In 2003, the Surgeon General claimed obesity was the fast growing cause of disease and death in America. In 2011, about 1 third of U.S adults (33.8%) are obese while approximately 17% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 are obese.  This is double what it used to be for adults and triple what it used to be for children.  Many people believe that their excessive weight is a result of inactivity, but a study in the International Journal of Obesity found that we are just as active as we were in the 1980’s.  So, what is the reason for this massive spike in obesity?   

The answer is corn.  In the past 5 years, farmers have received 77.1 billion dollars or 5.5 billion dollars a year in corn subsidies.  This allows farmers to sell corn at extremely low prices.  The low price of corn allows companies to cheaply turn this corn into the sugar substitute high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  From its creation in the 1970’s, HFCS has shown a 4000% increase in use.  HFCS is the reason you can buy massive bags of chips, supersized soft drinks, and candy bars for unreasonably low prices.  Without having to pay the real value for sugar snacks, people choose to consume large quantities of unhealthy food for considerably less than a heathy alternative.  Consequently, Americans now consume around 200 more calories a day than they did in the 1970’s.