OBESITYOBESITY

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORSCAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

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MARIA MASOODMARIA MASOOD

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

DEFIDEFINITIONNITION

Obesity can be defined as a condition of abnormal orexcessive fat accumulation in the adipose tissue, to the extent that health may be impaired (WHO1998)

Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height.

The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

"Today, in the developed world, the incidence of obesity is

rising and there are now as many obese people in the

world as there are people suffering from hunger."  

The World Health Organization has estimated that

worldwide, over one billion adults are overweight, with at

least 300 million of them being obese.

HOWHOW COMMON IS OBESITY COMMON IS OBESITY

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

CACAUSESUSES

•The balance between calorie intake and energy expenditure determines a person's weight.

• If a person eats more calories than he or she burns, the person gains weight (the body will store the excess energy as fat).

• If a person eats fewer calories than he or she burns, he or she will lose weight.

•Therefore the most common causes of obesity are overeating and physical inactivity.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK RISK FACTORSFACTORS

1. GENETICS

• A person is more likely to develop obesity if one or both parents are obese.

• Genetics also affect hormones involved in fat regulation. For example, one genetic cause of obesity is leptin deficiency.

• Leptin is a hormone produced in fat cells, and also in the placenta. Leptin controls weight by signaling the brain to eat less when body fat stores are too high.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK RISK FACTORSFACTORS

2. OVEREATING• Overeating leads to weight gain, especially if the diet is

high in fat.

• Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g., fast food, fried food and sweets,) have high energy density (foods that have a lot of calories in small amount of food).

3. DIET RICH IN SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES• simple carbohydrates contribute to weight gain

• they are more rapidly absorbed into the blood stream than complex carbohydrates

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK RISK FACTORSFACTORS

•cause a more pronounced insulin release after meals than complex carbohydrates.

•This higher insulin release, some scientists believe, contribute to weight gain.

3. FREQUENCY OF EATING

•Eating 4/5 small meals is more beneficial than 2/3 large meals

4. SLOW METABOLISM

•decrease muscle mass tends to slow metabolism since muscles burn more calories as compared to other tissues

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK RISK FACTORSFACTORS

5. PHYSICAL INACTIVITY•Sedentary people burn fewer calories than people who are active

6. MEDICATION•Anti-depressants•Anti-convulsants- carbamazepines•Anti-diabetics- insulin, sulphonylureas•Hormones- oral contraceptives•Corticosteroids- prednisone•Anti-histamines

7. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS• stress, depression, boredom, sadness or anger

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK RISK FACTORSFACTORS

8. DISEASES

• Hypothyroidism, Polycystic ovaries, Insulin resistance, Cushing syndrome.

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