Understanding Obesity: How Obesity affects day to day life and how to get healthier

It is said that obesity is the root cause of all the problems in your body and it is absolutely true. From chronic laziness to severe health scare such as heart attack or cardiac arrest, obesity could be behind your bodily problems. according to NIH, 12% of people are at risk of heart attack and there’s a 24% of increased risk of stroke due to obesity. These risks has been seen in young and old people alike.

Did you Know?

AS OF 2022, ACCORDING TO WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO), MORE THEN A BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE SUFFERING FROM OBESITY.

North America has the highest number of people suffering from obesity with 42% of US adults being obese (CDC data).

What causes obesity?

There are several factors that causes obesity, these factors are:

1 Poor diet:

Many people around the world rely on junk or fast food. People are not getting the proper nutrition that a human body should get from a balanced and nutrition diet. These junk food contains an insane amount of fats and are cooked with mostly unhealthy oil. Regular consumption of junk food with lots of fat leads to obesity.

2 Urban lifestyle:

In todays world, most people live a life glamourized by TV shows and movies that’s actually far from the glitz. People work in corporate for more then 12 hours a day. They barely have time to take care of themselves which leads to our next point.

3 Depression:

The fast paced lifestyle have caused many to live in a constant state of depression. Depression is a huge cause of obesity as it can lead to stress eating.

MYTH AND TRUTH ABOUT OBESITY:

MYTH: PEOPLE ARE OBESE DUE TO THERE LACK OF WILL POWER AND LAZYNESS.

TRUTH: WHILE WHILE LIFESTYLE CHOICES PLAYS A SEGNIFICANT ROLE, OBESITY IS A CONDITION INFLUNCED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC FACTORS.

OVEREATING AND LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES ARE NOT ALWAYS THE ONLY CAUSE OF GAINING WEIGHT. SOMETIMES, THERE ARE FACTORS SUCH AS HARMONAL IMBALANCE, SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDICATION SUCH AS ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND GENETICS PLAYS A HUGE ROLE IN GAINING WEIGHT.

EFFECTS OF OBESITY:

EFFECTS ON HEALTH:

Obesity have several negative effect on health such as:

• Heart disease.
• Hypertension.
• Diabetes.

MENTAL HEALTH:

• Isolation.
• Depression.
• low self-steam

NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON SOCIAL LIFE:

• Discrimination: People who are obese tend to face more Unfair treatment at work, in society and unfortunately, sometimes even at home. There love life is nearly non-existent, They are made fun of by there own friends and family. Things like these leads to isolation which ultimately there mental health declines.

INCREASE IN HEALTHCARE COST:

• Health condition led by obesity can lead to huge burden financially.

REMEDIES:

A healthy diet can bring positive changes to the body. Include lea protein, healthy fats, veggies and fruits in your diet.

Monitor and reduce calorie intake everyday.

Avoid processed food:

Stop stress eating. Get therapy if necessary and address food craving.

Regular Exercises and yoga:

• Daily workout helps in maintaining a good shape and healthy body. It helps reducing calories. Do cardio, Hiit or just go for running for at least 15 minutes. The bottom-line is you need to get off from that couch and move.

Healthy lifestyle:

• Adopting healthy lifestyle such as including balanced diet, exercise or yoga can help preventing inflammation.

Medicines:

There are medically approved weight loss medication that can help in loosing weight on a greater extent. However these medicines should be taken under the prescriptions of a doctor. Orlistat is one such medication that prevents the body from absorbing the fats..

What is Orlistat and how it works?

Orlistat is a weight loss medication which is sold under various brand names in the market such as Xenical and Obelit.

Orlistat is a lipase inhibitor. Lipase is an enzyme that breaks down the fats from food to be absorbed in the intestine. Orlistat blocks lipase and stops 25–30 % of fat from being absorbed.

Here’s how Orlistat works:

• Inhibition of Lipase Enzymes:
• Orlistat blocks the action of lipase which is an enzyme produced by the pancreas and stomach.
• Lipase breaks down dietary fats into smaller molecules that are absorbed by the intestines.
• Reduction of Fat Absorption: Orlistat inhibits lipase, which makes fats from food remain undigested and are excreted through the stool.
• 25–30% of the fat consumed is prevented from being absorbed.
• Targeted Effect: Orlistat acts locally in the gastrointestinal tract and is minimally absorbed into the bloodstream, reducing systemic side effects.

Conclusion:

It is extremely important to maintain a healthy body weight by eating good and living a good well balanced life overall. It’s important to do a good amount of physical activity and consume a balanced diet. These doesn’t just help the body but also helps to have a clear and happy mind.

Obesity can be cured and is a preventable health challenge which requires a right approach. Obesity can be a serious threat to physical and mental well-being, contributing to conditions like diabetes and heart disease. It can limit mobility and cause a huge problem in day to day life.

With lifestyle changes, such as balanced diet and regular exercise, medications like Orlistat can play a supportive role.