Diet in Obesity

Obesity is the major health concern today. It tops the list of major problems that the world has to conquer. The battle with bulge is definitely not an easy one, but proper knowledge about the issue and appropriate measures to combat it will help achieve the weight loss goals.

Obesity can be defined as the generalized accumulation of excess fat in the body.  Overweight is a condition where the body weight is 10-20% greater than the mean standard weight for age, height and gender. Obesity further leads to disability, disease and premature death. Usually obesity is due to positive energy balance i.e. the intake of calories is more than the expenditure of calories.

Obesity results as an interaction between numerous factors such as social, behavioural, psychological, metabolic, cellular and genetic.

Genetic inheritance influences 50-70% a person’s chance of becoming fat more than any other factor. Within families, the chance is 80% if both the parents are obese and 50% if one person is obese.

Obesity can occur in any age in either gender as long as the person is under positive energy balance.

Certain types of eating habits may lead to obesity such as nibbling between meals, eating faster thereby consuming more food, responding to external cues to eat rather than internal cues such as eating according to timings and type of food, business executives who frequently attend business lunches, housewives who do not want leftover foods to be thrown out, people who eat outside more frequently, people who eat more junk food, certain cultural practices of making and distributing sweets on festive occasions, non-inclusion of fruits and vegetables in the diet, people who eat processed, concentrated and high fat food, eating as per mood and eating as per advertisements, supermarkets and restaurant trends.

Obesity is found in persons who lead sedentary lifestyles and pay less importance to physical education.

Self-gratification, self punishment, depression, anxiety and stress may lead to excess calorie intake.

Obesity is found in hypothyroidism, hypogonadism and cushing’s syndrome. It is common during puberty, pregnancy and menopause.

Obesity is common among people from higher socio-economic status as they have the purchasing power and availability of surplus food.

Obesity can be assessed in one of the following ways:

Obesity is graded into the following types:

There are several complications associated with obesity, such as, Physical disabilities like flat feet, osteoarthritis of knee, hips and lumbar spine; metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hyper-insulinemia, excess cholesterol in plasma; high BP, increased incidence of varicose veins; sleep apnea; prone to accidents; gall stones; osteoarthritis; obstetrical risks because of hypertension, diabetes and postpartum infection; psychological disturbances like self blame, withdrawal and feeling of inferiority; low life expectancy and cancers, digestive tract diseases and skin disorders are more prevalent in the obese.

The various treatment methods for obesity are Diet therapy, physical exercise, stress management, pharmacotherapy, weight loss surgery and behavior therapy.

Low calorie, normal protein – vitamin & mineral (except sodium), restricted carbohydrate, restricted fat and liberal fluid, high fibre diet is recommended to manage obesity.

Read wise. Eat Wise. 

Post by Faiz Lahori