Key points:
- Detecting the factors that predispose us to obesity is very important to take control of our habits.
- Losing weight should be viewed as a health exercise with multiple long-term benefits.
- Avoiding fatphobia is also key to stopping pointing fingers at people who are overweight or obese.
Although for many years we were taught that being thin is the only thing socially accepted, it is necessary to review this concept since for some people not being thin is a reason for discrimination and even ridicule.
Obesity must be addressed from a health perspective and not from an aesthetic point of view that lowers people’s self-esteem, making it more difficult to lose weight.
Numerous conditions can worsen not only due to obesity but also because of each person’s lifestyle. However, people who are overweight or obese have shown a greater predisposition to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer.
In general, obesity is the result of social, physiological, and environmental factors, combined with the type of diet and lack of physical activity. The latter under the belief that people who start exercising should achieve perfect bodies and follow rigorous diets, when, on the contrary, it is about eating a healthy balanced diet accompanied by physical activity or exercise without necessarily going to the gym for many hours.
An example of how obesity has escalated among people is the pandemic, where many people increased their sedentary lifestyle by having fewer physical demands, which is why the number of calories they burned was not the same as they probably would spend on a day’s commute to work.
Although, it must be emphasized that, even before the pandemic, “conveniences” such as escalators, online commerce, and delivery services have led the population to reduce the number of steps per day that previously kept their body moving.
In this way, the causes that lead us to develop obesity are infinite, even stress can be a conditioning factor by altering our metabolism, however, there are important conditions that we must pay attention to:
Stroke: cerebral vascular disease (CVD) refers to all those cerebral alterations of vascular origin. Its acute manifestation is known by the term STROKE – it means “blow” in Latin – because it is usually sudden. Having high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels are risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
Type 2 diabetes: obesity can affect the way the body uses insulin to control blood sugar levels, increasing the chance of developing diabetes.
Certain cancers: Obesity can increase the risk of uterine, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, breast, colon, rectal, esophageal, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, and prostate cancer.
Digestive problems: this contributes to the development of heartburn, gallbladder disease, and liver problems.
Sleep apnea: is a potentially serious disorder in which breathing stops and starts repeatedly during sleep.
Osteoarthritis: due to the pressure exerted on the joints, the inflammation of the body increases, worsening the osteoarthritis episodes.
Severe COVID-19 symptoms: people with severe COVID-19 symptoms may require treatment in intensive care units or even mechanical assistance with breathing.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding commenting on other people’s bodies will make us more empathetic and aware of this condition, helping those who suffer from it instead of judging.
At ABC Medical Center’s Nutrition & Obesity Center, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!
Fuentes:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/es/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742
https://observateperu.ins.gob.pe/noticias/322-asi-aumenta-el-estres-el-riesgo-de-obesidad-y-diabetes#:~:text=El%20estr%C3%A9s%20diario%2C%20junto%20con,en%20Brighton%20(Reino%20Unido).
