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An escalating epidemic of overweight and obesity is affecting many countries in the world,
more than 300 million people are overweight or obese. Obesity could be the reason specific. In India, the businessman tend to be overweight because of their consuming a diet containing high calorie and ghee as they lack in physical activities. In the United States, obesity is more prevalent in lower economic groups.
Obesity is now well recognized as a disease in its own right. Though obesity commonly means very overweight, it is defined as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat and water. “Obesity” specifically refers to an excess amount of body fat. Some people, such as body builders or other athletes with a lot of muscle, can be overweight without being obese A certain amount of body fat is needed to for stored energy, heat insulation, shock absorption and other functions. Generally, women have more body fat than men. Usually men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are regarded as obese.
Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than he or she burns. Genetic environment, psychological and other factors may play a part in causing this imbalance. Obesity tends to run in families suggesting a genetic cause. Environmental factors mean lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and his or her level of physical activity. Although you cannot change your genetic makeup, you can change your eating habits and levels of activity. You can learn how to choose more nutritious meals, which are low in fat and become more active.
Then there are psychological factors. Negative emotions such as boredom, sadness or anger, responding to which people overeat. There is also binge eating when people eat large amounts of food thinking that they cannot control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are also likely to have symptoms of depressions and low self-esteem. These people may have more difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off than people with binge eating problems.
Obesity is more than a cosmetic problem; it is a health hazard. Several serious medical conditions have been linked to obesity, including Type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and stroke. Obesity is also linked to higher rates of certain types of cancer. Other diseases and health problems linked to obesity include gall bladder disease and gallstones, liver disease, osteoarthritis that leads to deterioration of joints, gout which also affects the joints and reproductive problems in women.
Studying a large, diverse group of children in US, researchers found that rapid weight gain during the first four months of life was associated with an increased risk of being overweight at age seven, regardless of birth weight and weight at one year.
As the trend is to equate attractiveness with slimness, especially for women, obesity makes people feel unattractive. The method of treatment depends on the level of obesity, overall health condition and motivation to lose weight. Treatment may include a combination of diet, exercise, behavior modification and sometimes weight-loss drugs
The benefits of exercise are much more than any other way of losing weight. Not only does exercise help you loose weight but it also improves your fitness and flexibility and improves skin texture. Exercises are also free from the harmful side effects of crash dieting, slimming capsules and the heat treatment used by slimming centers. So, the only advice I offer those suffering from obesity is do “EXERCISE.”
Published: February 20, 2008
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