Obesity is a chronic medical condition associated with excessive body fat. A report by WHO, 2.8 million people die annually because of obesity. It’s the root cause of debilitating diseases like cardiovascular disorders, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, etc. Obesity is declared a threat to the global epidemic.
Body mass index (BMI) is a tool for determining body fat based on the person’s height and weight. Health practitioners categorize people as underweight, buff physique, and heavyweight based on their BMI.
- Underweight BMI < 18 (kg/m2).
- Normal weight BMI ( 19- 24.9)
- overweight= BMI ( 25- 30)
- Obese= BMI > 30
Here you can check your BMI: BMI Calculator
Origin of Globesity?
Obesity has increased in the past two decades due to a sedentary lifestyle, modern technology, and poor eating habits. It affects people of all ages, sex, ethnicity, and race. According to WHO, obesity has increased threefold since 1975. If preventable steps are not taken against obesity, then it will create great havoc in the world.
Causes of Obesity:
There is no single reason for obesity. Factors like diet, inactivity, environmental influences, and genetics induce obesity.
- Unhealthy Food Choices:
Nowadays, most people prefer instant food, bakery items, and sugary beverages without knowing that these high-calorie foods can cause metabolic disorders.
2. Sedentary lifestyle:
Under modern technology, human life has become easier than before. These days, many youngsters spend most of their time in front of a digital screen. Binge-eating fast food and playing video games, with no physical activity 24/7. The quantity of food consumption increases while energy expended by the body decreases. This imbalance between calorie intake and energy expenditure causes overweight.
3. Genetics:
Genetics plays a crucial role in obesity. The interaction of many genes and several epigenetic factors induces signals to the brain to increase hunger and appetite. But, the mechanism of this signal transduction has yet to be understood.
4. Sleep disturbance:
Studies published in journals proved that insufficient sleep imbalances hormones, which increases appetite for food and contributes to weight gain. Leptin and ghrelin are the two hormones that are responsible for regulating appetite. Because of sleep deprivation, the metabolism of these hormones is disturbed, which signals the brain to increase thirst and hunger, causing food cravings.
Obesity due to hormonal disturbance is more common in females. Hormones are the chemicals that regulate body functions like metabolism, digestion, and growth. The imbalance in cortisol, thyroid, and insulin leads to metabolic syndrome. Women suffering from PCOS and hyperthyroidism are at high risk of developing obesity.
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Obesity is a biological disorder in which excess fatty tissue accumulates in the abdominal region, and improper gland functioning causes weight gain.
When we consume food, it breaks into glucose and reaches every cell through the blood. The brain triggers the pancreas to release insulin, which is essential to glucose metabolism.
If insulin functioning is disturbed, then glucose will not be able to get inside the cell. Thus, glucose accumulation occurs outside the cell. Over time, the excessive glucose becomes hard and converted into fatty tissue.
Fat cells release chemicals called adipocytokines. It is a bioactive molecule that regulates hunger, appetite, and glucose metabolism. Due to excessive fat in the body, adipose tissue synthesizes more adipocytokines. A high concentration of adipocytokines in the body causes obesity-related diseases. Such as insulin resistance and metabolic inflammation. As a result, the body starts feeling hungry and need more food.
Actions to reduce globesity:
With the right public health policy and laws on the food industry, obesity can be preventable.
In the past decade, the price of fruits and vegetables has inflated, which makes them inaccessible to people. On the other hand, the cost of sugary beverages and fast foods decreased, so the consumption of sweeteners and unhealthy food increased. Health policymakers should take precautionary steps to make fruits and vegetables affordable.
Mass advertising of high-caloric drinks and fast food should not be encouraged. Most youngsters are inspired by what they see on TV screens. We can educate youngsters through social media through awareness.
Food companies play a role in the globesity, spending millions of dollars on the mass advertisement of fast food and energy drinks. Food agencies ensure high nutritional value in food items to lessen the risk of an obesogenic environment.
Obesity: In a nutshell:
Obesity is a form of metabolic syndrome. In this condition, body fat increases because of the high-caloric food intake with no inactivity. Adipose tissue releases bioactive chemicals that signal the brain's food cravings. Obesity is associated with life-threatening diseases like cardiac arrest, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and arthritis. In the past few decades, the rate of obesity has inflated sharply due to mass advertising of processed food and sedentary lifestyles. Studies show that the ultimate cure for obesity is weight loss. Low-calorie intake, a healthy lifestyle, daily workouts, and a positive mindset would help in obesity obesity-free life.
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