Obesity Affects Our Brain

For humans, the brain is a very important part. Because this organ is the central nervous system regulator. What would happen if something bad happens in our brains? I don’t want to say about it here, just think about it.

Many things that can damage or reduce the ability of our brain. This time I will discuss only one cause, namely obesity.

"The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthy counterparts while [those of] overweight people looked eight years older," said UCLA neuroscientist Paul Thompson, senior author of a study published online in Human Brain Mapping via Health.com.

This will add an additional point in a long list of health consequences that must be borne by the people who are obese.

Being overweight or obese was associated with lower levels of biochemical markers of brain health, particularly in brain tissue involved in thinking and perception, according to a study of 50 otherwise healthy middle-aged adults conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Just another proof

The researchers also informed that the brain tissue was lost in key areas that included;

• Frontal and temporal lobes: Critical for planning and memory
• Hippocampus: Important for long-term memory
• Anterior cingulate gyrus: Responsible for executive functions and attention
• Basal ganglia: Essential for proper movement and coordination

If people who are obese are lucky enough to live long, maybe they will suffer permanent amnesia. Horrible things.

So I remind all of you to do all the way (the natural way of course) to fight obesity.

Junk food and Obesity

In the United States, over 60 percent of adults are overweight, and one-quarter are classified as obese. These figures represent an increase by over 50 percent in the last ten years alone. Approximately 48 percent of Canadian adults carry excess poundage and 15 percent are obese, according to the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey.

Who's to blame? Junk food and Mcdonald as a leading company? I think the answer is WE ARE. Because we choose what we eat and we are getting more lazy and does not focus on our own health.

While I agreed in principle that unhealthy foods contributing to our obesity, we need to look at the root of the problem and not blame on the other people for our overweight. Point your finger at the food manufacturers will not help you to find the real reasons.


What’s wrong with Junk Food?
Processed food and Fast foods are tends to be high in calories from sugar, saturated fat and salt but very low in nutritional value.

By eating too much junk food you are starving your body of essential vitamins and minerals and giving it too much sugar, salt, additives and saturated animal fats.

Saturated fat contributes to build up and deposits in your arteries and may lead to a heart attack or stroke. The high levels of salt can raise your blood pressure, the sugar can contribute to the development of diabetes.

Meals consisting of junk food don’t fill you up for long. Because they are lacking in fiber, and are made of processed foods, they tend to rate high on the glycaemic index, which means they provide a quick rise in blood sugar, but this also falls quickly, and giving rise to hunger.

Super size meal packets can contain more calories than the average person should consume in an entire day. Our bodies store all the excess calories as fat, and you gain weight.

Unfortunately, this food is usually convenient, tasty, and extremely addictive.

If we want to lose weight, just don’t buy the junk food or reserve them as a special treat ( for your families and yourself ).

Is the baby getting too fat?

With today's focus the obesity problem, peoples are starting to ask if a little baby
fat showed that infants were getting enough of the right nutrients or maybe there is problem with his/her health.
Is the baby growing properly? Is the baby getting too fat? How do you know between overweight and healthy/normal growth?

One doctor at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia believes that the problem of obesity starts as early as the first few months of our life. He has been combing through records of thousands of babies born in the early 1960s and has found that the amount of weight that children gain in the first four months of life is linked to childhood obesity at age 7, regardless of birth weight or if they were overweight at a year old.

“You can't predict overweight in kids in the first six months," says Frank Greer, professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin and chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on nutrition. "We don't want mothers calorie-counting." So if the baby looks fat doesn't mean that he needs to go on a diet. Furthermore, putting a baby on a diet would be dangerous. Because cells, especially those that surround budding brain cells, need fat to support and nurture them. As long as your baby is gaining both height and weight, weight gain shouldn't be a problem.

If your child's weight begins to increase faster than her height, though, you should immediately discuss it with your baby's doctor.
The doctor will compare your child's height and weight with standardized norms for children in the same sex and age. The doctor will also look at your child's weight in relation to his/her height on the growth chart.

Until you get a professional opinion about your infant's growth, don't make any changes to his diet. You need the expert to know the difference between normal and overweight.
Be aware about medical consequences for childhood with obesity.

