Today, our planet is home to some 7 billion people, 300 million of whom are obese. When someone is obese, they carry abnormal fat levels on their body. 1 billion people are classed as overweight, which means a third of them are obese, and this number is growing. Some 300,000 people every year die as a result of obesity as well. These are all things that clinics such as http://bariatric.stopobesityforlife.com aim to combat.
Understanding Obesity
Obesity is determined using a number of clinical methods, with the BMI being the most popular one. If someone has a BMI of 30 or higher, they are classed as obese. Other measurement options include the hip-waist ratio, with higher levels being risk factors for obesity. Lastly, fat can be measured using a caliper, which determines how much subcutaneous fat they have.
When people are obese, they are more likely to develop chronic diseases. This includes type 2 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and even certain types of cancer. When we see someone who is obese, they appear to be strong, big, and robust. In reality, however, their life is hanging by a knife’s edge. Because of their excessive weight, many bodily functions, including those of the brain, liver, heart, gall bladder, and kidneys, don’t work properly any more.
Another significant problem with obesity is the impact it has on a person’s psyche. Most people who are obese have limited mobility, which means they enter social isolation. They also often develop low self-esteem, not in the least because of the social stigma. This can be particularly problematic for teens, who need social acceptance in their life.
A Global Solution
In order to truly combat the obesity pandemic, a global response is needed. While it isn’t possible to magically make every obese individual of a healthy weight, the statistics can be improved, albeit slowly. Various health organizations are now providing education to communities to encourage them to eat a healthy diet and take part in fitness regimes. They also discuss the causes and effects of obesity.
It is important to understand that people all over the world start to understand that they must live a healthy lifestyle. While genes and preexisting medical conditions have a role to play, the reality is that the vast majority of people simply eat the wrong things and don’t move enough. At the same time, the consumer market plays its part, as it is so easy, quick, convenient, and cheap to access highly processed, high fat, high sugar foods. This is particularly true for children. Parents should do all they can to ensure their children know about healthy eating.
More and more treatment for obesity is also being developed so that people can decrease the amount of fat that they have. An obvious option is to have surgery, but medication also exist, as do less invasive and life changing procedure. But once that has been completed, people need to commit individually to becoming and remaining healthy at all times.
