Obesity

Obesity Definition

Obesity is a medical condition which implies accumulation of body fat to the degree which may cause serious health problems. Normal amount of body fat for men is from 18% to 23%, and for women from 25% to 30%. People who have higher amount of body fat are considered obese. In order to establish whether a patient is obese, doctors calculate their body mass index or BMI. In this way they compare patient’s weight and height and decide if they are obese or overweight.  A person is overweight if they have BMI higher than normal and such people have tendency to become obese. Obesity can be caused by intake of excessive calories, genetic susceptibility, endocrine disorders, and psychiatric illness or simply by lack of physical activity and unhealthy way of living.  Obesity is believed to be one of the main public health problems in the world, especially in the United States where one of three Americans is obese. However, it can be prevented if people show concern for this serious issue.

What causes obesity?

It is proven that obesity can be influenced by lots of factors, one of which is intake of excessive calories in most cases. Human body needs energy in the form of calories which we take in as food. Nevertheless, if we take in more than we burn, calories turn into body fat. Overeating and lack of physical activity are believed to be the main causes of obesity. Lack of physical activity is one of the consequences of the fast and unhealthy life people live in the twenty-first century. Genetic susceptibility, psychiatric illness and endocrine disorders are also believed to influence obesity to a certain degree.

• A diet high in simple carbohydrates may influence our weight gain. Scientists think that carbohydrates increase the level of glucose which further on stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. Insulin then endorses the growth of fat tissue which causes weight gain. Other scientists consider simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, desserts, soft drinks, beer, the reasons for weight gain because they are much more easily absorbed into the blood-stream than complex carbohydrates (grains, brown rice, vegetables, raw fruits, pasta, etc.)
• Frequency of eating is very important for preserving health and staying in good physical shape. Studies have shown that people who eat small meals four or five times a day have lower cholesterol levels. For such people blood sugar levels are more stable, too. On the other hand, heavy meals influence large spikes of insulin.
• Slow metabolism is a reason why women gain weight more easily than men. Men have more muscle tissue than women whose body has more fat tissue. Muscle burns calories much easily than fat tissue. Therefore, women need to pay more attention to their dieting and physical activities in order to lose weight and preserve their health. Over years our body loses muscles which influences weight gain.
• Genetics can also influence obesity. Children whose parents are obese have the tendency to become obese, too. One of the influences can be deficiency of leptin, the hormone which regulates the need for food. Once the body fat stores are too high, leptin sends signals to the brain and eating stops. If this hormone is not produced in our organism for some reason obesity occurs.
• Junk food. Bad eating habits may originate from emotional and psychological problems. A lot of people eat when they are bored, sad, depressed. Stress or anger can lead to overeating, so-called binge eating, and thus obesity. In such situations people reach for junk food which is based on simple carbohydrates. Such food is unhealthy and based on simple carbohydrates. For one brief period we are satisfied, but our organism does not get anything from such food. Completely opposite, this slows our metabolism and clogs our arteries.

Obesity Diseases

Obesity may lead to diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, problems with breathing. Insulin resistance is also one of the conditions which may be caused by obesity. Insulin is essential for transport of blood glucose into the cells of muscle and fat. This is later used for energy. However, if a person is obese, the effectiveness of insulin in transporting is reduced and fat cells become more insulin resistant compared to muscle cells. As long as pancreas is able to produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance, organism can function. Nevertheless, once pancreas cannot produce enough insulin this results in type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is mostly related to central obesity (people who are apple shaped). Hypertension (high blood pressure) is another medical condition related to obesity, and it is proven that obese women are even more predisposed to hypertension than men. The risk of death from coronary artery disease increases by one percent for every one kilogram increase in body weight. This is further related to the risk of having a heart attack, and for people who have already had a heart attack and suffer from obesity likelihood of having a second heart attack is highly increased. Some observational studies also show that obesity can be considered a cause of different types of cancer such as cancer of the gallbladder and uterus in women, cancer of colon in men and women, prostate in men. It is even associated with breast cancer because fat tissue is important for the production of estrogen, and the more exposed to high levels of estrogen, the greater the risk of breast cancer. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is just one more in the line of the diseases which are influenced by obesity. It occurs when heart cannot perform its function to pump enough oxygen rich blood to meet the needs of a body.

Other factors which may lead to obesity

Ethnicity can be a factor to increase the possibilities of becoming obese. African American and Hispanic women have the tendency to experience weight gain much earlier in life than Caucasians or Asians. Person’s weight during their childhood and teenage years may also be a factor of obesity development in adulthood. Most of the factors influencing obesity can be explained medically. However, social factors are not to be omitted. Obesity has always been related to social status. Globalization has a huge impact on this issue. It is thought that people who have more money can afford healthy food, and people with lower income eat large amounts of unhealthy food to be happy.

Weight Control

In order to lose weight, people try different diets and weight loss programs mainly based on low calorie intake. Low-fat, low-carbohydrates, low-calorie are all types of diets. Very low calorie diets, based on intake of only 200-800 calories a day are highly risky because they subject body to starvation. Such diets must be controlled by doctors if needed in the first place, but strict diets are generally not recommended. Change of life style, balanced dieting and physical activity are crucial in the process of weight loss. If we take in more calories than we burn throughout the day, we will gain weight. There needs to be balance between these. For example, an adult women needs from 2000 to 2500 calories per day in order to keep her figure and health. An adult man needs between 2500 and 3000 calories depending on how active he is during the day. People who are very active can allow themselves the intake of more calories as opposed to those who are sedentary. Very often it seems difficult to lose weight. If you think of diets, you feel an urge to eat even more. Nevertheless, remember that burning just 150 calories a day can prevent you from gaining 5 pounds in the next 6 months. More important, adequate nutrition and physical activity lead to a long and healthy and quite certainly a happier life.

What is the body mass index (BMI)?

Body mass index (BMI) can be calculated by formula weight (kg) / [height (m)]² weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Also, it can be calculated by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplying by 703. Weight (lb) / [height (in)]² x 703

Medical literature divides this class III into the following categories: A condition of having BMI higher than 40 is considered severe obesity, between 40 and 49.9 is morbid obesity. Anyone with BMI of 50 and more is considered super obese.