OBESITY ; WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?!!!

OBESITY!!!

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We all wish to have a well-built body and at least a well ripped abs for most guys is a dream goal. Yes, we do have the right to think like that, because obesity can also serve as a risk factor for other health issues like Diabetes, Heart disease, etc. Hence, it can be said that weight loss is crucial in the avoidance of obesity. Obesity is from the Latin word “obesity” which means “stout, fat or plump”. A reciprocal link based on previous research has been found between obesity and depression, with obesity increasing the risk of depression and also depression leading to a higher chance of developing obesity. 2015 had a record of 12% obese adults and 100 million obese children in 195 countries. Obesity is more common in women than in men. In the subsequent sections below we would look into various pros and cons surrounding obesity.

What is obesity?

Obesity is simply defined as an abnormal or excessive increased amount of fat in the body beyond the normal range. Obesity depths more on fat contents and not just increased body weight or size.

Diagnosis
The easiest and most efficient method used to diagnose obesity is the body mass index.

Body Mass Index(BMI); The body mass index of an individual shows how much fat is likely to be stored in the body. Hence, It is the ratio of weight measured (in Kilograms) to the square of the height (in metres) BMI=weight÷ (height)². A person is considered to be obese when the person’s BMI is over 30kg/m2, a range of 25-30 kg/m2 is defined as being overweight.

Also, for a doctor to diagnose a child over 2 years old with obesity, their BMI has to be in the 95th percentile and above for people of their same age and biological sex.
It is worthy of note that athletes tend to have increased BMI, not because of extreme fat, but as a result of stronger bones and well-developed muscles that has direct effects on their weights and heights respectively.

Causes of obesity

• Excessive fat deposits in the adipose tissue layer.
•Poor Diets.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Excessive consumption of alcohol, proteins and fat contents.
• Lack of proper exercise
•Unhealthy habits such as drinking, smoking, etc.
•Diseases •Inactivity (mostly seen in bedridden patients)
• Pregnancy (pregnant women gain more weight and hence become obese after childbirth)
• Lack of adequate sleep or rest
•Drugs; mostly steroids, diabetic medications and or antipsychotic medications.
• Genetics, which may affect how fat is stored and how food is processed into energy.
• Age; An increase in age is equivalent to a slower metabolic rate, a slower metabolic rate means less fat is burnt as energy, thus making it easier to gain weight.
• Certain health conditions can lead to weight gain, which may lead to obesity including Polycystic Ovary Syndrome [PCOS], a condition characterized by an imbalance of reproductive hormones in females
• Cushing syndrome, is caused by having high-stress hormone [cortisol] in your system.
• Osteoarthritis, and other conditions that cause pain and may lead to reduced activity. Hence, such a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity in the long run.
• Eating food high in cholesterol, taking your meals at night, skipping your breakfasts and eating excessive junk food can cause obesity.

Signs and symptoms of obesity

People may experience: ✓ Pain areas: most especially in the back of their joints ✓ Also commonly experienced are abdominal obesity, binge eating, fatigue, or snoring.

Risk factors for obesity

Who are those at risk of becoming obese?

• Younger ones (children, teens or even adults in their prime age) are at higher risks than older ones or the aged. It is therefore worthy of note that body fat reduces as we advance in age, hence older ones have less risk of becoming obese.
• Pregnant mothers have a higher risk of being obese than other women.

•Height and weight: They are also key factors in becoming obese or not. i.e √The shorter you are the higher your chance of being obese √The heavier (i.e the fatter/bigger you become), the higher your chances of becoming obese.

• Smokers; Quitting smoking is always a good thing, but quitting may lead to weight gain too, in some people, especially Chainsmokers. (For this reason, it is important to focus on diet and exercise while you are quitting, at least after the initial withdrawal period).

Complications of obesity

Obesity can result in the following but is not limited to
•Type II diabetes
•High blood pressure
•Stroke
•Heart disease e.g Tachycardia, etc •osteoarthritis •Poor wound healing
•Sleep apnea or dyspnea
•High cholesterol
•Cancer
•Depression: which may be factored by the environment or maybe psychological.
•Sexual problems
•Social isolation
•Physical disability
• General body discomfort
•Inability to perform basic activities of daily living.

How do I prevent obesity?

Of course, we all know that prevention is far better than cure. Hence, we can prevent obesity by;

• Monitoring our weights constantly, checking our weights at least twice a week.
• Ensure that we have adequate sleep and rest.
• Encourage good feeding habits and taking of balanced diets.
• We must engage in quality regular exercises that help us burn excessive fats from our bodies.
• Some habits such as excessive smoking, drinking alcohol and carbonated drinks, eating junk, fatty foods like pork meat, snails, etc must be brought to check.
•Eating food low in cholesterol, for example, vegetables and fruits.
•We must cultivate the habit of being regularly active, especially by performing our activities of daily living on our own.
• Occupational Therapy is also advisable especially when your job is one that keeps you Sedentary or fixed to one position.
• We must educate ourselves and understand more about obesity.
• We must go for regular check-ups in hospitals.

Prevention is better than cure!!!

Thanks for reading, Sayonara✌️

References/Resources
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