In America the most well-known vices are obesity and smoking. But almost all Americans have, at one point or another gotten drunk, smoked, dabbled with drugs, gambled, sworn or engaged in adultery. In the twentieth century, however, these minor vices were changed into a public complex of immense and penetrate influence. Even the general belief persists that these activities remain merely unharmed bad habits, individual transgressions more than social problems.

For example Americans are inhaling their cigarettes, but packing on the pounds. And regular increases in life expectancy rates are being held back because of it.

Scientists explained that smoking rates have decreased 20 percent in the last 15 years, but obesity among Americans has increased. So, American life expectancy should be receiving a help for the obesity epidemic not for smoking epidemic. A recent research found that smoking reduces life by an average of ten years, but obesity can slash life expectancy by as much as 13 years.

"Comparative to what's been happening with our improvements with smoking, our increases in Body Mass Index really are offsetting that," Dr. Allison Rosen, a University of Michigan internal medicine and health policy expert, said. He explained that if these current rates continue to raise, then almost half 45 percent of Americans are supposed to be obese by 2020. That’s mean that the negative effects of obesity which it has on health and life expectancy will surpass any positive decline in smoking.

Soon obesity can become Public Health Enemy No. 1. That’s why Rosen declared that lessons learned in the anti-smoking campaign can be used to decrease the obesity among people. He reported: "We as a state actually took on smoking. We increased the taxes on cigarettes to such a size that it really priced a lot of people out of the market. A very good thing is, especially when you can't afford the cigarettes and then you can’t smoke them."

Moreover, Rosen added: "You can't price people out of the food market. People need to eat for to live and to be healthy." Researchers concluded that Americans need to focus on diet and exercise, or they could be paying with the quality and length of their lives.

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