Obesity: Causes, Treatment, Prevention and Symptoms

obesity

Obesity And Overweight

Obesity and being overweight one of the major reasons for any health condition. Being overweight or major fat accumulation represents a risk to health.

If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 18 to 24 range, it falls under healthy weight range. If you BMI is 25 to 29 then it falls under being overweight range If your BMI is 30 or higher then it falls under being obese range

overweight and obesity statics

More than 1 billion people worldwide are obese in 2022 – 650 million adults, 340 million adolescents and 39 million children. WHO estimates that by 2025, approximately 167 million people – adults and children – will become less healthy because they are overweight or obese.

Obesity rate in America 2022: Nearly 40% of American adults aged 20 and over are obese in 2022. 71.6% of adults aged 20 and over are overweight, including obesity.

More than 1 in 3 men (34.1%) and more than 1 in 4 women (27.5%) are overweight. More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity (including severe obesity). About 1 in 11 adults (9.2%) have severe obesity. The percentage of men who are overweight (34.1%) is higher than the percentage of women who are overweight (27.5%).

Obesity Causes

Obesity and overweight are generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. But the 3 main causes of obesity include diet, lack of exercise, environmental factors, and genetics. If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly fat and sugars, but do not burn off the energy through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy will be stored by the body as fat.

People who have overweight or obesity, compared to those with healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions. These include:

  • All-causes of death (mortality).
  • High blood pressure (hypertension).
  • High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (dyslipidemia).
  • Type 2 diabetes.
  • Coronary heart disease.
  • Stroke.
  • Gallbladder disease.
  • Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint).
  • Sleep apnea and breathing problems.
  • Many types of cancer.
  • Low quality of life.
  • Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.
  • Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning.

According to World health Organization (WHO) the key to preventing obesity is to act early, ideally even before a baby is conceived. Good nutrition in pregnancy, followed by exclusive breastfeeding until the age of 6 months and continued breastfeeding until 2 years and beyond, is best for all infants and young children.

At the same time, countries should come together create healthy food environment in such a way that everyone can afford and access healthy food. Major steps should be taken to restrict supply of fuzzy, sugary and unhealthy products and beverages. Parents should also teach their Childrens importance of eating healthy food from early on.

Diets

Your diet plays a major role in weight management, along with your Physical Activity.

Certain food sources are bound to add to weight gain than others, such as Processed food varieties that are high in calories, fat, added sugar, and salt.

Nevertheless, these foods can be managed by well round diet, by controlling the portion size.

So here is the list of foods that can contribute to extra fat gain if you consume in more amount

  • Sugar Breakfast Cereals
  • Ice Cream
  • Soda
  • Pizza
  • Cookies and Donuts
  • Sugary sweetened Drinks
  • French fries and fried Potato chips
  • Sugar sweetened Coffee
  • Chocolate
  • Packed Fruit Juice and
  • All Commercially Processed food items

Weight Loss

Your weight is a balanced act between how many calories you take and how many calories you burn. Weight loss comes down to burning more calories than you take in. You can do that by reducing consuming extra calories from food and beverages and burning more calories from physical activity.

Being Active, is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. Find an activity you enjoy and are able to fit into your routine. Exercise can help you burn more calories which you can’t burn alone with Diet.

Many factors determine how many calories a person should eat per day to lose weight.

Some of these factors include:

  • desired weight loss
  • age
  • desired speed of weight loss
  • sex

According to from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Below are the daily calorie recommendations for adults

Daily recommended calorie consumption (for males):

19-20 Age

  • Sedentary: 2,600
  • Moderately active: 2,800
  • Active: 3,000

21-30 Age

  • Sedentary: 2,400
  • Moderately active: 2,600-2,800
  • Active: 3,000

31-50 Age

  • Sedentary: 2,200-2,400
  • Moderately active: 2,400-2,600
  • Active: 2,800-3,000

51+ Age

  • Sedentary: 2,000-2200
  • Moderately active: 2,200-2,400
  • Active: 2,400-2,800

Daily recommended calorie consumption (for females):

19 to 30 years Age

  • Sedentary: 1,800 to 2,000
  • Moderately active: 2,000 to 2,200
  • Active: 2,400

31-50 years Age

  • Sedentary: 1,800
  • moderately active: 2,000
  • Active: 2,200

51+ years Age

  • Sedentary: 1,600
  • Moderately active: 1,800
  • Active: 2000 to 2,200

If a person wants to lose weight, consume fewer calories than the amounts listed above.

