In simple terms, obesity is being seriously overweight because of excess body fat. Body mass index and waist size are good health indicators of proper weight. The goal should be to attain a healthy weight – one that reduces the risks for diseases and health conditions associated with overweight and obesity.
When body weight and body mass index (BMI) are in excess of 20% and 27% of average respectively we say a person is over weight.
Do Obesity and Inactivity Run Parallel? It has been said that to be fat, overweight, or obese is a curse and that obesity and inactivity run parallel to each other. Let us examine whether this statement is true, and if so, how far. Some highly obese individuals have been men of eminence and action. Napoleon heads this category. Winston Churchill was highly obese and so was Mussolini. Khwaja Nazimuddin, the former Chief Minister of undivided Bengal, who later became the Prime Minister of Pakistan, was really fat. In our own country, the ‘Nightingale of India’, Sarojini Naidu, who had won millions of hearts with her captivating poetry and her beautiful prose for more than half a century, was highly obese.
This does not mean that obesity is not a disadvantage. These individuals have been exceptions rather than the rule. Who knows, they may have done better and achieved more than they did, but for their obesity. Generally, a fat man carries a psychological burden of rejection by his colleagues, relatives, peers, employers, and even by his physician. Life expectancy is higher in non-obese than obese individuals.
Causes: Excessive intake of calories (fats) results in fat deposition particularly when physical acitivity is limited. There are various other causes of obesity including, hormonal changes during pregnancy, genetic or familial obesity which generally continues from childhood, alcoholism, and stress. Emotional disturbance and stress may result in abnormal eating patterns such as night-time over-eating and binge eating. Research shows that fat cells are larger and more in number in obese persons and this could be a developmental factor. Some drugs like antipsychotics, antidepressants, corticosteroids and oral contraceptives may also cause a gain in weight, but the weight returns to normal when the drug is stopped. In rare cases damage to brain due to injury and infection can result in rapid body weight gain. Whatever the cause, an excessive intake of food that provides more energy than is required by the body and adds to the weight.
Why is it Necessary to Treat Obesity? The successful treatment of fatness or obesity can be highly gratifying both to the patient and to the physician. Based on statistics, there is enough evidence to show that obesity may lead to diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, respiratory distress, and various other diseases. Obese people tend to get tired quickly, develop sleep apnoea (moments of cessation of breathing at night) have frequent low backaches, knee pains, swelling of feet (oedema) and sweat more often on exertion. Fat accumulates in the abdomen in males and in thighs and buttocks in females. Abdominal obesity is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (Syndrome-X is a constellation of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and resistance to insulin impaired glucose tolerance).
Recent studies have clearly shown that persons overweight by 8 kg or more have a higher risk of heart attack than individuals in the normal weight range.
What Measures Are Necessary to Correct or Avoid Obesity? The imbalance between energy needed and consumed can be corrected in two ways: by reducing the food intake and by physical exercise. Attempts to reduce the food intake is a popular way of weight reduction. Various agents that can depress the appetite are being used. Almost all drugs available for this purpose are closely related to amphetamine, and multimillion-rupee industries for production of slimming drugs has developed to cater to the figure-conscious. However, it must be remembered that no drug is going to help unless the person is determined to lose weight and to control food intake. Besides controlling the diet, vigorous exercise such as jogging or skipping can be helpful In reducing weight at a faster rate. Although it is easy to suggest ways of losing excess weight, in practice it is difficult and requires considerable effort, determination, and will-power. In one extensive survey it was found that only about 25% of the grossly obese cases were able to reduce upto 10 kg, and only 5% would lose 20 kg or more. The follow-up study indicated that the majority of individually returned to their former weight after the strict regimen was withdrawn. It is, therefore, important that once the weight loss is achieved, it must be maintained. One who has lost weight must then make it a routine to do every activity at a faster rate. He should walk briskly, climb the stairs faster, make every movement quicker. It has been estimated that by walking briskly for a particular distance, person consumes about 4 times the amount of calories than while walking slowly.
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