Many people have huge concerns regarding Obesity, particularly a cosmetic or lifestyle, but, really - the actual concern should have to be the health problems it makes an individual prone to. In a nutshell - being obese means you are most likely to have complicated health problems. Therefore, take obesity as a very serious health concern, otherwise your life would be at stake.
Fat is usually not bad as long as it remains in healthy proportions, but once it crosses that barrier and surpasses abnormally high and unhealthy proportions and makes your body really heavy - that should be considered as the cause for concern. In other words abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat, which is usually considered as overweight or obese condition - in real terms, is immensely harmful and if left unchecked creates havoc inside your body by silently fueling several very complicated and high-risk health conditions. Therefore, obesity is nothing but a complex disorder associated with several complex issues.
Facts and Figures about Overweight
Obesity is one of the leading risks for global deaths. According to WHO, around 3.4 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. WHO's global estimates reports around 2 billion adults as obese. Overall estimates projects that more than 10% of the global adult population is obese.
What causes Obesity and Overweight?
The prime factor of obesity is energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories spent; in other words, eating too many calories and not spending much (not getting enough physical activity). If you take the prevailing scenario across the globe, you can find an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat, and then lack of physical activity as a result of increasing sedentary nature of work. In addition to this, body weight can be the result of environment, culture, socio-economic status, genes, behavior as well.
Diseases and Drugs
Sometimes medical conditions and drugs may lead to obesity. The drugs like antidepressants and steroids may make an individual gain weight. The health conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome and Cushing's disease may also cause obesity.
Health Risks Associated with Obesity
If you know the complicated risks that obesity carries, you would never allow yourself to grow fat. If you are obese, remember the following risks are always associated with obese people:
By increasing the risk of esophageal, uterus, breast, colon, kidney, pancreas, gallbladder, thyroid and other types of cancers, obesity endangers your life.
Obesity makes you prone to high blood pressure (Hypertension), diabetes, coronary artery disease and other chronic diseases.
The other health problems that are associated with obesity include liver & gallbladder disease, respiratory problems & sleep Apnea, high cholesterol levels & high levels of triglycerides, Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility), Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
How to Prevent Obesity?
To prevent obesity, your purpose should be to maintain ideal weight or else, if you are obese, then you should diligently follow the following steps, which are equally beneficial for maintaining ideal weight and reducing weight.
- Avoid fat-rich and sugar-rich foods
- Eat foods that are low in fats
- Avoid stress, boredom and frustration
- Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink
- Avoid a sedentary lifestyle by increasing your activity level
- Increase physical activity and avoid sedentary lifestyle
- Perform aerobic exercise
- Don't use lifts, escalator, rather use stairs
- Know the differences between bad fats and good fats and also bad carbohydrates. Minimize consumption of fast food and snack foods.
A doctor is the best source to tell you whether illnesses, medications, or psychological factors are contributing to weight gain or making weight loss hard. Always talk to your health care provider before starting any exercise program for weight loss.
Are you aware of the Hidden ingredient that you consume frequently, but unaware of the fact that it fuels Obesity, Let us find out what it is:
This ingredient is the prominent cause of ultra-modern obesity epidemic and manufacturers have begun to use it instead of other old-fashioned sweetening agent because it is sweeter than the old-fashioned sweetener, has longer shelf life, it is cheaper, it contains 14% more sweetening power and mixes well with other foods as well. The hidden ingredient is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). It contains excess fructose, which is metabolically disruptive, not good for your liver. It behaves more like fat in the body rather than sugar and gradually fuels obesity.
It has become the major sweetener in jams, ketchup, salad dressings, processed foods, ice-creams, jellies, bread.
