OBESITY: A major health problem

OBESITY

It is a very complicated disease in which a person is becoming fat day by day.  It is a problem that is related to medical and it destroys your health and increase the risk of other several diseases such as, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers like skin cancer, breast cancer etc.
 
Some people do not care their diet and eats whatever he r she likes and the result is that the person becoming fat day by day and this disease destroy their all body and person feels unconsciousness and it results from a combination of inherited factors, that is combined with the environment and personal diet and exercise choices.

 Dietary changes increased physical activities that helps us to gain weight. Medications that are given by doctor to us are the only option to treat obesity or further weight loss.

 

Symptoms

Obesity is diagnosed when your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher. To determine your body mass index (BMI) then first of all, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and multiply this by 703 or also divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters that is squared.

For many people BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. It does not measure directly body fat so some people such as, muscular athletes, may have a BMI in the obesity category though they don’t have excessive body fat.

How is obesity diagnosed?

        With the help of certain factors obesity can be diagnosed such as,

•            Skin fold thickness test
  
•             Waist-to-hip comparisons
•             Screening tests such as, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRI scans.

Your doctor physician may also give certain tests to you related to obesity to diagnose this. It includes:

•          Blood tests to examine cholesterol and glucose levels
•                Liver function tests
•               A diabetes screening
  
•               Thyroid tests
•               Heart tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
•              A measurement of the fat around your waist is also a good predictor of your risk for this type of diseases.

 

When to see a doctor

If you are feeling lazy and feel something fat in your body like your belly looks like just a big and you are concerned about your weight- related health problems then ask your doctor about your obesity management. If you are doing this then you and your doctor can evaluate your health risks and then also discuss your weight-loss options.

 

Causes

Sometimes obesity happens when you take in more calories or used those types of foods that are rich in calorie than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. Your body stores these calories as fat and it results in obesity.

In America, people use only that diet that have high calories- often gain from fast foods and high-calorie beverages. People with obesity might eat more calories before feeling full, and also feel hungry sooner, or eat more due to stress and anxiety.

Other causes include;

•            Growing older with age
•           Not sleeping enough
•            Pregnancy
•            Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) 
•             Cushing syndrome
•             Hypothyroidism
•            Osteoarthritis (OA)

 

Age

Obesity can occur at any age, specially in young children. But in some cases, the changes related to hormones when occurs and a less active life style increase your risk of obesity. In addition the amount of muscles in your body is decreased with age. Generally low muscular mass leads to decrease in metabolism. These changes also reduce calorie needs. If you don’t control what you eat and can eat unconsciously everything than you ‘ll likely gain weight.

 

Quality of life

Obesity can destroy your quality of life. The persons who are suffering from this can’t do anything such as participating in enjoyable activities like playing, and also avoid to go to public places.

Other issues that are related to weight includes:

• Depression
• Disability
• Sexual problems
  
• Shame and guilt
• Social isolation
• Lower work acievement

Complications

Sometimes this can lead to more than simple weight- gain. It can be linked with a number of certain complications, in which some are life threatening if not treated temporarily.

It includes;

• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Certain cancers (breast, colon and endometrial)
• Stroke
• Disease related to gallbladder
• Disease in fatty liver
• High cholestrol
• Sleep apnea and other breeding problems
• Arthritis
• Infertility

Prevention

 

You can prevent yourself by gaining weight in the following factors such as,

•   Eat properly
• Aim for moderate exercises like biking, riding, cycling for 20 to 30 minutes daily.
•  Choose nutritious foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein
•     Eat high-fat, high-calorie foods in moderation

O         Obesity can affect nearly every system of your body, from your brain to your lungs and then liver. 

                    written by: Hadia Khalid