What Is Obesity?
According to a 2016 study by the World Health Organization, 1.6 billion adults aged 18 years old and older, were found to be overweight. 650 million of this total number were found to be obese. What, you may ask, is obesity? Obesity is defined as the excessive accumulation of fat in the body. Due to this abnormal increase of fat in the body, it poses as a serious health risk to the person afflicted with being overweight or obese.
What qualifies as being overweight or obese? The World Health Organization qualifies the difference of what makes one overweight or obese in adults and in children. For an adult to be considered as overweight, their body mass index or BMI must be greater or equal to 25. For those considered to be obese, their BMI must be greater than or equal to 30.
For children, however, their age must be taken into consideration. For children under the age of 5 years old, one is overweight, if the weight-for-height is greater than 2 standard deviations above WHO Child Growth Standards median. A child under 5 years of age is considered as obese, if the weight-for-height is greater than 3 standard deviations above the WHO Child Growth Standards median. For children between 5 to 19 years of age, one is considered as overweight, if the BMI-for-age is greater than 1 standard deviation above the WHO Growth Reference median. A child between 5 to 19 years of age, on the other hand, is considered as obese if the BMI-for-age is greater than 2 standard deviations above the WHO Growth Reference median.
5 Causes Of Obesity
One’s resulting body weight is caused by a variety of factors, such as but not limited to one’s behavior, culture, environment, genetics, and metabolism. Often, the lack of any physical activity leads to accumulation of body fat as fewer calories are being burned. One’s lifestyle, such as excessive and frequent eating, is another such cause of obesity. This becomes evident when one is consuming more than the required number of calories and eating certain types of food such as those high in fat or sugar. Genetics also plays a role in obesity, such as leptin deficiency. Leptin deficiency is defined as the lack of the hormone that signals the brain to consume food less. Medication and psychological factors also affect one’s significant weight gain. This can be seen when one is stress eating. Another cause of obesity are diseases or other medical conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome. Social issues also play a factor in weight gain. The lack of access to healthy food options can cause obesity, as well.
Other Health Risks That Come With Obesity
Obesity should not be taken lightly. The accumulation of fat in one’s body can pose as a serious health risk, and can further cause other complications down the road. Obesity is linked to a number of other diseases and medical conditions. Other health risks associated with obesity are hypertension, diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea, cancer, and mental illness. Obesity can also ultimately be the cause of one’s death. As such, it is best to get treated and start your life style change journey. Consult with a medical expert on how you can prevent obesity. Davtyan Medical Weight Loss and Wellness, located in Los Angeles, CA, can help you with a variety of procedures that they offer. For more information, visit their website today!
Ways To Prevent Obesity
Obesity may pose as a serious health risk, but it can be prevented and treated starting with the basics. Exercise and having a balanced diet are still first and foremost the most effective ways in preventing obesity. As much as you can, avoid eating processed food such as those high in fat, salt, and sugar. You can start your road to healthy living by limiting your chips and soda intake. It is also recommended to increase your physical activities, as living a sedentary lifestyle does not help you in living a healthy life. Try jogging, brisk walking, or aerobics to get started! You can slowly get into the groove and try going to the gym once you get the hang of being into physical activities. Living a healthy life is not just limited to exercise and eating well. It is also important that you value a good night’s sleep. Lack of sleep causes unbalance with your hormones, which leads you to become hungrier than usual and in turn consume more calories than needed. It is also important that you get the proper medical advise to prevent obesity. Dr. Davtyan is the leading weight loss surgeon in Los Angeles, CA with over 30 years of experience. Don’t hesitate to contact him for any queries, or visit Davtyan Medical Weight Loss and Wellness for your concerns.
How Do You Treat Obesity If You Are Diagnosed With It?
Obesity can be treated. There are a number of recommendations that you can do to get back on the road to being healthy. One is to undergo dietary changes such as taking into careful consideration what you consume. Another is to start changing your physical activities into a more active lifestyle to boost your metabolism and burn calories. Weight-loss medication and hormonal treatment can also be viable options for you. Surgery is also considered to be another procedure that you can do to treat obesity. Davtyan Medical Weight Loss and Wellness offers weight loss treatments that are suitable for you. Some of the services that they offer are lap band surgery, gastric balloon, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, bariatric revision, and a lot more. Visit their website for more information or book a consultation with Dr. Davtyan today to start your weight loss journey.
Posted on behalf of Dr. David G. Davtyan MD, FACS, FICS