Childhood obesity: Medical Consequences

Because of the dangers associated with childhood obesity, early intervention and family support is critical.

Childhood obesity is associated with a variety of adverse effects on psychosocial function, skeletal growth, and cardiovascular risk factors. Although several periods in childhood appear critical for the development of obesity, it is not yet clear whether these periods are also associated with an increased risk for the complications of obesity in either childhood or adulthood.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES
The psychosocial consequences of obesity are among the most widespread adverse effects of the disease. Children in kindergarten have already learned to associate obesity with a variety of less desirable traits, and rank obese children as those they like the least.
College acceptance rates for obese adolescent girls are lower than those for nonoverweight girls of comparable academic background. Adult women who are obese as adolescents or young adults earn less, more frequently remain unmarried, complete fewer years of school, and have higher rates of poverty than their nonobese peers.
Few of these effects occur among obese men. These results persist when controlled for the income and educational level of the young women’s parents, their IQ, or their self-esteem at baseline. The social effects of obesity in young adult women therefore appear related to an extension of the discrimination that begins in early childhood

SKELETAL GROWTH AND MATURATION
Obesity has multiple effects on growth and function in children and adolescents. For example, obese children tend to be taller, their bone ages are advanced, their fat-free mass is increased, and menarche in girls occurs earlier than in the non obese.
The origin of these effects is unclear. Increased height, advanced bone age, and earlier menarche may reflect the auxotrophic effects of increased food intake, whereas the increase in fat-free mass may result from both the increased muscle mass to support the increased weight and the nuclear mass of adipocytes. Because of their larger size, overweight children are frequently perceived and treated as older than they are, much to their confusion.
Furthermore, the increased stress of weight may cause bowing of the tibia (Blount’s disease) or femur and predispose young children to slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS
As in adults, obesity affects blood pressure, lipid levels, and glucose tolerance in children and adolescents. Sixty percent of overweight children as young as 5–10 years of age have at least one of these cardiovascular disease risk factors, and more than 20% have two or more.
Obesity appears to be the leading cause of hypertension in children. Lipid profiles are similar to those in adults: low density lipoprotein levels are increased, and high density lipoprotein levels are low.
Increased rates of type 2 diabetes have followed the rapid increases in the prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity. In some settings, type 2 diabetes now accounts for 30–40% of all new cases of diabetes. Although the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the general population is low (0.5%), among some Native American groups the prevalence is close to 5%. Pediatric cases of type 2 diabetes generally occur among those 10–19 years of age, with a positive family history of type 2 diabetes, and more frequently among obese females or individuals with acanthosis nigricans.
At presentation, cases of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents may resemble type 1 diabetes, suggesting that the actual prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be somewhat higher than it currently appears.
The most important factor related to the likelihood of obesity-associated hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and glucose intolerance in adults appears to be visceral fat. The few studies of adolescents that have controlled for total body fat have demonstrated an independent association of visceral fat, with unfavorable levels of systolic blood pressure and low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

PSEUDOTUMOR CEREBRI, SLEEP APNEA,
HEPATIC STEATOSIS, AND POLYCYSTIC OVARY DISEASE
Two of the most malignant consequences of childhood onset obesity are pseudotumor cerebri and sleep apnea. Obesity accounts for a significant proportion of pseudotumor cerebri, although the mechanism remains unclear.
The diagnosis is established by a history of headaches and the presence of papilledema. The most important sign of sleep apnea is daytime somnolence. Apnea is rarely mentioned spontaneously by parents, despite their apprehension and clear recognition of the difficulty that their child has breathing at night. If the tonsils are enlarged, a tonsillectomy may cure sleep apnea.
However, either unremitting sleep apnea or pseudotumor warrant the aggressive use of a restrictive hypocaloric diet in conjunction with vigorous family therapy.
Recent data from several studies indicate that 5–10% of overweight children and adolescents have modestly elevated liver enzymes. Ultrasound studies of these patients demonstrate increased hepatic fat deposition. Liver biopsies in severe cases have demonstrated steatohepatitis. Alcohol use appears to increase the likelihood of these changes.
Liver enzymes normalize with weight reduction. As in adults, polycystic ovary disease (PCOD) in adolescents is associated with obesity. The pathophysiology of PCOD is complicated; hyperinsulinemia is frequently associated with the syndrome, and hyperandrogenemia may contribute to increased fat-free mass and a male distribution of body fat.

EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY
ON PERSISTENCE INTO ADULTHOOD
The likelihood that obesity present during childhood will persist into adulthood rises with the age of the child, independent of the effect of parental obesity. Several studies have indicated that approximately 70% of overweight adolescents become obese adults. Age-of-onset effects of obesity in childhood or adolescence on either the severity or complications of adult obesity remain uncertain.
Obesity in adolescence appears to entrain a variety of morbid consequences. For example, in a cohort of adults originally studied from the time of their enrollment in elementary school through high school, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates were higher among men who were obese in high school, but not among women. The risk of diabetes and subsequent atherosclerosis was greater among both men and women who were obese during high school. Except for diabetes, the risk of death or subsequent morbidity was only modestly attenuated when controlled for the effect of adolescent obesity on adult weight. These results suggested that the effect of adolescent obesity on adult morbidity and mortality was not mediated by the effect of adolescent obesity on adult obesity. Either adolescent obesity had a direct impact on adult morbidity and mortality,or a third factor predisposed individuals to both adolescent obesity and adult disease.
Body fat distribution may represent the mechanism whereby obesity present in adolescence affects morbidity and mortality. Body fat distribution is more strongly centralized in adolescent males than in adolescent females. Therefore, one possibility is that the regionalization of fatness that occurs in obese adolescent males may increase the risk of later complications of obesity.


Based on book : EATING DISORDERS AND OBESITY Edited by Christopher G. Fairburn and Kelly D. Brownell

Obesity : Medical Complications for Adults

Obesity is of public health concern because of its association with serious medical complications that lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Being overweight is a problem in the United States. A third of all adult Americans are overweight.

If you are overweight, you are at high risk for obesity. And even if you don’t become obese, you are at a higher risk than a person with a healthy weight.

The most common complications associated with obesity are insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, gallstones and cholecystitis, respiratory dysfunction, and increased incidence of certain cancers.

DIABETES MELLITUS
There is a strong positive correlation between the average weight in a population and the presence of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. In a male population divided into groups with BMIs of 25.0 to 26.9, 29 to 30, and greater than 35, the risk for diabetes (compared to a population with BMIs less than 21) increases 2.2-, 6.7-, and 42- fold, respectively.

The severity of the obesity is a determinant, as is the length of time obesity has been present. The pathogenesis of the diabetes is related to the insulin resistance caused by the obesity, which tends to increase in severity as BMI rises.

HYPERTENSION
About one-third of all obese persons are hypertensive. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that for every 10-kilogram rise in body weight over normal, there is an average increase of 3 mm Hg in systolic and 2 mm Hg in diastolic pressure.
The longer the duration of obesity, the greater the risk of developing hypertension. Using data from the U.S. National Health Examination II Survey (in which obesity was defined as a weight for height above the 85th percentile of that of men and women in the third decade of life), the prevalence of hypertension in persons 20% or more overweight was twice that of persons of normal weight.

STROKE
Directly linked to the increased prevalence of hypertension in obese persons is an increased risk of stroke. In the Framingham Heart Study, for instance, there was a steeply rising curve of stroke with increasing weight.
For example, in the male group under 50 years of age, the risk of stroke rose from 22 to 30 to 49 per thousand as relative weights rose from 110% to 129% to higher than 130%, respectively.

DYSLIPIDEMIA
Obesity is associated with three particular abnormalities of circulating lipids:
1. Elevation of triglyceride levels,
2, Depression of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and
3. Increased presence of small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Coronary heart disease is usually described epidemiologically as cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes angina pectoris, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and sudden death. These conditions occur more frequently in obese persons.

