One of the most common problems associated with current lifestyle is overweight. Obesity or overweight is a major risk factor in the development of many chronic diseases such as heart and respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, as well as premature death. New scientific studies and data from life insurance companies have shown that health risks of excess body fat are associated with small increases in weight and not only with marked obesity.
Obesity and overweight are serious problems that pose a growing financial burden on national resources. Fortunately, the conditions are largely preventable if we introduce appropriate changes in lifestyle…
2. What is obesity and overweight?
Obesity is defined simply as a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in fat tissue (adipose tissue) from the body, which may constitute a serious health hazard. The underlying cause is a positive energy balance, which result in weight gain, ie when the calories consumed exceed calories expended.
So that everybody can easily determine what your weight is, a simple measure of the relationship between weight and height, which is called Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a useful tool which is commonly used by physicians and other health professionals to determine prevalence of weight below normal, overweight and obesity in adults. Is obtained by dividing weight in kilograms of a person between the square of their height in meters (kg/m2). For example, an adult who weighs 70 kg and whose height is 1.75 m will have a BMI of 22.9 kg/m2.
It is considered that overweight and obesity is a BMI equal to or greater than respectively 25 and 30. Normally, it is considered that a BMI is ‘healthy’ is between 18.5 and 24.9, which is “at risk” when it is 25 to 29.9 and “high risk” is less than 30.
BODY MASS INDEX
<18.5 Malnutrition
18.5 to 24.9 normal weight
25 to 29.9 Overweight
Obesity ? 30
Fat distribution: apples and pears
But BMI does not give us information on the total amount of fat, or how the fat is distributed in our body, which is important because excess abdominal fat can have negative health consequences.
One way to determine the distribution of fat is to measure waist circumference. The perimeter of the waist has nothing to do with weight, and is a simple and practical method to identify which people are overweight and therefore increased risk of obesity-related diseases. If the waist circumference is greater than 94-102 cm for men and 80-88 cm in women, it means that there is excess abdominal fat, which can pose a greater risk for health problems, including even if your BMI is normal.
According to what measure the waist circumference, these people are divided into two categories: Those with an android fat distribution (often called a “apple”), which means that most of their body fat is intraabdominal and accumulates in the stomach and chest, and takes it at greater risk of developing obesity-related diseases. And people with a gynoid fat distribution (often called “pear”), which means that most body fat is concentrated in the hips, thighs and buttocks, and assumes that problems may arise mechanical (joints, inner thighs) in extreme cases. Typically, fat distribution in obese men is in the form of “apple” and women as a “pear”.
3. The dynamics of energy balance: the essential
The basic principle of energy balance is:
Changes in energy (fat)
=
energy intake (calories) – energy expenditure
There are several factors that influence overweight and obesity, including genetic predisposition, environmental and behavioral factors, aging, and pregnancy. What is clear is that obesity is not always a result of overindulgence in highly palatable foods or the lack of physical activity. They can influence the biological factors (hormones, genetics), stress, drugs and aging.
Dietary factors and physical activity patterns have a major influence on the energy balance equation, but also considered are the most easily modified. In fact, the characteristics most strongly associated with increased prevalence of obesity worldwide are diets high in fat and excess energy, and sedentary lifestyle. By contrast, weight loss occurs when energy intake is less than energy expenditure over a long period of time. Generally, for sustained weight loss, dietitians recommend a low calorie diet combined with increased physical activity. To learn more about physical activity or healthy eating.
Should be avoided Miracle or wonder diets that drastically restrict calories or the variety of foods that can be consumed as often limiting in important nutrients, and / or difficult to maintain for long periods. Also, do not teach correct eating habits and can become what’s known as yo-yo dieting (losing weight and gaining weight suddenly, as a result of dieting followed overeating). These yo-yo dieting can be dangerous in the long term for both physical and mental health. Individuals should not be too optimistic goals dieting since a loss of 10% over the initial weight will APOT benefits.
4. What are the trends in obesity and overweight?
It now appears that there is clear evidence to suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world, is growing dramatically around the world, and that the problem is increasing in both children and adults.
The most comprehensive data on the prevalence of obesity in the world are the MONICA Project: Monitoring trends and determinants of cardiovascular disease (monitoring of trends and determinants in cardiovascular diseases study). Together with information from national surveys, the data indicate that the prevalence of obesity in most European countries has increased by about 10-40% in the last 10 years, ranging from 10-20% in men and 10-25% in women. The most alarming increase has been observed in Great Britain, where the adults, almost two thirds of men and half of women are overweight and obese.
Between 1995 and 2002, obesity among boys in England and doubled from 2.9 to 5.7% of the population, and among girls increased from 4.9 to 7.8%. One in five boys and one in four girls is overweight or obese. Among men of 16-24 years, obesity increased from 5.7 to 9.3% and among women of the same age increased from 7.7 to 11.6%. The International Obesity Task Force includes the most significant data.
Gynoid fat distribution male, what is obeseTags: fat accumulation, negative health consequences, Obesity, overweight, Gynoid fat distribution male, what is obese