Obesity is a medical condition that occurs when a person carries excess weight or body fat that might affect their health. A doctor will usually suggest that a person has obesity if they have a high body mass index.
Body mass index (BMI) is a tool that
doctors use to assess if a person is at an appropriate weight for their age,
sex, and height. The measurement combines height and weight.
A BMI between 25 and 29.9 indicates that a
person is carrying excess weight. A BMI of 30 or over suggests that a person
may have obesity.
Maintaining a healthy weight or losing
through diet and exercise is one way to prevent or reduce obesity.
Why obesity happens
·
Consuming too many calories:
When a person consumes more calories than they use as energy, their body will
store the extra calories as fat. This can lead to excess weight and obesity. Foods
that tend to increase the risk of weight gain include:
- Fast
foods
- Fried
foods, such as french fries
- Fatty
and processed meats
- Many
dairy products
- Foods
with added sugar
Eating too much of these foods and doing
too little exercise can result in weight gain and obesity. A person who
consumes a diet that consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
water is still at risk of gaining excess weight if they overeat.
· Leading a sedentary lifestyle: Many people
lead a much more sedentary lifestyle than their parents and grandparents did.
Examples of sedentary
habits include: working in an office rather than doing manual labor playing
games on a computer instead of doing physical activities outside going to
places by car instead of walking or cycling. The less a person moves around,
the fewer calories they burn. Also, physical activity affects how a person’s
hormones work, and hormones have an impact on how the body processes food.
· Not sleeping enough: Research has suggested that missing sleep increases the risk of gaining weight and developing obesity.
When a person does not sleep enough, their body produces ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. At the same time, a lack of sleep also results in a lower production of leptin, a hormone that suppresses the appetite.
· Endocrine disruptors: liquid
fructose — a type of sugar — in beverages may alter lipid energy metabolism and
lead to fatty liver and metabolic syndrome. Features of metabolic syndrome
include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. People with
obesity are more likely to have metabolic syndrome.
· Medications and weight gain: Some medications can also lead to weight gain. A typical antipsychotics, especially olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone once
- anticonvulsants and
mood stabilizers, and specifically gabapentin
- hypoglycemic medications, such as tolbutamide
- glucocorticoids used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
- some anti-depressants
·
Is obesity
self-perpetuating?
The longer a person is overweight, the harder it may be for them to lose weight. The more fat a person carries, the less likely the body is to burn fat, because of a protein, or gene, known as sLR11.
It seems that the more
fat a person has, the more sLR11 their body will produce. The protein blocks
the body’s ability to burn fat, making it harder to shed extra weight.
· Obesity gene: A faulty
gene called the fat-mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is responsible for
some cases of obesity. The hormone ghrelin plays a crucial role in eating
behavior. Ghrelin also affects Trusted Source the release of growth hormones
and how the body accumulates fat, among other functions.
Conclusion :
Many factors play a role
in the development of obesity. Genetic traits can increase the risk in some
people. A healthful diet that contains plenty of fresh food, together with
regular exercise, will reduce the risk of obesity in most people.
Written By - Violet
Priscilla S
Edited By - Anamika Malik
Social