We can define obesity and overweight as unusually accumulated body mass. Calculating body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used method to check if you are healthy or obese. It’s very important to take crucial steps to control obesity. In addition to causing noticeable physical changes, it can cause various life-threatening health such as diabetes type-2, PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), cardiovascular diseases, sterility in females, and cancer.
Top 10 facts about obesity
Obesity is not something that will happen overnight. It takes time to develop because of an unhealthy diet and poor lifestyle choices. From the definition, it starts due to the accumulation of fats; this happens due to continuous negligence in eating habits and lack of exercise. We should always believe in real and medically proven facts about it, not myths revolving around it. There are a few facts about it mentioned below:
Is obesity a disorder or just an Abnormality in Behavior?
Some people confuse obesity with just being fat or overweight. They do not consider it a chronic disorder and think of it as just fat that will go away by starving themselves in the name of dieting. But it is a chronic disorder because it is related to several other chronic diseases like Hypertension, Heart disease, Type-2 diabetes, and cancer. So, it is very important to take it seriously and start controlling it in the early stages. People have very little knowledge about obesity; they do not completely understand the definition of obesity. Therefore, it is crucial to start Obesity awareness campaigns to teach people about the severity of this disorder.
Causes of obesity
As it is clear from the definition of obesity, it initiates due to accumulated fat and lack of physical activity while intaking too many calories. But other factors can also cause obesity. Individuals with defective metabolic pathways get the wrong signal for different feelings such as hunger and feeling stuffed. These signals confuse an individual’s mind. Other than this reason, there are many other reasons as well. For Instance, Menopause disturbs the hormonal balance of females, which sometimes leads to it; stress-induced fatness is also a major reason for obesity because some people are stressed take, so they eat an unbalanced diet in the condition of depression or stress. So, it is not caused by one thing. Still, the number of reasons initiates accumulation of fat as described in the obesity definition.
Obesity in Pregnancy
Obesity also causes complications during pregnancy. Obese women are more likely to face maternal death and difficulties during pregnancy. Complications in pregnant women caused by obesity are increased blood pressure during pregnancy, Preeclampsia which means damaging other organs, e.g., liver, and Gestational diabetes mellitus, in which the body cannot use insulin due to the release of hormones from the placenta. Therefore, it is vital to encourage women in their reproductive age to reduce weight.
How to lose weight?
There are many myths which are made about how to lose weight. People starve themselves and end up getting sick. But it is scientifically proved that you can only lose weight if you eat in small portions with a balanced number of proteins between 10-35 percent, carbohydrates between 45-65 percent, and 20-35 fats. Regular exercise and walking are also necessary. As mentioned in the definition of obesity, fat accumulation is not good but taking a balanced amount of fat is important to fulfill your body’s needs.
Does insufficient sleep aggravate obesity?
Recent studies suggest that sufficient sleep is also essential to prevent obesity. Because short sleep duration affects the body’s metabolic function, which in turn causes obesity, therefore, it is important to take at least 7 hours of sleep on a daily basis.
Difference between obesity and being overweight
Latest studies by WHO have nipped this confusion between it and being overweight: BMI greater than or equal to 25 is a condition of being overweight or obese. A BMI more than or equal to 30 is considered alarming.
The link between depression and obesity
When we define obesity, we only mention the superficial reason and consequences of it. But we forget to mention how it’s playing with affected individual’s mind. According to recent surveys, it is reported that obese people have a 55% greater risk of suffering from depression than non-obese individuals.
Intermittent fasting for weight loss
In the past few years, intermittent fasting has been an emerging method for weight loss. In intermittent fasting, you fast for most hours of the day, mostly between 12-14 hours, and only drink water or zero-calorie drinks during this time, and have just two meals a day, one after fasting for 12-14 hours in the afternoon and one in the evening.
Epidemiology
Obesity percentage is increasing with time, and now threats of it have reached an epidemic level. According to OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), the Countries with the most obesity rate are Mexico, England, and the United States. According to various surveys and studies, the USA is considered the most obese country.
Myths vs Facts about Obesity
There are many myths about it that are proven wrong according to recent scientific findings, some of which are:
- “Carbs make you fat” is a myth, while a balanced amount of carbs is needed for your body.
- “Obesity causes diabetes” is a myth; while it is a risk factor for diabetes type-2 but not all diabetes patients are obese.
- Fast food is fattening is a myth now because many fast-food chains nowadays offer healthy eating options as well.
- “Eat less, move more” is a common saying which is a myth. To maintain your ideal weight, you must burn more calories than you take in.
- The weight loss journey has many ups and downs; sometimes, your weight can get stuck at one point or sometimes increase, so it is the myth that weight loss is a linear process.
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