Obesity as a cause of many diseases

How common is obesity? How is body fat measured? What about weight-for-height tables? What is the body mass guide (BMI)? Does it matter where protest plump is located? What about herbal fen phen? What about meal substitutes, imitation sweeteners, and OTC products?

The delimitation of obesity varies depending on what one reads, but in general, it is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount body fat. A certain amount of body fat is vital representing storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions. Normally women have 25-30% of body fat expressed as percentage of body fat) and men - 18-23%. All that is more is abnormal and is considered as obesity.

In the United States obesity has reached epidemic proportions. According to statistics one in three Americans is obese. It is also common for other countries all over the world.

Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration; it is a real dilemma directly harmful to one's health. In the United States, roughly 300,000 deaths per year are directly related to obesity, and more than 80% of these deaths are in patients with a BMI (body mass index) over 30. Moreover obesity increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including: Insulin Resistance.

Insulin resistance (IR) is the condition whereby the effectiveness of insulin in transporting glucose (sugar) into cells is diminished. Fat cells are more insulin resistant than muscle cells; consequently, one important cause of IR is obesity. While the pancreas can produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance, the levels of blood glucose remain normal. This IR state (characterized by normal blood glucose levels and high insulin levels) can last long enough, sometimes for years. When the pancreas can no longer keep up with producing high levels of insulin, blood glucose levels begin to rise. This results in type 2 diabetes, thus IR is a pre-diabetes condition.Actually scientists now believe that the atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) associated with diabetes likely develops during this IR period. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases with the degree and duration of obesity.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is common among obese people. A Norwegian study showed that weight gain tended to increase blood pressure in women more significantly than in men. Moreover the risk of developing coronary artery disease increased 3 to 4 times in women who had a BMI greater than 29. A Finnish recite showed that every one kilogram (2.2 pounds) increase in body weight, means the risk of death from coronary artery disease increased by one percent.

While not conclusively proven, some observational studies have linked obesity to cancer of the colon in men and women, cancer of the rectum and prostate in men, and cancer of the gallbladder and uterus in women. Obesity may also be associated with breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women.

So obesity can actually ruin the health of a person, causing a great number of different diseases. One should take much care about his or her weight and be conscious about what they eat.