Obesity rates have been rising dramatically in nearly every state, affecting men, women and children.. Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat. Obesity has a great number of negative health, social and economic consequences. It has long been assumed that certain genes may cause certain people to becomes obese. Obesity can run in families, but just how much is due to genes is hard to determine. Many people believe that there is an epidemic of obesity in America, and health professionals believe that diet and exercise are largely to blame. Many Americans’ eat poorly because many depend on fast foods for the daily sustenance. Another main cause of obesity in America is a lack of exercise. Many medical professionals is recommend that each person should try to do at least thirty minutes of vigorous exercise everyday. If an individual suffering from obesity is determine to have the culprit GAD2 gene, they may be able to combat the effects by knowing exactly how this genetic and appetite. In United States, women are slightly more at risk for becoming obese than men. Race and ethnicity also can be factors-obesity is more common among Mexican-Americans and African-Americans. The number of people who are obese is rising. About 1.2 billion people in the world are overweight and at least 300 million of them are obese. Among teenagers and kids 6 years and older, more than 15% are overweight. At least 300,000 deaths every year in the United States can be linked to obesity.