GALLBLADDER DISEASE
A number of changes that occur with obesity predispose an individual to gallstone formation. As cholesterol excretion from the liver increases, the bile becomes supersaturated with cholesterol.
Also, the motility of the gallbladder decreases, so that the sac is emptied much less efficiently. Whether this condition is due to a decreased sensitivity to the cholecystokinin released with each meal is unclear. The net effect is to increase the formation of predominantly cholesterol-containing stones.
These stones enhance the propensity to gallbladder inflammation, so that acute and chronic cholecystitis is much more common in obese persons. The incidence of this condition is higher in women than in men, partly because the prevalence of obesity is higher in women, but there may be other, as yet undiscovered reasons.
The need for surgery to remove diseased gallbladders is much more common in obese persons, and more so in women than in men.

RESPIRATORY DISEASE
The increased weight of the chest in obese persons leads to poor respiratory motion and also decreased compliance of the respiratory system, so that both vital capacity and total lung capacity are often low.
As the overweight becomes more severe, ventilation–perfusion abnormalities impair adequate oxygenation of the blood, even though carbon dioxide escape is adequate. With continued and persistent obesity, sleep apnea, either peripheral or central, may occur. Peripheral apnea is manifested by obstruction of the airway, caused by excess fatty tissue and the relaxation of the pharyngeal and glossal muscles. Central apnea is the result of a cessation of the signals that initiate inspiration.
The mechanism for this cessation of signals is unclear but apneic episodes may occur many times during the night, causing significant hyperventilation. The severity of all these abnormalities may lead to progressively more severe hypoxemia and hypercapnia, which in turn may lead to pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, and cor pulmonale.

CANCER
The relationships of obesity to various forms of cancer are somewhat unclear, and more data are required. However, there is an association between some cancers and overweight.
It is not known whether the association may be due to other relationships, such
as a high-fat diet, elevated total calories, or other specific dietary components. However, the associations, leaving causality unclear, have been well described.
In women, higher rates have been described for endometrial, gallbladder, cervical, and ovarian cancers. For breast cancer, premenopausal women who are obese are less at risk, while postmenopausal women are at greater risk. It is possible that some of this postmenopausal effect on breast cancer is related to the increasing estrogenicity that occurs with increasing obesity as women age. This increased estrogenicity is the result of estrogen production in adipose tissue from sex hormone precursors that are soluble in fat and converted there to active estrogen. This combined estrogenicity might affect breast cancer incidence. An increased incidence of colorectal and prostate cancers has been found in obese men. The mechanisms of this effect are unknown, although recent evidence suggests that the increased insulin levels resulting from the insulin resistance of
obesity may have mitogenic effects.

ARTHRITIS AND GOUT
Because of the increased stress on the weight-bearing joints caused by increased weight, degenerative disease of these joints is quite common in obese persons, particularly as the duration and severity of the obesity increases.
There is also an increased incidence of gout in persons who are overweight. Such an association has been found repeatedly in cross-sectional studies. This association of gout and overweight is manifested to a much greater degree in men than in women, in whom higher levels of excess fat are needed for the disease to develop.

EFFECTS OF FAT DISTRIBUTION
Epidemiological data from many countries have established fat distribution as an important determinant of disease risk. As a result, not only the degree of obesity but also the location of deposited fat are important. Results of available studies suggest that intra-abdominal, or visceral, fat is crucial in this regard. The pathophysiology may be related to the increased lipolytic activity of fat cells in this region, which release large amounts of FFA to the liver and the periphery. The combination of hyperlipacidemia and hyperinsulinemia leads to increased VLDL production, with resultant hypertriglyceridemia. The lipacidemia also inhibits glucose transport and oxidation in muscle, increasing the insulin resistance and the propensity for diabetes. The hyperinsulinemia leads to increased sodium absorption and increases the risk of hypertension.

The medical complications of obesity are considerable. It must be realized that diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and stroke—aside from cancer, AIDS, and violence—are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. If cancer, a condition in which obesity often plays a part, is added, obesity is a large contributor to the burden of disease affecting industrialized countries.

Whether the effect of these diseases is direct and independent or indirect, through enhancing other risk factors, is essentially irrelevant from a public health perspective. If obesity could be prevented, a very significant and positive impact on chronic disease and mortality would occur.


Based on book : EATING DISORDERS AND OBESITY Edited by Christopher G. Fairburn and Kelly D. Brownell

This posting about medical consequences for childhood with obesity

Childhood obesity: Parents Tips

Here’s a few practical tips for you as a parents if you have an obese children. It’s good to keep in mind that obesity is a medical problem. Just as people shouldn’t be judged if they have high blood pressure or are blind. Obesity is related to certain health risks, but the good news is that obesity is treatable.

