What
Happens to Your Body When You Are Obese? The Effects of Obesity You Can't
Always See
Obesity is defined as a medical condition
marked by accumulation of excess fat in your body. The word comes from the
Latin word "obesus," which roughly translates to "to eat." Obesity
can be divided into two primary categories, based on how it occurs:
Exogenous obesity: This type of obesity
is caused by eating more food than the body needs. Excess calories are
converted into fat, leading to weight gain.
Endogenous obesity: A type of obesity
caused by a genetic malfunction or a problem in hormonal production that result
in weight gain.
Obese people are generally at risk of developing life-threatening
complications and diseases. Furthermore, an obese woman going through a
pregnancy can develop additional complications apart from the ones normally
associated with obesity, which ultimately affects the health of the fetus as
well.
This guide aims to educate you on obesity: the alarming statistics
in the United States, how this condition wreaks havoc on your body and what you
can do to prevent or reverse it.
Overweight
Versus Obese: What Is the Difference Between Them?
You may have heard the words "overweight" and
"obese" used interchangeably, but what exactly is the difference
between them? The answer lies in their body mass index (BMI) classification.
According to the BMI table, the overweight category has an index of 25 to 29.9.
The obese category on the other hand, has an index of 30 or higher.
In essence, obese people are heavier than overweight people. It's
possible that you can be overweight, but still have a generally healthy body.
Being overweight simply means that you have excess pounds above your ideal
weight.
Furthermore, there's a very small chance that you can be obese,
yet do not have the health risks associated with it. The Harvard Medical School
classifies this rare occurrence as "metabolically healthy obesity."
People who fall under this category usually have a high BMI with a large
waistline, but have normal sensitivity to insulin, and normal blood sugar, blood
pressure and cholesterol levels.
However, if you're obese yet metabolically healthy, that doesn't
mean you are immune to the negative effects of obesity forever. The condition
is not permanent, and you may soon feel obesity-related complications,
especially as you age. Instead, you should strive to achieve a healthy weight
so that you can avoid possible health complications in the future.
Note: For your reference,
a BMI table can be found below.
Adult Obesity in America Is
Growing Every Year, and Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
Adult obesity in the United States is a growing concern. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 26.5
percent of all American adults are now considered obese. Due to the
prevalence, it's now believed that 1 in every 5 deaths are obesity-related.
According to the Journal of American Medicinal Association (JAMA),
48.1 percent of non-Hispanic African-Americans are obese, making them the
ethnicity with the highest obesity population. This is followed by Hispanics
(42.5 percent), non-Hispanic Caucasians (34.5 percent) and non-Hispanic Asians
(11.7 percent). Overall, 40.2 percent of middle aged adults (40 to 59 years
old) in the U.S. are obese.
Economic and educational factors play a large role in obesity
among adults. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NHCS),
obesity among men is similar in all income levels, but the rate is slightly
higher at higher income levels, and that education level has no significant
influence in developing obesity.
On the other hand, women who have lower incomes tend to develop obesity
more than women who have higher incomes.
Childhood
Obesity in America Is Growing Rapidly as Well
Unfortunately, much like adult obesity, childhood obesity in
America is also becoming more prevalent. This is because many parents believe
their kids are average in size, but are actually obese. In addition, they may
have difficulties speaking to their children about their growing weight, so the
parents put it off until problems begin to show.
The CDC estimates that in children and adolescents 2 to 19 years
old, 17 percent are obese, or a total of 12.7 million children.
Morbid Obesity: A More
Severe Form of Obesity
Morbid obesity is a serious health condition that needs to be
addressed promptly. Its main characteristic is a BMI higher than 40 (or 100
pounds heavier than the ideal weight), which can result in more severe health
complications. In the United States, morbid obesity is a growing problem.
It's estimated that more than 15.5 million citizens are morbidly obese, and
that number is expected to grow higher in the coming years.
The causes for this condition are very much the same for people
who are obese, such as genetics, environment, eating habits, possible mental
disorders and underlying medical conditions. Health complications that can
arise are virtually the same as well. Morbidly obese people may develop diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
The
Various Causes of Obesity
There are many factors that can cause obesity, from lifestyle
choices and hereditary conditions, to hormonal imbalances. Learn the common
causes below.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Sitting down too much is a main cause of obesity. If you
don't get adequate exercise and you consume more calories than needed, the
excess amount becomes stored as fat, leading to weight gain.
