
What Are The Solutions To Avoid Obesity?
Obesity is a medical condition in which a person’s body fat levels have accumulated to the point where they are potentially hazardous to their health. When a person’s body mass index exceeds 30 kg/m2, they are called obese.
Obesity has been associated with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, cancer, and osteoarthritis, among other diseases
Diet, physical activity, automation, genetic susceptibility, medications, endocrine disorders, and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals are all factors that contribute to obesity in an individual.
Obesity prevention involves a broad approach that includes therapies for the community, family, and person. Dietary adjustments and exercise are the two main treatments recommended by doctors.
Here in this comprehensive guide, I will like to share detailed information so you can gain all the knowledge on obesity. This will help you overcome the disease and prevent some major health issues in the future.
What is Obesity?
Obesity is described as having an abnormally high level of body fat. It’s not the same as being overweight, which means weighing too much.
Obesity develops gradually when you consume more calories than you expend. Your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods, and not being physically active are all factors that may affect your weight.
How to Know Your Obesity?
The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a method for determining whether or not a person is overweight or obese.
The BMI formula is straightforward. BMI is calculated as kg/m2, where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in meters squared.
- If your BMI count is less than 18.5, you are underweight.
- When your BMI value is between 18.5 and 25, you are in the healthy weight zone.
- If your BMI calculation is between 25.0 and 30, you are considered overweight.
- The term Obesity is confirmed when your Body Mass Index of 30.0 or higher.
Obesity is generally classified into the following categories:
- When your BMI comes in between 30 to 35 it is classified as Class 1.
- If a BMI value is 35 to 40 it is classified as Class 2.
When a BMI calculation comes to 40 or over it is classified as Class 3. Class 3 obesity is commonly referred to as “severe” obesity.
What are the Causes of Obesity?
Overeating and physical inactivity are the two most common causes of obesity. However, there are other factors that contribute to obesity. Let’s find it out.
Less Physical Activity:
People who are sedentary burn fewer calories compared to those who are more physically active.
You don’t use the energy provided by the food you eat if you aren’t active enough. The body stores the additional energy you consume as fat.
If you’re overweight and trying to reduce weight, you may need to increase your physical activity.
Excessive Eating Habit:
Obesity is a result of overeating, especially if your diet is high in fat. Fast food, fried food, and sweets, for example, are heavy in fat or sugar and have a high energy density.
These are foods that pack a lot of calories into a little package. Alcohol also has a high-calorie content, and heavy drinkers are more likely to be overweight.
Genetics:
When one or both parents are obese, their child is more prone to develop obesity.
The Hormones Involved in controlling fat management are also affected by genetics.
Leptin is a hormone that regulates weight by instructing the brain to eat less when body fat levels are too high.
If leptin is unable to signal the brain to eat less for some reason, this control is lost, and obesity develops.
What are the Health Issues Associated with Obesity?
Obesity is a risk factor, but it does not guarantee that you will suffer the following health issues.
However, it raises your odds of getting one or more of them. Here are ten obesity-related health hazards and what you can do to avoid or manage them.
Type 2 Diabetes:
Obesity increases one’s chances of having type 2 diabetes. Obesity can lead to insulin resistance, a hormone that is necessary for blood sugar management.
When the body develops insulin resistance, sugar absorption in the blood is reduced or absent, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by losing merely 5 to 7% of your body weight.
High Blood Pressure:
Obesity or being overweight can cause high blood pressure in a variety of ways.
When a person’s body weight rises, the circulatory system has to work harder to circulate blood around the body.
The extra strain on the walls of your arteries is caused by the increased amount of blood circulating. High BP, often known as hypertension, is the result of this additional pressure.
Heart Disease:
Obese people have a tenfold increased risk of having heart disease compared to non-obese people.
Obese people are more likely to develop atherosclerosis (artery hardening) and coronary artery disease as a result of fatty deposits and plaque formation in the arteries.
Obesity raises LDL and triglyceride levels, both of which lead to heart disease.
Sleep Apnea:
Sleep apnea is a common but serious sleep disease marked by repeated sleep interruptions lasting 10 seconds or longer.
Obesity is the most common cause of sleep apnea development. The soft tissue in the mouth and throat develops as a result of being overweight.
People with an accumulation of fat in the neck and trunk are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.
What are the Best Obesity Treatments Available?
This topic is covered in Obesity Guide