Remember this two points when you think about helping children with obese.

1. General purpose for overweight and obese children or teens is to reduce the rate of weight gain while allowing normal growth.

2. Healthy eating and physical activity habits are key to achieve that goals. Eating too much and exercising too little ( the general prime factor ) may lead your child to obesity

First of all is try to involve the whole family to building healthy eating habits.
This benefits for everyone, does not only for child who is overweight. Balance the calories in the foods — provide adequate nutrition and an appropriate number of calories. Include plenty of vegetables, fruits, low-fat or non-fat milk, and whole-grain products. You can also encourage your family to drink lots of water, limit sugar-sweetened beverages, add more fiber, and make their favorite dishes healthier.

Try to always eat meals together as a family. Eating together at meal times helps children learn to enjoy a variety of foods. Don’t force your kids, but don’t give up and try again, and again. Some kids will need to have a new food served to them 10 times or more before they will eat it.

Be aware that some high-fat or high-sugar foods and beverages may be strongly marketed to kids. Stay away your kids from this kind of foods.

The next step is increase the physical activity.
You must help your kids to stay active. Regular physical activity has many health benefits. Do it with the whole families and make it a fun time. Family bike ride, or a walk through a local park on Sunday is a good idea.
Encourage your child to join a sports team or class, such as soccer, dance, basketball, or gymnastics at school. Help him or her find which one physical activities that are fun and comfortable.

Do not put your child on a weight-loss diet unless your health care provider tells you to. If children do not eat enough, they may not grow and learn as well as they should.

Think about a treatment program only if changed your family’s eating and physical activity not reached a healthy weight or your child’s health or emotional is at risk because of their weight.

Children cannot lose weight on their own. They need a parent who can help them make smart food choices and who will encourage them to exercise. Childhood obesity associated with serious medical consequences, so do your best to help your children.

Childhood obesity

What are the major contributors to childhood obesity? There are a number of factors that have contributed to the rise in childhood obesity. Because obesity is an exceedingly complex group of diseases and probably should be characterized as a syndrome.

Approximately one-fourth of children ages 6–11 and adolescents ages 12–18 are obese, making childhood obesity one of the most serious pediatric health problems in the Unites States.

Environmental factors such as diet, physical activity, the impact of familia and environment are major contributors to obesity, and in turn are influenced by genetic traits.

Food choices
The effects of eating habits on childhood obesity are difficult to determine. Some literature has found a relationship between fat food consumption and obesity. Including a study which found that fast food restaurants near schools increases the risk of obesity among the student population. Soft drink, low intake of fruit and vegetables, low fiber, and whole milk consumption may contribute to childhood obesity. These foods tend to be high in fat and/or calories and low in many other nutrients.

Physical inactivity
Physical inactivity of children has also shown to be a serious cause, and children who fail to engage in regular physical activity are at greater risk of obesity. The popularity of television, computers, and video games translates into an increasingly inactive lifestyle for many children in the United States. Fewer than half of children in the United States have a parent who engages in regular physical exercise. Based on data from NHANES II and III, among children twelve to seventeen years of age the prevalence of overweight increases 2 percent for each additional hour of TV viewed daily.

The impact of familia and environment
Familial impact on children’s weight includes both genetic and shared lifestyle influences. Whereas twin, family, and adoption studies suggest a strong genetic contribution for childhood obesity, Statistics show that a child with two obese parents has an 80 percent risk of becoming overweight. Genetics alone does not cause obesity.
Parents may have a direct influence by providing an environment that nurtures physical activity in the child, and have indirect influence through modelling of physical activity participation. Young children (four to seven years of age) whose parents were physically active were nearly six times as likely to be physically active. In a report released, the Institute of Medicine said television advertising strongly influences what children under 12 eat. The foods advertised are predominantly high in calories and low in nutrition

The factors that may cause children to become overweight and obese include:

Metabolic factors have the potential to influence the onset of obesity. However, much of the research in this area has been conducted on adults and not the childhood population.
Psychological factors. Feelings of depression can cause a child to overeat.
The other factors are the use of private transport has increased, physical education in the school curriculum has reduced and medical illness.

