My Health Cares

OBESITY

Definition:

The condition of excessive fatness is known as obesity. Fatness is often expressed as a percentage of body weight. Prepubertal boys and girls typically have about 15% of their body weight as fat. While the average adult male is 20% fat, and the average adult female is 30% fat.

Causes

There are some causes of obesity.

• Eating Style
• Genetic inheritance
• Psychological causes
• Food allergies
• Nutritional deficiencies(fast food)
• Chemical toxicity e.g. hormones, fertilizers used in agriculture.
• Certain drugs, medication as contraceptives, steroid hormones, certain antidepressant and blood pressure drugs.
• Low metabolic rate
• Lack of exercise, physical inactivity
• Diet high in refined and processed foods like fast food.
• Insulin or other hormonal unbalances such as in diabetes and hypothyrodism.
• Loss of sleep, too little sleep.

Effects

Obesity has severe effects on our health such as:

• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Cancer of breast, gallbladder, cervix, uterus, ovaries (for female), and of colon, rectum and prostate (for male).
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout (joint pain cause by excessive uric acid)
• Breathing problems such as sleep apnea, and aggravation of asthma.
• High level of total cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Complications of pregnancy
• Irregular menstrual cycle and infertility
• Psychological and social effects such as depression, isolation, discrimination, low earning power.

Treatment

To rapid weight loss can cause you to lose muscle rather than fat. So treatment should be slow and steady. Eat a variety of foods, especially pasta, rice, whole meal bread, and other whole-grain foods, reduce your fat intake. You should also eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water in a day. Eating tomato early in the morning for 3 months also reduce weight.

Regular exercise is a good option to burn the layers of fat deposited inside the body. Certain fat burning exercises are extremely helpful in eliminating the excess fat that leads to obesity. Making physical activity a part of your daily life in an important way to help control your weight. Try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day on most days of the week.

Along with diet, doctors often prescribe weight loss pills for obesity.