A calculation called the BMI breaks it down for us. For example, if someone weighs 65 kilgorams and is 1.5 meters tall, they have a BMI of about 29. Obesity is a condition of excess body fat that occurs when a person's BMI is above 30, just over the overweight range of 25 to 29.9. While BMI can be a helpful estimate of healthy weight, actual body fat percentage can only really be determined by also considering information like waist circumference and muscle mass. Athletes, for instance, have a naturally higher BMI. So how does a person become obese? At its most basic, obesity is caused by energy imbalance. If the energy input from calories is greater than the energy output from physical activity, the body stores the extra calories as fat. In most cases, this imbalance comes from a combination of circumstances and choices. Adults should be getting at least 2.5 hours of exercise each week, and children a whole hour per day. But globally, one in four adults and eight out of ten adolescents aren't active enough. Calorie-dense processed foods and growing portion sizes coupled with pervasive marketing lead to passive overeating. And scarce resources, and a lack of access to healthy, affordable foods creates an even greater risk in disadvantaged communities. Yet, our genetic makeup also plays a part. Studies on families and on separated twins have shown a clear causal hereditary relationship to weight gain. Recent studies have also found a link between obesity and variations in the bacteria species that live in our digestive systems. No matter the cause, obesity is an escalating global epidemic. It substantially raises the probability of diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and cancer. It affects virtually all ages, genders, and socioeconomic groups in both developed and developing countries. With a 60% rise in child obesity globally over just two decades, the problem is too significant to ignore. Once a person is obese, the climb to recovery becomes progressively steeper. Hormonal and metabolic changes reduce the body's response to overeating. After losing weight, a formerly overweight person burns less calories doing the same exercises as a person who is naturally the same weight, making it much more difficult to shed the excess fat. And as people gain weight, damage to signaling pathways makes it increasingly difficult for the brain to measure food intake and fat storage. There is, however, some evidence that well-monitored, long-term changes in behavior can lead to improvements in obesity-related health issues. And weight loss from sustained lifestyle changes, or invasive treatments like bariatric surgery, can improve insulin resistance and decrease inflammation. What was once an advantage for survival is now working against us. As the world's population continues to slow down and get bigger, moving and consciously eating our way towards a healthier weight is essential to our overall well-being. And with the epidemic affecting every country in the world for different socioeconomic reasons, obesity cannot be seen as an isolated issue. More global measures for prevention are essential to manage the weight of the world.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
body fat	3
fat storage	2

Important Words

abundance
access
active
activity
actual
adolescents
adults
advances
advantage
affecting
affects
affordable
ages
athletes
bacteria
bariatric
basic
behavior
betterment
bigger
blood
bmi
bodily
body
boom
brain
breaks
burns
calculation
called
calories
cancer
cases
causal
caused
century
child
children
choices
chronic
circumference
circumstances
clear
climb
combination
communities
condition
conditions
consciously
continues
countries
country
coupled
creates
damage
day
deadly
decades
declared
decrease
determined
developed
developing
diabetes
difficult
digestive
disadvantaged
disease
diseases
distinction
eating
economically
enabled
endure
energy
epidemic
escalating
essential
estimate
evidence
evolved
excess
excessively
exercise
exercises
extra
families
fat
favor
favored
food
foods
function
gain
genders
genetic
genetics
genotypes
global
globally
good
greater
groups
growing
harsh
health
healthier
healthy
heart
helpful
hereditary
high
higher
history
hormonal
hour
hours
human
ignore
ill
imbalance
impacts
improve
improvements
increased
increasingly
inflammation
information
input
instance
insulin
intake
invasive
isolated
issue
issues
kilgorams
lack
late
lead
leisure
lifestyle
link
literature
live
losing
loss
makeup
making
malnutrition
manage
marketing
mass
matter
measure
measures
medical
metabolic
meters
mid
moving
muscle
natural
naturally
negative
norm
noted
obese
obesity
occurs
output
overeating
overweight
part
passive
pathways
people
percentage
person
pervasive
physical
plays
population
portion
prehistoric
pressure
prevention
probability
problem
problematic
processed
progressively
public
quality
quantity
raises
range
reasons
recognized
recovery
reduce
relationship
reserves
resistance
resources
response
resulted
rise
risk
scarce
selection
separated
shed
shown
signaling
significant
sizes
slow
socioeconomic
species
steeper
stocking
storage
stores
stroke
studies
substantially
surgery
survival
sustained
systems
tall
technological
ten
time
times
treatments
twins
variations
variety
virtually
waist
waistlines
week
weighs
weight
working
world