Obesity: Causes, Complications And Prevention

Obesity (corpulence) is an increase in body weight of an individual. A person is obese when there is an excess of fat accumulation in their body. This happens when a person consumes more calories than burning. Extra calories are converted into fat and stored in the body, which is harmful and can have extremely adverse conditions on the health of a person. Obesity can become a chronic condition, making it very hard to get rid of the unhealthy practices and lifestyle choices. 

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Key Terms: Obesity, excess calories, diet, health problems, exercise

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Causes And Risk Factors of Obesity

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Obesity is caused when a person eats food that is extremely rich in calories without working to burn the excess calories off. These excess calories are then deposited as fat in the body. Fat accumulates, giving the person the appearance of being overweight. While this can happen to anyone, certain people are more at risk of obesity than others. Such risks are mentioned below. 

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Family Inheritances

• Genes received from your parents have a big part to play in how our bodies store fats. Genetics can influence how actively our bodies convert calories into energy, our appetite and how much calories are burnt off while exercising. 
• Obesity tends to run in families because children share the same eating habits and activity patterns as the parents. Therefore, if a parent is obese, the chance of their children being obese is high. 

Age

While obesity can occur at any age, it is more likely to affect people as they grow old. This is because:

• As you age, hormonal changes lead to a decrease in activity. This means that old people cannot have as active lifestyles as younger people. This increases their risk of obesity.
• The amount of muscle mass in the body also decreases with age. Less muscles leads to a decrease in metabolism, meaning calories are not converted to energy as fast. 
• The amount of calories needed by older people also decreases making it more difficult to maintain an ideal weight. 

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Food Habits and Lifestyle

Leading an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle are the major contributors to obesity among people. 

• Diet: If a person’s diet lacks healthy food like green vegetables, fruits and homemade food, it is a big obesity risk. Instead, if their diet consists mainly of greasy and oily junk food such as burgers and pizza, it will lead to accumulation of unhealthy fat in the body. Sweet drinks such as coca cola, alcohol and energy drinks are also very rich in calories and should not be made a part of everyday diet.
• Lifestyle: If a person leads a calm, sedentary lifestyle, it increases risk of obesity. People who do not exercise regularly, do not burn off sufficient calories to stay within their health weight range. Sitting in front of computer and phone screens all day, for work and entertainment is a major contributor to obesity. 

Diseases

Sometimes, certain diseases and pre existing health conditions can lead to weight gain. These included diseases such as hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), insulin resistance, Cushing Syndrome etc. Certain medications like those for diabetes, seizures etc. can also lead to weight gain if not compensated for through exercise. 

Other Factors

Other factors that may contribute to obesity include:

• Pregnancy: It is common for women to put on weight during pregnancy due to factors such as hormones, and new mothers often find it hard to lose the weight after the baby is born. 
• Quitting smoking: Quitting smoking can lead to weight gain because people try to compensate for their craving to smoke through food. This can lead to weight gain. However, it is always healthier to quit smoking and exercise to lose the resulting weight gain. 
• Lack of sleep: Having an unhealthy sleeping cycle can contribute to change and fluctuation in hormones. This can make people crave more food, especially food rich in calories and carbohydrates. 
• Stress and other negative emotions: Stress and other emotions such as anger, depression and boredom can lead to obesity too, as it can make people consume a lot of calorie rich food.

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Complications in Health

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Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem, it can lead to severe health problems such as:

• Heart diseases and strokes: Obesity leads to high vital signs and high cholesterol which contribute to heart diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. 
• Type 2 diabetes: Obesity can affect the way the body uses insulin to control blood sugar levels. This raises the risk of diabetes.
• Digestive problems: Problems such as heartburn, gallbladder and liver problems.
• Hypertension: Obesity makes it harder for the heart to pump blood properly throughout the body. This causes a strain on the arteries which leads to high blood pressure or hypertension. 
• Breathing problems: Fat can get deposited in the respiratory tract making the airway narrow. This can result in a decrease in muscle activity in this region,leading to breathing problems and sleep apnea etc.
• Mental illness: Obesity can also cause a decrease in quality of life as it is a leading contributor to depression, feelings of shame and guilt and social isolation. 

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Obesity Prevention and Cure

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Obesity can cause a lot of physical, psychological problems for people who are overweight. However, in most cases, obesity is a reversible process. A person can achieve a healthy weight through:

• Exercise: Moderate to intense exercise for 2 to 3 hours every week can stop the weight gain process and lead to weight loss. These exercises include running, cycling and swimming.
• Positive lifestyle: Having a daily, active routine and eliminating negative emotions such as stress can also contribute to weight loss and prevention. 
• Healthy diet: Eating nutritious, calories conscious food can go a long way in losing weight. Eating a balanced diet containing fruit, vegetable and whole grains, and avoiding junk food and soft drinks, alcohol etc. can help obesity. 

What is a Balanced Diet?

For growth and maintenance of good health, our diet should have all the nutrients that our body needs, in the right quantities. Not too much of one and not too little of the other. The diet should also contain a good amount of roughage and water. Such a diet is called a balanced diet.

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Things to Remember

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• Obesity is caused when a person eats food that is extremely rich in calories without working to burn the excess calories off.
• Certain factors such as genetics, age, certain diseases and food habits and lifestyle can lead to obesity. 
• Obesity can cause many health problems such as heart, life and gallbladder disease and can lead to a decreased quality of life. 
• Obesity can be reversed and further prevented by regular exercise, elimination of stress and a healthy,balanced diet.

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