Control obesity in time to avoid obesity related diseases

Obesity is a medical condition in which you accumulate an excessive amount of body fat. While "overweight" refers to that excessive amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat and water, obesity is a long-term complex problem that is associated with various life threatening conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis and certain types of cancers. Most health care professionals regard men with more than 25% body fat and women with more than 30% body fat as obese. Obesity is also measured in terms of body mass index (BMI).

Symptoms of obesity

One of the major hurdles in obesity treatment is that many of the obesity patients do not realize that they are obese. Even the patients, who are diagnosed as clinically obese, think they are little overweight. If people don't even recognise that they are obese, they'll not make any efforts to control their weight; hence, they are more likely to become a victim to obesity related conditions.

Listed below are some of the symptoms of obesity. If you notice any of the below listed symptoms of obesity try to cut down your weight or else you may be in for many more rude shocks.

Some of the commonly reported symptoms of obesity include:

• Breathlessness
• Excessive sweating
• Snoring
• Sleeping difficulty
• Inability to cope with sudden physical activity
• Fatigue
• Back and joint pains
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease and stroke
• High cholesterol levels
• Breast cancer in women
• Gall bladder disease
• Arthritis of the back, hips, knees and ankles
• Diabetes, and a difficulty in controlling existing diabetes
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Heartburn
• Adult-onset asthma
• Gum disease
• Menstrual irregularities or cessation of menstruation (amenorrhea)
• Decreased fertility and pregnancy complications
• Skin disorders
• Reduced life expectancy
• Having low self-esteem and low confidence levels

Causes of obesity

There can be several causes of obesity. Below are some of the key contributors to obesity.

• Imbalance between calorie intake and calorie output - If you take in more calories than your BMR requirements, the excess calories are converted into excess weight. You must try to create a balance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn during the day through various physical activities. If you take in more calories than you burn, the surplus gets stored in your body as fat.

• Genetic factors - In many cases, people inherit the tendency to gain weight. Experts opine that there may be genes that are directly related to weight gain; these genes also influence your ability to feel full, your metabolism, your fat-storing ability and even your activity levels.

• Environmental factors - Modern lifestyle is a factor where people are more inclined towards leading a sedentary lifestyle and gorging on high calorie junk foods. These foods are available at affordable prices and have an intrinsic tendency to make you fat.

• Certain illnesses and medications - Some illnesses such as Cushing's disease may lead to weight gain. In addition, certain medications like steroids and antidepressants may also cause weight gain.

Obesity treatment

Irrespective of the causes of obesity, you may control your weight by monitoring your calorie intake and increasing your activity levels. Try to eat lighter meals and exercise more frequently. In case, this does not work out you may take the help of obesity treatment medications such as Xenical and Reductil. While Xenical works by inhibiting the absorption of fat, Reductil works as an appetite suppressant medication. If you are unable to control your weight even with the help of medication, your doctor may suggest bariatric surgery to control your weight and thus prevent you from becoming a victim to obesity related conditions.