The article is titled "How junk food changes the brain," which discussed how junk food causes obesity in children by weakening self-control leading to overeating ( Asian Scientist Newsroom, 2014) . Obesity has become a global problem characterized by excessive fat accumulation that can negatively impact the health of a person. This article described a study that was conducted to explain how excessive consumption of junk food can change the behavior of a person and lead to overeating. Though the experiment was conducted on a rat, its expression was related to humans who happen to improve their response to signals associated with food rewards. This is because the brain reward circuit is similar in all mammals, and the findings could have implications on people and their ability to limit the intake of junk foods.
Some of the reasons given in this article that associate junk food with obesity include the presence of unhealthy ingredients such as sugar, fats, and carbs. The leading cause of obesity, according to the World Health Organization, is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and those expended ( Asian Scientist Newsroom, 2014) . In this regard, the presence of unhealthy calories taken through junk food leads to weight gain and obesity. Junk food is high in calories and low in nutritional value, containing high amounts of sugar and fat that precipitate obesity development. Secondly, the article mentioned that junk food has large portions of unhealthy ingredients, which contributes to obesity since they interfere with energy imbalance in the body.
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I believe this article is factual because it provided information regarding the relationship between junk food and obesity. The article refers to a study that was conducted on the issue of junk food and the risk of obesity in the report, thus making it legit in discussing the risk factors to obesity. However, there is no mention of whether the writer of this article was a nutritionist and whether he had the credentials to the public the article. The source of the article also reduces its validity when used in a scientific field, because the article had a disclaimer dissociating the results of the study with the views of the staff.
On the other hand, a website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also contained information on courses and consequences of childhood obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a leading federal agency that is trustworthy in providing information about nutrition-related diseases. This is because the agency works in the area of health promotion, environmental health, and disease prevention. It has financial support to research any topic that provides essential health and nutrition information. The agency publishes cutting-edge research studies on nutrition with educational information that is accessible for all.
The article by CDC discussed this topic by describing the causes and consequences of obesity in children, including its relation to junk food consumption ( CDC, 2019) . It described behaviors that influence the development of obesity, including eating high-calorie foods with low nutrients and not getting enough physical exercise. The article also discussed the best practices to increase the consumption of healthy food. For example, the article mentioned psychological problems such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and social problems such as bullying as possible risk factors to childhood obesity.
This article on CDC approached this topic by describing factors that cause obesity, which is more than the consumption of junk food ( CDC, 2019) . The information on this website is more factual and authoritative compared to information in the lay press because of the authority associated with each article. For example, while the lay press article reported on a study conducted somewhere, information on the CDC website comprises results conducted by researchers and nutritionists concerned with high cases of obesity in the country.
In essence, the two articles are somehow similar in how they approach the issue of junk food and obesity. The lay press article provided a summary of a study conducted to determine the effect of junk food on obesity in children, while the CDC article provided evidence on the causes and consequences of obesity. However, the story by CDC appears more reliable because it comes from a reliable website and providing evidence for all facts stated in the article.
References
Asian Scientist Newsroom. (2014, September 2). How Junk Food Changes The Brain. Retrieved from https://www.asianscientist.com/2014/09/in-the-lab/junk-food-brain-2014/
CDC. (2019, February 8). Causes and Consequences of Childhood Obesity. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/causes.html
