Health Hazards Of Obesity
Obesity, a worldwide phenomenon, today has surged to become oneof the most deadly enemies of mankind, afflicting mostly therich and the affluent. Obese in simple terms means excess bodyweight, usually in the absence of an underlying disease...
..., exceptin a small number of cases where the condition originates fromhormonal disturbances. The terms overweight and obese are used synonymously by thecommoner; however, there is some difference at the clinicallevel. A person can be considered overweight if his body weightis 10-19 per cent more than the normal or ideal body weight.However, when the body weight of a person is 20 per cent or morethan his ideal body weight, he is considered obese. As we haveseen previously, the ideal body weight for a person depends onhis height, sex, age and body frame. Thus, obesity is a condition of excess body weight and isusually the result of excess accumulation of fat in the body.When energy intake is persistently greater than energyexpenditure, the result is gradual accumulation of fat depositsin the adipose tissue depots. Obesity does not happen in a dayor a week. It is a gradual process taking place at snails pacewhen the individual constantly maintains a positive energybalance. A positive energy balance is usually the result ofexcessive energy intake. High calorie and high fat foods pamper our taste buds to anextent that most individuals find it difficult to refrain fromthem in spite of being aware of their nutrient composition. Theignorant certainly cannot be blamed. The other major culprit is modern urban life mechanisation anddependence on different tools has made life easy andincreasingly sedentary. This has lead to the lowering ofactivity levels, of daily energy expenditure and thus of ourtotal daily caloric needs. Increased calorie intake due toconsumption of processed foods and decreased activity levelshave together taken a toll, increasing the prevalence ofobesity. Sometimes, of course obesity may also be the result ofan interplay of hormones. Obesity jeopardizes an individuals health in more ways than one.It imperils both body and mind of an obese individual. An obeseindividuals distorted body shape and appearance can be a sourceboth of humiliation and discomfort. Many obese people complainof pain in the joints and may develop arthritis (osteoarthritis)because they have overburdened their knees and joints with theirexcess body weight. This is the most obvious health hazard thatobesity invokes. Obesity has been associated with a wide range of healthproblems. It contributes to increasing levels of lipids (fat)and cholesterol in the blood (hyperlipidemia andhypercholesterolemia respectively), leading to narrowing ofblood vessels due to deposition of fatty materials in coronaryarteries (atherosclerosis). This in turn causes the bloodpressure levels to soar (hypertension) and increases the risk ofheart attack (myocardial infarction) and strokes. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes because it increasesinsulin resistance leading to glucose intolerance. Weightreduction helps many diabetic patients in controlling theirdiabetes. Obesity can also lead to pregnancy related andsurgical complications. Obese individuals are also more likelyto develop cancer. Certain cancers such as cancers of the gallbladder, endometrium, ovary, breasts and cervix in women, andcancers of the colon and prostate in men have been associatedwith excess body weight. Extreme obesity can also cause respiratory insufficiency(hypoventilation) and may even result in sudden death duringsleep. Thus, because of its association with several diseases,obesity decreases life expectancy.
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