Obesity in childhood is related to both negative physic and psychosocial consequences. Read this post about medical consequences identified as resulting from overweight or obesity in childhood. Also this post about Ideas to help/prevent children from obesity.

Obesity: Causes of obesity

Many factor can develops obesity gradually. Be aware of this factors can help you prevent obesity or take action if you already have it.

Carbohydrates and proteins are converted to energy as soon as they are consumed. But most of the fat calories are immediately stored in fat cells which add to the body weight. So the prime cause of overweight is overeating. Overweight is pre-obese.

The other factors contribute to obesity is

Culture
Many habits are learned very early in life. Unfortunately our environment doesn’t always teach us with a healthy habits. Food choices and combinations, oversized food portions, fast / junk food, finished meal too quick, food advertising, and so on.
Healthy eating habit is important to deal with in this case.

Lifestyle
Inactivity is important risk factors for obesity. If you spend most of your time at a desk or on a sofa in front of you television, your risk for obesity is higher. Studies show people who get 20 to 30 minutes of exercise most days are less likely to be obese. Your obesity risk is even lower if you combine an active lifestyle with a low-carb diet. People who sleep fewer hours also more likely to be overweight.

Health Conditions
Less than 2 percent of all cases of obesity can be traced to a health problem. Some diseases can cause obesity such as

1. Hypothyroidism ( under active thyroid ).
This is a condition in which thyroid glands are unable to make sufficient thyroid hormones. Lack of thyroid hormone will slow down your metabolism and cause weight gain. You’ll also feel tired and weak.

2. Cushing's Syndrome
This is a condition in which the body’s adrenal glands make too much of the hormone cortisol which increase fat on the upper body, such as the face and around the neck.

3. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
The production of a high level of the hormone androgens is a common cause of obesity in women.

Emotional or Psychological Factors
Some people overeat (binge) when they feel stressed out or depressed. Some people eat to calm themselves, to avoid dealing with unpleasant tasks or situations, or to dampen negative emotions. If we celebrate a happy event, like birthday, with go out to a big dinner.

Pregnancy, age, sex genre and medicines are another factors that contribute to develop obesity.

During pregnancy, women gain weight so that the baby gets proper nourishment and develops normally. After giving birth, some women find it hard to lose the weight. This may lead to overweight or obesity, especially after a few pregnancies.

As you grow older, your metabolic rate slows down and you do not require as many calories to maintain your weight. People frequently state that they eat the same and do the same activities as they did when they were 20 years old, but at 40, are gaining weight. This will happen. Metabolism slows down with advancing age.

Males have a higher resting metabolic rate than females, so males require more calories to maintain their body weight. Women are more likely to gain weight with the same calorie intake than a men. When women enter menopause, their metabolic rates decrease significantly.

Many people become obese after using certain medicines. These medicines slow down the rate of calorie burn, cause your body to hold on to extra water and increase hunger. Medicines such as corticosteroids, antidepressants, and medicines for seizures may cause you to gain weight.

Obesity in adults may contribute to the rising rates of childhood obesity. Learn about it in the next post.

Obesity

In the 20th century Obesity became common, so much so that in 1997 the WHO formally recognized obesity as a global epidemic. Obesity is definited as over body fat. Obesity is related with many diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is also defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 30.

Foods provide us with the nutrients we need for healthy bodies and the calories we need for energy. If we eat too much, however, the extra food turns to fat and is stored in our bodies — especially in your waist area. If we overeat regularly, we gain weight, and if we continue to gain weight, we may become obese.

WHO estimates that at least 400 million adults (9.8%) are obese, with higher rates among women than men. The rate of obesity also increases with age at least up to 50 or 60 years old. Obesity is an epidemic in the United States and in other developed countries. More than half of Americans are overweight-including at least 1 in 5 children. Nearly one third are obese. The only remaining region of the world where obesity is not common is sub-Saharan Africa. Obesity is on the rise in our society because food is abundant and physical activity is optional.

Obesity is of public health concern because of its association with serious medical complications and our modern world can trigger obesity and you must take action to stop this.