Obesity is considered as one of the most serious illnesses in the world today. The body mass index (BMI) is a means of determining a person’s body weight based on his height. An adult is considered pre-obese or overweight if his body mass index is between 25 kg/m 2 and 30 kg/m 2 and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m 2.
Body fat is not measured by body mass index; instead, it only correlates with the amount of body fat found in the body. Body fat is measured by skinfold thickness and waist circumference, calculation of waist-to-hip circumference ratios, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fats are accumulated. It is a condition so serious that it poses a high risk of developing other chronic conditions. Obese patients have a higher chance of getting diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, to name a few.
There are three main causes of obesity, namely diet, sedentary lifestyle or lack of physical activity and genetics. It can also be caused by medical reasons such as psychiatric illness. Aside from these, a recent review stated 10 more factors that contribute to the increase in the prevalence of obesity. It includes insufficient or lack of sleep, endocrine disruptors (environment pollutants), decreased variability in ambient temperature, smoking, increased use of medications that result in weight gain, proportional increase in ethnic and age groups that tend to be heavier, pregnancy at a later age, epigenetic risk factors, natural selection for higher BMI and assortative mating.
We are living in a fast-paced world nowadays, and more and more people tend to rely on fast-food, energy-dense and large portions of food to maintain their busy lifestyle. They no longer have the time to prepare nutritious and balanced food diets and they do not care about the number of calories they take in a day. Unhealthy food choices largely contribute to the increase in the development of obesity worldwide. You should burn more calories and not take more. Moreover, some people who are not health-conscious tend to overeat which results in being overweight.
Aside from food, lack of physical energy or a sedentary lifestyle is another factor. Instead of burning your fats by exercising, you are only letting it accumulate inside your body by doing nothing.
It is also said that genetics play a big role in the development of obesity. This is because your genes affect the hormones that are used in regulating your fats. If one or both parents are obese, it is more likely that their children will grow obese as well.
While some relate genetics, overeating, a diet high in simple carbohydrates, slow metabolism, sedentary lifestyle, medications, psychological factors and diseases to be the causes of obesity, it can be prevented and treated by following a healthy diet and being physically active.
More information on obesity can be found on food medicine