What is obesity?
What are the reasons for obesity?
What are the possible outcomes of obesity?
What are the effects of obesity on human health?
How do you prevent obesity?
How to treat obesity?
Obesity is one of the top diseases that create health risk and become the most widespread disease of this age. World Health Organisation (WHO) defines obesity as excessive fat accumulation at an abnormal level. Bad eating habits and immobile lifestyle are among the reasons for obesity.
Excessive weight and obesity are considered a serious global health problem as these bring different diseases as well. Obesity creates a significant risk factor for type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, sleep apnoea and certain cancer types.
What is obesity?
In the simplest sense, obesity is getting more calorie than the burnt calorie. The most important indicator of obesity is body mass index (BMI). Body mass index is calculated by dividing the weight of an individual in kg to the square of the height in meters. According to the World Health Organisation:
individuals with BMI 30 or above are obese individuals.
Individuals with BMI between 25-30 are overweight individuals.
Individuals with BMI 40 or above are morbidly obese or diagnosed with advanced obesity.
What are the reasons for obesity?
There are various factors among reasons for obesity. Taking more calorie than the calorie burnt with daily activities and turning these extra calories into weight leads to obesity.
The reasons for obesity can be listed as follows:
- Unhealthy eating: Eating fatty and high-calorie food (fast food, processed food, sugary food etc.) will lead to weight accumulation on the body.
- Immobile life: A lifestyle without physical activity or exercise is the most important
- Genetics: Individuals with a genetic tendency to store fat and process food tend to gain more weight.
- Sleep problems: Insufficient sleeping might cause hormonal changes that make the individual feel hungry and want high-calorie food.
- Ageing: As we age, our metabolic speed and muscle mass decrease. When bad eating habits is added to that, weight gain can become easy.
- Pregnancy: Some pregnant women gain excessive weight during pregnancy and struggle to lose them. This might lead to obesity.
- Health problems: Certain medical conditions are among the factors that cause individuals to gain more weight than normal in a fast way. For example, Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing syndrome, hypothyroid, osteoarthritis and polycystic over syndrome in women are among the reasons for obesity.
What are the possible outcomes of obesity?
Obesity physically changes the body and brings some serious and life-threatening risks. Due to excessive weights and obesity, at least 3.4 million patients die every year and this number is increasing.
What are the effects of obesity on human health?
Obesity is related to various diseases including type-2 diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, cancers types such as breast and colon cancer, stroke,
gallbladder problem, fatty liver, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea, breathing problems, arthritis and infertility.
Since obesity has negative effects on life quality, it might lead to serious psychologic problems such as depression.
How do you prevent obesity?
It is possible to prevent obesity with life habit changes and following these changes.
Choosing healthy oils instead of harmful oils
Consuming less processed and sugary food,
Following a diet rich in fruit and vegetable
Consuming food with fibre
Choosing food with a low glycaemic index
Support from family and friends towards this new eating habits
Regular physical activity
Avoiding stress might be simple and effective steps to prevent obesity.
How to treat obesity?
Individuals with body mass index 30 or above are accepted as obesity patients. The good news is obesity has a treatment.
Treatment offered under the supervision of a surgeon considered the options under 3 titles. These are lifestyle and behaviours changes, medication treatment and weight loss surgery.
The first step of obesity treatment is a lifestyle change. Eating program specific to a patient determined by the doctor and dietitian and daily exercise program are implemented. The patient will slowly lose weight as the patient quits harmful habits.
The second stage is medication treatment. Weight loss medication prescribed by the doctor can be used in addition to lifestyle changes.
The third step is a surgical operation. Although the first two steps are important for obesity treatment, bariatric surgery gives the fastest and most successful method. Factors such as the general state of the patient, health, age, weight are considered for different surgical methods. The most common surgical methods in bariatric surgery are gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and stomach band. Doctors provide detailed information about these methods.
