- Obesity
- Many may view it as a simple matter, some may view it as merely an unacceptable view or a distortion of the beauty of our bodies, and few may realize its danger yet stand idly by, unable to stop it.
- What is obesity?
- Obesity is an increase in body weight beyond its normal limit as a result of the accumulation of fat in it. This accumulation results from an imbalance between the energy consumed from food and the energy consumed in the body.
- Obesity is a direct cause of many diseases and a cause of the exacerbation of these diseases and other psychological and social problems.
- Obesity and its diseases
- It is now appropriate to learn about the complications of this disease:
- Obesity, heart disease and sudden death
- Did you know that it is rare to find an obese person? This theory may be somewhat fallacious, but it is a general indication for severely obese people of the importance of reducing their weight. Excess weight is an extra burden on the heart and lungs, each of which requires double effort
- Although the relationship between obesity, heart disease, and atherosclerosis is not known, it is a relationship that exists, although this relationship is also related to the nature and type of food that obese people eat, as they tend to eat foods rich in fat or fried foods more than they tend to eat proteins or carbohydrates. Eating such foods raises cholesterol levels. In the blood, this is the number one risk factor for heart disease.
- As for the relationship of obesity to heart disease and sudden death, it depends on the duration of obesity or the person’s age. Some studies have found that continuing obesity for more than 10 years increases the risk of heart disease and sudden death, especially when obesity occurs in childhood or early adolescence.
- Obesity and diabetes
- There is no doubt that there is a strong relationship between obesity and diabetes (non-insulin dependent), but we must not overlook that there are other reasons such as genetics, gender, geographic locations, etc. But what is the relationship between obesity and diabetes?
- Every cell contains substances that receive the hormone insulin, which burns glucose to produce energy. These substances are called insulin receptors. If these receptors are not present or their number is reduced, insulin will not act on this cell and therefore it will not benefit from glucose, so its percentage in the blood will rise. The percentage of these receptors is fixed on a normal fat cell. If the size of the cell increases, as is the case in a normal person, the number of receptors will be small in relation to the area of the large cell. Our advice to every obese person is to reduce their weight, as it is the ideal treatment for diabetics, as reducing weight leads to improving the state of insulin secretion and reception in these patients.
- Obesity and high blood pressure
- Suffice it to say that the rate of high blood pressure among obese people is three times that of normal people, and that reducing weight while reducing salt intake among people with high blood pressure improves their blood pressure by up to 50%.
- Obesity, joints and ligaments
- Obesity also puts an extra burden on the body’s joints and ligaments and this appears in the form of multiple joint pains.
- Obesity and skin
- Obesity increases the amount of folds in the skin, and therefore the skin is vulnerable to fungal and bacterial infections and infections, in addition to intolerance to hot weather.
- Obesity also has psychological damage, represented by its impact on the aesthetic and physical aspects. The obese person is unable to keep up with his peers, especially children, and it has an impact on marital relations and the satisfaction of both husband and wife with the appearance of the other party and the extent of his acceptance of his excessive weight gain.
Nutritionist / Saad Ismail