The key to successful weight loss is your dedication, making changes in your diet and exercise habits.

While that seems simple, but it can be challenging to make healthy changes in life to get rid of that extra stubborn fat by implementing effective, practical and sustainable weight loss plan

If you are serious about losing weight you don’t have to do it alone, talk to your doctor, ask you family and friends, try to research and ask yourself are you ready to make some necessary changes.

If you have some major health conditions because of your weight, reach your doctor before making any changes in diet and your doctor may suggest weight-loss medications, diet or surgery for you

There are hundreds of weight-loss programs, diets, supplements and meal plans that promise quick and easy weight loss. However, the foundation of successful weight loss remains a healthy, calorie-controlled diet combined with increased physical activity. For successful, long-term weight loss, you must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits.

But still there are some scientifically proven natural methods that helps in weight management, that methods include

Natural Methods for Weight Loss

  • Counting Calories Intake
  • Try Intermittent Fasting
  • Tracking Your Diet and Exercise
  • Drink More Water
  • Increase Protein Intake
  • Reduce Processed Food Consumption
  • Increase Fiber Intake
  • Restful Sleep
  • Managing Stress
  • Cutting back sugar
  • Add Cardio
  • Mindful Eating

Remember the best way to maintain healthy weight is to eat nutritious and balanced diet

Check Out Here – How to Lose Weight Fast for Teens and Start Healthy Lifestyle

Diets for Weight Loss

Diet plays a major role in healthy weight management and weight loss.

Some of the most popular diets include

  • Ketogenic Diet
  • Atkins Diet
  • Weight Watchers Diet
  • Vegetarian Diet
  • The Zone Diet
  • Vegan Diet
  • Raw Food Diet
  • Mediterranean Diet
  • South Beach Diet

Check Out Here – What Can You Eat Every Day to Lose Weight Fast

Supplements for Weight Management

More than one third of Americans take supplements to combat a vitamins deficiency, lower risk of certain diseases, to lose weight or just to feel proactive.

Supplements come in many forms a pill, capsule, gummies, powder or liquid form. They contain at least one dietary ingredient like vitamins, herbs, minerals, amino acids, enzymes or botanicals. 

The most common supplement contains Fish oil, DHA, Green Tea, Ginseng, Vitamin D, Calcium, Omega 3 or EPA Fatty Acids.

In addition to healthy diet, some dietary supplements benefit you with little to no risk. Still, it’s important to be cautious before you put anything into your body. Speak with your health care provider before taking any supplements. pregnant women, nursing mothers or children should take extra precautions as supplements are not tested on them.

Further concerns include to check the sale of “weight loss supplements” are approved from FDA (Food Drug Administration) or not.

Recently Weight Management Supplement, Blood Sugar Control Supplement, Oral Health Care Supplement and many others are gaining huge popularity with proven results that claims be 100 percent natural, FDA approved with zero side effects

Here is the list of Dietary Supplements that are available in the market today which claims to add nutrients to your diet or lower your risk of health problems.

Bariatric Surgery

Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries — known collectively as bariatric surgery —involve making changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight. Bariatric surgery is done when diet and exercise haven’t worked or when you have serious health problems because of your weight.

If other weight loss methods have not worked, then doctor will recommend you bariatric surgery. The procedure involves either reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or surgically removing part of the stomach.

Bariatric surgery is the effective way to reduce Body Mass Index (BMI) for people with severe obesity.

Weight Management

In order to maintain healthy weight, it is necessary to have balanced diet, restful sleep with physical activity. There is scientific evidence that states improper sleep enhance appetite, cravings with less physical activity

After losing weight person can maintain prolong healthy lifestyle by Counting Calories, Exercising, Eating More Protein and Being Mindful of Carbs.

When Is Weight Loss Bad

If you are suffering from any health condition or taking any medication, It is better to consult certified medical practitioner before starting any weight loss program

If a person with least amount of fat more muscle and lean tissue tries to lose weight than it can lead to major health problems like osteoporosis, low metabolism, body temperature regulating problems and low immunity

Summary

Weight loss is measured based on BMI values. Your doctor will recommend you which weight loss program is best for you based on your BMI values either you require weight loss medication, weight loss diet or you require bariatric surgery.

It is better to consult a certified medical practitioner before starting any weight loss program.

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