Obesity is a major public health and economic problem of global significance. Prevalence rates are increasing in all parts of the world. It is a condition affecting not only adults but children too. What exactly is obesity? Is anyone that looks fat obese? What causes obesity? Is being obese dangerous?
In this lesson, we will discuss OBESITY. We are going to find out:
Obesity isn't just a cosmetic concern, it is a serious medical condition that increases the risk of other diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, sleep disorders, and certain cancers.
Simple, obesity is the condition of being much too heavy for one's height so that one's health is affected. It is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little.
Obesity can be also called corpulence or fatness.
The excessive accumulation of body fat is usually caused by the consumption of more calories than the body can use. If high amounts of energy are consumed, particularly fat and sugars, but the energy is not burned off through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy will be stored by the body as fat.
Physical inactivity and overeating are the main causes of obesity. The other causes include:
To determine if a person is overweight, experts often rely on BMI. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. The BMI estimates the level of body fat based on height and weight.
Body Mass Index is a simple calculation using a person's height and weight. The formula is BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person's weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in meters squared.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the normal or healthy weight range.
Starting at 25.0, the higher BMI is, the greater the risk of developing obesity-related health problems is. These ranges of BMI are used to describe levels of risk:
Obesity can lead to serious conditions as well as life-threatening conditions. Some of them are:
Obesity can also affect the quality of life in general and can also lead to psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Eating disorders and substance abuse are other problems that can accompany obesity.
Being obese requires treatment and support. If you suffer from obesity you should seek support. Ask for help or encouragement from your family, friends, or health care professionals.
If you want to help someone struggling with obesity, you may talk to them, be positive, support all areas of their life, don't judge, and encourage them to get help on time.
Treatment depends on the cause and severity of your condition and whether you have complications. Losing weight can be difficult, but even a small reduction in weight can bring significant health benefits for obese people. It is better to lose weight slowly, but constantly.
Dietary changes and exercise are in the first place when treating obesity. Reducing the intake of processed, refined, food, high in sugar and fat, and increasing the consumption of high-fiber foods (fruits and vegetables) and whole grains foods, can help a person to lose weight.
People should be active because the more active they are, the more calories the body will burn, hence they will reduce their weight.
If changes in diet and exercise have not resulted in weight loss, or one's weight poses a significant risk to their health, doctors can prescribe medications, or suggest surgery.
Common types of bariatric surgery include laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, gastric bypass, a sleeve gastrectomy, and biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch. Many of these procedures are laparoscopic surgeries, also known as minimally invasive surgeries.
