GENES influence every aspect of the human body’s makeup and development – and obesity is no exception.
But the good news is that early detection and implementation of necessary dietary and lifestyle changes can have a positive affect in fighting obesity.
Obesity affects a person’s health and results in a range of illnesses that are debilitating or life-threatening.
Despite obesity causing low self-esteem and attracting bullying and discrimination, excess weight also brings on mechanical stress, affects hormonal and metabolic functions and causes emotional distress.
For many years people believed that obesity was a consequence of a lack of willpower to exercise and eat correctly.
But research studies show that it also comes from an individual’s genetic makeup which plays a role in relationship with food and effects on the body.
In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults over the age of 18 were overweight, of whom 650 million were classified obese.
But these numbers can decrease if families or ethnic groups with a high prevalence of obesity change their lifestyle behaviour to prevent obesity from being ‘inherited’ and thus to break the cycle.
Overeating is a learnt behaviour, and therefore parents and close family friends play the biggest role in changing poor habits.
It only takes 5-10 % of weight loss for significant health benefits to be become noticeable.
Obesity needs to be addressed holistically as there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration.
A patient’s weight and BMI need to be part of the medical examination and advice needs to be offered to patients about their weight.
Waist circumference is also an important and useful measuring tool to assess obesity, with the criteria for clinical obesity being a waist circumference of more than 90cm in men and 85cm in women.
Individuals need to stay away from ‘quick fix diets’ as the results are short-term, but the physical and health damage is over the long term.
One must follow a diet from a doctor or qualified health professional.
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