Obesity is a Disease

Obesity and overweight are global problems. Of late obesity has become a great concern because it is causing several other health related problems. It is a fast growing epidemic among the world population due fast paced life style and junk food culture. People who are obese are faced with various problems related to daily life style, health and emotional problems. Doctors all over the world are telling the people to keep our body weight under control.

Obesity is a condition that indicates weight which is greater than the normal healthy weight. Obesity is defined as an excess amount of body fat. We must always remember that we need minimum body fat is required for storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions.

Obesity is best defined using BMI, the Body Mass Index.

BMI= Weight in kgs÷ (Height in metre) ²

If the person’s BMI varies from 18.5 to 24.9, then the weight is normal. If the person’s BMI is equal to 30 or more than 30, then the person is obese.

There are many causes for obesity.  The two main causes of obesity are over eating and physical inactivity. If a person eats more calories and burn less, the energy is stored as fats and the person gain weight. If a person eats less, burn more calories, then he will lose weight.

Obesity is caused due to heredity. Genes play a vital role. If parents are obese, their children become obese. Hormones too control obesity. There is a hormone called Leptin that control obesity. Leptin controls weight by signalling the brain to eat less. The insufficient production of this hormone Leptin causes obesity.

Other causes of Obesity:

Over eating: Foods high in sugar or fat have high energy density. They have more calories in small quantity of food. These foods will contribute to weight gain.

A diet high in simple carbohydrates: Scientists believe that simple carbohydrates such as sugars, fructose, desserts, soft drinks, beer, wine, etc. contribute to weight gain because they are more rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. It causes a more pronounced insulin release after meals. This higher insulin release contributes to weight gain.

Frequency of eating: People who are eating 4 small meals at regular intervals have lower cholesterol levels and stable sugar level. People who eat two large meals are obese. The reason for this is that small frequent meals produce stable insulin levels, whereas large meals cause large spikes of insulin after meals.

Physical inactivity:  People who are leading sedentary, inactive life style burn fewer calories of food. Therefore they are obese.  

Medications: Certain medicines like corticosteroids, antihistamines, anti-depressants, oral contraceptives, high blood pressure medicines, diabetes medicines are associated with weight gain and obesity.

Diseases: Diseases like polycystic ovary syndrome, hypothyroidism contribute to weight gain.

Psychological factors: Certain emotions like stress, anger, boredom, and anxiety make people to overeat.  Therefore, we have to channelize these emotions in proper way.

Health risks associated with obesity: Heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, gall bladder disease, gout, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and certain other cancers are the few examples of diseases caused due to obesity.

How to prevent obesity?

Obesity and weight gain can be prevented by careful living even if there is a genetic predisposition of obesity. Life style choices have profound effect on our health and wellbeing. We have to adopt certain life style changes and modifications against weight gain and obesity.

Balanced diet: We have to eat a properly balanced diet. We have to buy organic food stuffs. We have to eliminate canned or processed foods. We have to avoid deep fried foods as these have got high fat content. We should not eat packed fast food as these are high in calories. We have to finally avoid soda and other soft drinks as they have huge source of calories. We have to include dal, pulses, fruits and vegetables in our diet in correct proportion to fight against obesity.

Regular Exercise: We have to regularly exercise our body parts. Exercising reduces body fat and prevent obesity and other related diseases of obesity like type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and stroke etc. Exercising regularly promotes good night sleep, improves mood and balances unhealthy fats.

A good night sleep: A good night sleep is very important for the proper functioning of the body. Sleep modulates neuroendocrine function and glucose metabolism. Sleeping disorder will result in poor metabolism like   glucose intolerance and causes disturbance in the appetite-regulating hormones.

Prevent Stress: We have to manage stress to prevent obesity. Stress is associated with an increase in hormones like cortisol and serotonin. This can lead to metabolic imbalances and accumulation of fat in the body, especially around the waist. Stress can also lead to high BP. Meditation and yoga will help us to manage stress and prevent obesity.

Control over body weight:  It is very essential to keep our body weight under control if we want to prevent obesity.  We have to always remember obesity is a disease and several other diseases are caused due to obesity. There is a simple formula for keeping obesity under check. This formula was given by Dr. A. V. Srinivasan renowned Neurosurgeon from Chennai. Read  the following and understand.

 Conclusion:

Eating right, exercising regularly, maintaining proper weight are the three important steps towards good health and to prevent obesity. Good health is not a gift of God. Good health is how we adjust our body to proper living style. We have to work towards getting good health and to keep our body free from diseases. We have to carefully plan and execute our life style that is suitable to our body and surroundings.

“Sound mind in a sound body”. It is impossible to do multi-tasking when we are suffering from disease or when we are unhealthy. The present day lifestyle and job style demands sound health. We need good health for our daily activities and to keep our mind in proper balance to complete our tasks.

“Health is Wealth”. If we maintain proper health we are saving money. By taking care of ourselves we are ensuring a long healthy life, not only physically, but also mentally.