Obesity – Causes, Consequences and Treatment
December 17, 2008
Obesity is a problem that has struck the world almost like an epidemic. In youth, children and among the elderly, obesity has become a problem of grave concern. Understanding obesity and the problems associated with it is most important in helping cure it.
A diet full of fried foods, fats and processed foods cause undue weight gain and contribute largele to obesity. If the food that is eaten does not match with the exercise that the body has, the tendency to gain weight increases. And if there is the intake of excess alcohol acompanied, trouble is coming your way.
Checking for obesity involves calculation of Body Mass Index. A score less than thirty indicates normalcy, that above forty indicates moderate obesity, and over fifty spells acute obesity.
The current pace of life causes people to wke up and rush to work, buying whatever is easy to carry and eat on the move. These are mostly worng food choices, full of sugars and fats. Failure to have a balanced diet increases the chance of being obese.
Increased weight requires the heart to pump more blood to the body and make it work beyond capacity. This could lead to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, joint problems, quick fatigue, and also the occurence of breast and prostrate cancer.
A controlled diet, with plenty of vegetables and fibrous foods is most important. Regular exercise is also a must for everyone.
Those suffering from obesity have other problems to cope with. There is the trouble of having to be the object of ridicule and jokes. Patients are also known to have lowered self esteem and suffer psychological problems. Depression is also common among the obese. What makes the problems worse is that a combination of the above factors restrict the obese to their homes, which makes the condition more complicated, and survival difficult. Hence, obesity in younger people decreases their lifespan to about forty or forty five.
There are many factors to check for while detecting the nature of obesity. The intake of food is just one of them. Endocrine problems like thyroid functioning and the working of the growth hormone can also lead to obesity in people without them having to eat wrong foods. Hereditary factors are another contributor to obesity.
Along with dietary control and exercise, there are other medical interventions that help control obesity. Liposuction, surgical removal of fat deposited in the stomach, and also gastric reconstructive surgery in the stomach with laproscopy can also be used.
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