Poor Dietary Choices
Another big factor that can increase your risk of obesity is the
kinds of foods you eat. A diet high in processed and sugary foods can
greatly increase your BMI. Alcoholic beverages contain lots of
calories as well, so if you are a frequent heavy drinker, you'll gain weight
faster.
Eating out in restaurants is another reason for weight gain. Many
restaurant meals, especially fast foods, contain lots of calories; harmful fat
and sugar that can make you gain weight. If you add sugary drinks such as sodas
to your meal, the calories add up even more.
Genetics
Currently, there are four genetic disorders associated with
obesity:
Prader-Willi syndrome: A condition marked
by weak muscle tone, poor growth and delayed development. It also causes an
insatiable appetite during childhood.
Bardet-Biedl syndrome: This condition
causes abnormal weight gain, along with a host of vision problems, cognitive
difficulties and abnormalities in the genitals. Children with this condition
may have extra fingers during birth as well.
Alström syndrome: Defining symptoms of
this condition include gradual loss of vision and hearing, cardiac muscle
weakness and enlargement, type 2 diabetes, obesity and a short stature. This is
caused by a mutation in the ALMS1 gene.
Cohen syndrome: Also known as the
Pepper syndrome, its main symptoms include intellectual disability, small head
size and weak muscle tone. Obesity can develop during late childhood or
adolescence, which affects the lower torso only — the arms and legs remain
normal.
In addition, obesity seems to have a hereditary connection, but
this is not fully understood. Your chances of developing obesity are higher if
one or both your parents are obese — not only due to genetic reasons, but due
to your family's lifestyle choices as well.
Medications
Certain types of medicines such as antipsychotics,
antidepressants, antiepileptics, corticosteroids and antihyperglycemics can
cause you to gain weight if used long-term. If you're using any of them right
now to treat a certain medical condition, consult with your doctor to find an
alternative that will not affect your weight.
Psychological Reasons
In some people, certain emotions trigger hunger. Boredom, sadness
and stress are just a few examples that can cause a person to eat more than
they need to. While most obese people typically experience the same type of
psychological disturbances as that of normal-weight people, it's estimated that
30 percent of those who seek treatment for obesity have psychological problems
in controlling their binge eating.
Environment and Economic
Factors
Certain environmental or economic factors come into play regarding
weight gain. For example, financial problems can cause you to purchase
ready-to-eat, processed food more frequently than healthy, organic food. Other
times, lack of facilities to exercise or safety issues in your neighborhood can
increase your risk of obesity.
Obesity
Symptoms to Watch Out For
BMI is the main indicator used to identify obesity by calculating
whether a person has a normal weight relative to their height. To compute for
the BMI, your weight (in kilograms) is divided by the square of your height (in
meters). Note however, that BMI does not indicate the overall health of your
body. It is only used to help indicate your weight status.
The table below shows how the BMI is computed for adults:
BMI
|
Weight Status Category
|
Below 18.5
|
Underweight
|
18.5 to 24.9
|
Normal or healthy weight
|
25.0 to 29.9
|
Overweight
|
30.0 and above
|
Obese
|
Children and teenagers can compute for their BMI as well, but the
results are expressed differently. Once they have their BMI, it is expressed in
percentile using a graph or a percentile calculator. Their results will be
compared to children of their own age (BMI-for-age) who participated in
national surveys during the period of 1963 to 1965 and 1988 to 1994. This is
because young people are still growing, thus their height and weight may
fluctuate. The table below is used for interpreting results in children:
Weight Status Category
|
Percentile Range
|
Underweight
|
Less than the 5th percentile
|
Normal or healthy weight
|
5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
|
Overweight
|
85th to less than the 95th percentile
|
Obese
|
Equal or greater than the 95th percentile
|
In addition to having a high BMI, obesity can cause issues such as:
Breathlessness
|
Increased sweating
|
Snoring
|
Inability to cope with sudden physical activity
|
Feeling tired every day
|
Back and/or joint pain
|
Low confidence and self-esteem
|
Feeling isolated
|
Furthermore, obesity can cause internal
changes in your body that you may not notice right away, but are nonetheless
potentially harmful to your health. High blood pressure and fat blocking your
arteries (high cholesterol) can occur, increasing your risk of heart
attack and stroke. In other cases, type 2 diabetes may appear
alongside obesity. Its main symptoms include increased thirstiness, extreme
fatigue and increased urination during nighttime.
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