Being overweight and obese are conditions consequent to excessive
fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. In fact, anything that is over
or above accepted norms is not favorable for the body.
It is a
bitter irony that as developing countries continue their efforts to reduce
hunger, some
are also facing the opposing problem of obesity.
"Unfortunately,
food doesn't always get to the people who need it most." Hunger is one
result. Obesity is another. Though data on obesity in the developing world are
limited, preliminary studies indicate that some of the same nutrient
deficiencies in the underfed also afflict the overfed. Two of the most common
are iron deficiency - anemia and vitamin-A deficiency, which continues to cause
widespread blindness in children under five.
In the WHO Region for Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and for
the Americas over 50% of the women were overweight. For all three of these
regions, roughly half of overweight women are obese (23% in Europe, 24% in the
Eastern Mediterranean, 29% in the Americas). In all WHO regions, women were
more likely to be obese than men. In the WHO regions for Africa, Eastern
Mediterranean and South East Asia, women had roughly doubled the obesity
prevalence of men.
Being overweight has become a serious health threat for women
at every stage of life. It is deemed a serious factor in over 30
conditions that effect women. As the prevalence of obesity has grown
significantly, it has become the second largest cause of preventable death in
the United States, following tobacco. Recent research is clarifying the
relationship of obesity to breast cancer. "The percentage of
postmenopausal breast cancer accounted for by weight gain alone was
approximately 16% and by hormone replacement therapy alone was 5% but when the
interaction between these variables was considered, together they accounted for
about one-third of postmenopausal breast cancers."
Excess body fat is related to menstrual abnormality,
infertility, miscarriage and difficulties in performing assisted reproduction.
High pre-pregnancy weight is associated with an increased risk in pregnancy of hypertension,
toxemia, gestational diabetes, urinary infection, macrosomia and cesarean
sections. Obesity was found to be a strong risk factor for several urinary
symptoms after pregnancy and delivery or as long as 6-18 months postpartum. Raised
body mass index (BMI- measure of weight relative to height) also increases the
risk of cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, endometrium, kidney and gall
bladder. The prevalence of raised body mass index increases with income level
of countries up to upper middle income levels.
Obesity affects the psychology of a woman as well. A sense of
inferiority and feebleness gather importance in life. Hence, obesity not only
has physical bearing but also mental and psychological after effects. After
all,
A healthy
mind always resides in a healthy body
To achieve optimum health, the median body mass index for an
adult population should be in the range of 21 to 23 kg/m2, while the
goal for individuals should be to maintain body mass index in the range 18.5 to
24.9 kg/m2. The main treatment for obesity consists of dieting and physical
exercises. Diet programs may produce weight
loss over the short term but maintaining this weight loss is
frequently difficult and often requires making exercise and a lower food energy
diet a permanent part of a person's lifestyle. Weight reduction of even a
kilogram boosts up confidence level. The most effective treatment for obesity
is bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery). Surgery for severe obesity
is associated with long-term weight loss and decreased overall mortality.
Still
it’s always better to opt for prevention than cure.
Written by Dr.
Aakshi Kalra
No comments:
Post a Comment