Obesity

What Is Obesity?

Obesity is a common condition that occurs when your body has an excessive number and size of fat cells. Several factors can lead to obesity, including your family history, genetics, eating patterns, and activity levels. In the United States, about three in four adults over the age of 20 have a weight that healthcare providers consider overweight or obese. Among children and adolescents, obesity is prevalent in 20% of cases. 

Healthcare providers diagnose obesity using a measurement known as body mass index (BMI). It's worth noting that BMI is a biased and outdated metric that uses your weight and height to make assumptions about your body fat and your overall health. This measurement has several flaws and doesn't factor in your body composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Despite these flaws, the medical community still uses BMI because it’s a quick way to analyze health data.

If you receive a diagnosis for obesity, it's important to know that the condition is reversible and that several prevention and treatment options exist to help you improve your symptoms. Your exact treatment plan will depend on the severity of your condition and your overall health but may include lifestyle changes, medication, and sometimes, surgery.

To assess obesity, medical professionals commonly use the body mass index (BMI), a metric criticized for its outdated and biased nature. BMI relies solely on height and weight, providing an incomplete evaluation of overall health and body composition.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of obesity manifest as an increased quantity of adipose tissue, predominantly around the waist. Excess energy intake, exceeding the body's requirements, results in the storage of additional fat cells, contributing to obesity. Risk factors for obesity encompass various aspects influencing energy consumption and storage, such as BMI.

Risk factors:

Several factors affect how your body uses and stores energy. The following factors increase your risk of obesity:  Healthcare providers diagnose obesity using a tool called the body mass index (BMI). Providers calculate BMI solely based on your height and weight. BMI is an imperfect tool, as it does not take into account any other health factors.

Formula to calculate BMI:

You can calculate your own BMI by using the following formula: divide your weight by your squared height, and multiply that sum by 703.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a free BMI calculator that may be easier to use. BMI charts categorize weight by using the following measurements: 

• Obese: A BMI of 30 or higher Overweight: 
• A BMI between 25 and 29.9 Healthy weight: 
• A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 Underweight: 
• A BMI of 18.4 or lower In addition to BMI, healthcare providers may also consider your waist circumference (or, the measurement around your waist).

Research suggests a correlation between elevated abdominal adipose tissue and an augmented risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Specific waist circumference measurements indicate an increased risk for males (40 inches or more) and females (35 inches or more) at birth. Fortunately, obesity is treatable and reversible.

Treatment and Prevention:

Treatment strategies primarily target reducing body fat and maintaining a lower weight. Healthcare professionals may recommend a combination of interventions, including medication, surgery, lifestyle modifications, or medical devices. Lifestyle changes, such as dietary adjustments and increased physical activity, are often the initial steps in managing obesity. Notably, combining multiple lifestyle modifications enhances their effectiveness.

 Developing a more nutritious eating plan: Meet with a nutritionist or dietician to develop an eating plan based on how many calories and nutrients your body needs Engaging in more physical activity: Healthcare providers recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-intense physical activity each week Considering weight-loss counseling: This program pairs you with a weight-loss specialist so you can meet at least 14 times over 6 months to monitor your condition and receive support during treatment Monitoring your eating and exercise habits: Keeping track of your lifestyle changes by tracking your food intake or exercise sessions is an effective weight loss tool. Medications When lifestyle changes alone are not effective, your healthcare provider may likely recommend adding medication to your treatment plan. Obesity drugs work in different ways to help you feel less hungry. Some of the medications also change how your body absorbs fats from your diet. It's important to use obesity medications in conjunction with lifestyle changes.

It's also important to note that some conditions can actually cause weight gain and increase your risk of obesity. Health conditions that can contribute to obesity include: Obesity is a chronic condition that affects many areas of your life. Fortunately, the condition is treatable. However, adhering to your treatment plan can be quite challenging at times as it may require you to make significant changes to your lifestyle habits.

Childhood Obesity: Why This Multifaceted Epidemic Is Growing, and How It Can Be Treated?

The three main treatment avenues for childhood obesity include lifestyle changes, medication and surgery. However, all of these treatments need to be practiced and recommended with a wide-angle lens on the myriad of causes behind the condition.

For instance, simply telling a child to “eat better and move more” is much too simplistic, notes Malkani. “It implies that children have control over their environment, genetics and access to food and are therefore to blame for excess weight,” she continues. “Not only do children have no control over these factors, ‘eat better, move more’ is problematic when you consider the barriers built in front of millions of American parents that create unequal opportunities for accessing healthy, affordable foods, safe places to walk and be active, time and bandwidth for meal prep and other important social determinants of health that can affect weight.”

Lifestyle and Behavioral Changes:

Children with obesity should receive immediate treatment with family-based lifestyle interventions, according to 2023 guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). This means that the entire family, not just the child, needs to be proactive around proper nutrition, activity levels, and other healthy habits. The AAP also calls on family physicians and health care providers to be ardent with care.

Dietary Approach to Prevent Obesity:

·         Limit excessive intake of surgery beverages.

·        Avoid simple carbs like white bread and white flour.

·        Avoid excessive intake of bad fats like VLDL and LDL

·        Use complex carbohydrates, like wheat flour, whole grains, oats, and brown rice. 

·        Increase intake of Fresh fruits and vegetables increase salad intake.

·         Intake of detox water for weight loss. 

·        Do exercise in your daily routine.

·        Use lean meat.

·        Keep yourself hydrated.