Health Problems Related to Obesity
Obesity is a leading cause of preventable illness and death in North America. Obesity is a term that means that you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Overweight and fatness can increase the risk of many health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. If you are pregnant, excess weight can lead to short-term and long-term health problems for you and your child. This fact sheet tells you more about the links between excess weight and many health conditions. It also explains how reaching and maintaining normal weight can help you and your loved ones stay healthier as you grow older.
Health Problems are Linked to Obesity?
Excess weight may increase the risk for many health problems, including :
- Heart disease and stroke
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Gallbladder disease and gallstones
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout
- Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for a short time during sleep) and asthma
Body Mass Index
A measurement called the Body Mass Index (BMI) does not directly measure body fat, but it is a useful tool to assess the health risk associated with overweight or obesity. BMI = body weight (kg) ÷ height² (m)
- Normal weight: BMI of 18.5 to 24.9
- Overweight: BMI of 25 to 29.9
- besity: BMI of 30 or higher
Causes of Obesity
Obesity is generally caused by the consumption of more calories, especially in fatty and sugary foods, than by physical activity. Excess energy is stored in the body as fat.
Heaviness is an increasingly common problem because for many people modern living involves eating excessive amounts of cheap, high-calorie food and spending a lot of time sitting down, at desks, on sofas or in cars.
Environmental Effects
The environment of a person plays an important role in weight status. The environment includes lifestyle behaviors, such as what a person eats and how active he or she is. Americans tend to have high-fat diets, often putting taste and convenience above nutritional content when choosing meals.
Psychological Effects
Psychological factors can also influence eating habits. Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger. Psychological factors can also influence eating habits. Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger. During a binge eating episode, people eat large amounts of food while feeling they can’t control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are considered to have what is called binge eating disorder.
Genetic Effects
Obesity tends to occur in families, suggesting that it may have a genetic cause. However, family members share not only genes but also diet and lifestyle habits that can contribute to fatness. The separation of these lifestyle factors from genetic factors is often difficult. However, growing evidence points to heredity as a strong determining factor in heaviness.
Treatment and Prevention
The decision to address your weight is an important first step towards making a change. Many face an even tougher decision as to which method they choose to lose weight. You can hear people talk about choosing a “treatment” for their obesity. This simply means deciding which weight-loss method is right for you. Treatment of heaviness depends primarily on how overweight a person and his/her overall health. However, to be successful, any treatment must affect life-long behavior changes rather than short-term weight loss.
Regular Physical Activity
In addition to weight management, exercise also improves overall health and can help reduce the risk of diseases such as certain cancers, heart disease,
What’s Important is to Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet
Dietitians are an excellent resource for people who want to lose weight and improve their health. We often think we know what is healthy for our bodies, but we are often mistaken.
- Meal plans
- Information on foods and how they impact your weight and health
- Help developing nutritional goals
How a person answers food. This may involve understanding what psychological problems underlie a person’s eating habits. For example, one person may binge eat when under stress, while another may always use food as a reward. In recognizing these psychological triggers, an individual can develop alternate coping mechanisms that do not focus on food.
Gradually work to change family eating habits and activity levels rather than focusing on weight. Change the habits and the weight will take care of itself.
Encourage children to drink water rather than beverages with added sugar, such as soft drinks, sports drinks and fruit juice drinks.
Crack a sweat accumulate at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activity on most or preferably all days of the week. Examples include walking a 15-minute mile or weeding and hoeing the garden.
Behavior Changes
It is important to identify and manage the triggers of hunger or unnecessary snacking. Counseling and support groups can facilitate this process and help patients manage their food cravings.
Surgery
Extremely obese patients or those with severe weight-related complications may consider weight-loss surgery. Although surgery offers excellent results in terms of weight loss and maintenance, it carries significant risks. Surgical procedures work by either reducing stomach holding capacity (gastric banding, gastric sleeve), reducing fat absorption through the small intestine (biliopancreatic).
Medication
Obese patients, who can not reduce their weight with diet and exercise alone, are candidates for prescription drugs that reduce hunger or fat absorption.
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