HEALTH

OBESITY – CAUSES EFFECTS AND WAYS TO OVERCOME

What is obesity?

Obesity is one of the major health concerns in today’s medical field. It is

not about being fat with increased bone weight, and muscles but deals with the
increased fat content in the body. The calorie level for an individual varies from
person to person and that is termed as basal metabolic rate, which determines how
the calories that we consume are used. The calories which are not burned, turn as
fat leading to obesity.

Causes of obesity

The obesity can be caused because of genetic factors or more commonly

due to the individual’s daily habits. It is not advisable to take a lot of calories at
a stretch as human body can burn only certain amount of calories. The intake of
higher amount of fat than needed is recommended only if the person does a lot of
physical exercises thus burning the excess fat. Increased consumption of alcohol
causes obesity. The improper eating habits which not only include the quantity
we eat but also the type of food we take in and the time of the day we consume
it. Some ladies after giving birth to the baby tend to become obese in few months.
The other uncommon reasons for obesity can be due to health issues concerning
with problems with thyroid gland, or any other improper functioning of organ.
There are some other indirect causes of obesity which may include higher mental
stress or anxiety causing the person to have irregular diet. There are chances
where the person who quits smoking can become obese because smoking reduces
the food we consume.
What happens when the person is obese?

There are several health issues that get raised when the person is obese.
The most dangerous effect of obesity can be several cardiac issues pertaining to
increased blood pressure and coronary heart disease. The other common effect of
obesity is diabetes and predominantly, type2 diabetes is more common in obese
people. It can also cause several gynaecological issues in ladies affecting their
health. The person finds it difficult to breathe thus less oxygen gets into brain.
This may cause several health issues and if proper care is not taken, may prove
to be risk to life.

How do we find that the person is obese?

In order to measure obesity of a human body, a standard measurement

followed all over the world is the BMI, which stands for Body Mass Index. It is
based on the fact that weight and health factors are dependent upon each other. It
is calculated by dividing the weight of the person by the square of the person’s
height. For example, if a person measures 70 kilograms and has height of 1.75
metres, then initially 1.75 raised to the power of 2 gives 3.0625 and then dividing
the weight 70 by 3.0625 gives 22.857 which denotes the Body Mass Index of the
individual. Generally a person who has BMI between 19 and 24 can be considered
normal while the person with BMI less than 19 can be termed as underweight and
more than 24 can be said to be overweight. The individuals having BMI more
than 30, can be termed as obese.
How to treat obesity?

The person has to take balanced diet. The diet varies from person to person
but in general consuming less amount of junk foods and increasing the amount of
fruits and fruit juices can reduce obesity to a greater extent. Physical exercises
have to be done regularly to burn fat. It also helps the brain to function properly.
Yoga is also advisable to reduce obesity. The person suffering from obesity must
take serious steps in reducing the fat content in the body and maintaining the
physique, and leading a healthy life.