The main cause of emphysema is due to cigarette smoking, just as the main cause of HIV/AIDS is due to unprotected sexual intercourse. Obesity contributes to heart disease and many other diseases. Unprotected sex, smoking and obesity are not the disease; they are the cause of the disease. Many public forums such as news, healthcare professionals, educational articles, and pharmaceutical companies refer to obesity as a disease. There is a growing debate in America about whether or not obesity is a disease and whether it is appropriate to call it one. Obesity has not been officially classified as a disease, but many consider it necessary. Obesity should not be classified as a disease: it does not fit the definition. Obesity is caused by unhealthy habits and can be prevented. Classifying obesity as a disease would put a strain on the already bankrupt healthcare system. Obesity has become accepted as the norm in American society. According to the US Office of the Surgeon General, in 1999, 6 in 10 American adults were classified as obese or overweight (McMurray, para. 5). To be classified as obese, your body mass index (BMI) must be 30 or higher. The number of obese people in America has continued to increase. The World Health Organization estimates that 300 million people will be obese by 2025 (Bailey 3). Because obesity poses many health risks, many believe it should be treated as a disease. Proponents of classifying obesity as a disease say it fits the definition of a disease. The American Heritage Dictionary defines disease as “a pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental factors… middle of paper…”. .unter, William. “Obesity: a growing epidemic.” How genetics and the environment shape us.2005: 8-23. Reference center Points of view. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA November 22, 2010. Kramer, Otis, and Nancy Sprague. “Discrimination against obese people is directed primarily against women.” 2009. Reference Center for Points of View. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA. November 21, 2010.McMurray, Coleen. “Lifestyle, not disease, causes obesity.” 10 August 2004 Points of view reference centre. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA November 21, 2010.Rich, Alex and Rosalyn Carson. “Obesity and Health Insurance.” 2009.Reference center for points of view. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, PA November 21, 2010. Tucker, Mary and Nancy Sprague. “Bottled water is the healthy alternative.” 2009.Reference center for points of view. EBSCOhost. Hanley Lib., Bradford, Pa., Nov. 21. 2010