Obesity

Overview

Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. You calculate this by using the body mass index or BMI. (See below). The 2003 Canadian body weight classification system categorizes BMIs between 25.0 and 29.9 as 'overweight' and associated with increased health risk and a BMI of 30 and over as obese and associated with a high to extremely high risk of developing health problems.

Lifestyles that are fuelled by excessive eating and reduced physical activity have given rise to what the World Health Organization describes as an obesity "epidemic". In Canada 48 per cent of adults are overweight and almost 15 per cent obese. Statistics Canada says almost one-quarter of Canadians who had been overweight in 1994/95 had become obese by 2002/03. On the other hand only half as many about 10% who had been overweight were in the normal weight range eight years later. This translates to more than 1.1 million adult Canadians joining the growing ranks of the obese over the eight year period. Women younger men and members of low-income households were most likely to become obese.

Cause

Problems with your thyroid or a hormonal imbalance can lead to weight gain but this is rare and accounts for less than two per cent of all cases of obesity. Obesity is generally caused by our choice of lifestyle. We all know that if we eat too many calories and exercise too little we will put on weight. That's because excess calories that aren't burned off as energy are stored as fat. So regularly eating foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats combined with a lack of physical activity will inevitably lead to weight gain.

There are other contributing factors:

  • Some people overeat for emotional reasons.
  • If one or both of your parents are obese studies show your chances of being overweight increase by as much as 30 per cent.
  • Your sex also plays a role. Because women have less muscle than men they expend about 20 per cent fewer calories than men do even at rest.
  • Age is another factor. As you get older your muscle mass decreases which in turn slows your metabolism. You'll also likely be less active than when you were younger. If you don't reduce your calorie intake as you age chances are you will gain weight.

Not all fat is dangerous. Fat is needed by your body to store energy and to insulate the body among other things. However an excessive amount of fat and the location of that fat plays a major role in the development of health problems.

Apple-shaped people store body fat around the abdomen and chest surrounding internal organs such as the heart. Pear-shaped people store fat on the hips and thighs just below the surface of the skin.

The good news for pears is that the excess fat they store in the lower body is not necessarily a risk to their health. Apples however have a higher risk for heart disease stroke diabetes high blood pressure and gall bladder disease.

Even when they have similar body weights these diseases progress faster and more seriously in apples than in pears.

Health Risks Associated With Obesity

  • Coronary heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • High blood cholesterol
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Insulin resistance glucose intolerance
  • Angina pectoris
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Stroke
  • Sleep apnea
  • Gallstones
  • Gout
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Some types of cancer (such as endometrial breast prostate and colon)
  • Complications of pregnancy such as; gestational diabetes gestational hypertension and preeclampsia as well as complications in operative delivery (i.e. c-sections).
  • Poor female reproductive health (such as menstrual irregularities infertility irregular ovulation)
  • Bladder control problems (such as stress incontinence)
  • Psychological disorders (such as depression eating disorders distorted body image and low self-esteem).

Symptoms

Obesity is one of the easiest conditions to diagnose because your overall appearance changes with the accumulation of body fat. But there are many other symptoms which occur as a result of the excess weight including:

  • difficulty breathing
  • low back pain
  • fatigue
  • swollen feet and ankles
  • excessive sweating
  • skin disorders

Diagnosis

For adult males obesity is defined as having a body fat content greater than 25% of total body weight. For adult females having a body fat content of 30% or greater is considered obese.

A popular technique for estimating body fat content is derived from one's height and weight. This is called the BMI or body mass index. You calculate your BMI by measuring your body weight in kilograms and then dividing by the square of the height in metres.

Before you continue reading why not calculate your own BMI to see if you are at a healthy weight for your height? Don't worry. We've done the math for you.

While the BMI can be used by most people it does not apply to infants children adolescents pregnant or breastfeeding women endurance athletes highly muscular people or adults over 65 years of age.

Treatment

Depending on how severely obese you are there are a number of treatment options. These include surgery and the use of drugs. Most people can benefit from diet and nutritional counselling.

Talk to your doctor about your weight and any weight-related medical conditions such as high blood pressure high blood cholesterol diabetes and arthritis. These health problems may improve if you are able to lose even a moderate amount of weight approximately five per cent to ten per cent.

Avoid crash dieting. Dropping just one or two pounds a week is the safest way to lose weight and the best way to keep it off. To accomplish this eat moderate amounts of nutrient-rich low-fat low-calorie foods and increase your physical activity.

While 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise is adequate for most people research shows that those who want to lose weight and keep the weight off may need 60 to 90 minutes a day of physical activity. Check out Canada's Physical Activity Guide to see how this can be accomplished in a variety of ways throughout the day.