Obesity

       

What is Obesity?

       

Obesity is when a person accumulates body fat excessively, and being obese is always more than just a cosmetic concern where the person may be displeased about their appearance. An obese person is going to be at risk of associated health problems because of their weight, and it also places undue stress on the body’s skeletal framework as well as putting excess strain on the heart.

       

Men tend to be obese more often than women do, and rates for obesity in North America are much higher in people of either gender who are over the age of 40.

       

A BMI (body mass index) of 30 or higher is the standard criteria for classifying a person as obese. Anywhere between 25 and 29.9 is seen only to be overweight, but waist circumference can also be a measurement of obesity. For a man, if his waist measurement around the navel is more than 102cm, then that is considered to be obese. For a woman, it is an 89cm or higher waist circumference.

       

What Causes Obesity?

       

Some people are born with a genetic predisposition to gain weight more easily, and this may factor into gaining weight to the extent that they become obese. But the primary factor in obesity is overeating and poor diet choices. Generally speaking, if you consume more calories from food than you burn over the course of a day, you will accumulate these excess calories as fat.

       

When this applies for people over many years, they may become obese if they accumulate a lot of fat based on an excessive caloric intake. A high-calorie diet and a sedentary lifestyle are usually at the root of what causes obesity, but diseases and medical conditions like diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, and Prader-Willis syndrome may also cause obesity. Poor sleep, stress, and a poor gut microbiome may also cause a person to gain weight excessively and possibly become obese.

       

Obesity Symptoms

       

An increase in body weight and girth is always going to be the foremost of obesity symptoms. A person may have less physical stamina when they are carrying this much body weight too and may become exhausted faster and much more easily. Joint pain can be a reality too, and particularly for load-bearing ones like knees and hips. The person may also perspire heavily often because of a higher core body temperature, even when at rest. High blood sugar is more common when a person is obese too, which leads to the potential complications that can also come from being majorly overweight.

       

Obese people are going to be more at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, some cancers, digestive problems, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, or worsened symptoms from a COVID-19 infection.

       

Obesity Treatment

       

Starting on a weight loss program will always be the taken approach for obesity treatment, and for people who are not able to lose sufficient weight through diet and exercise, it may be necessary to start on a prescription weight loss medication like Xenical or Alli (Orlistat). In some cases, a doctor may approve the patient starting a Type 2 diabetes medication like Ozempic or Zepbound that is proven effective with off-label use for weight loss.

       

For others, it is possible that endoscopic procedures for weight loss like an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty or intragastric stomach balloon insertion may be suggested. Weight loss surgeries are also performed on some people who are unable to lose weight while obese. Bariatric surgery can include gastric bypass surgery, but these options are only used if non-surgical approaches to obesity are not working to get the person’s weight down to a healthier level.