Adult Obesity: Causes and Treatments

One of the highly complex health issues to address is obesity, as it can be a cause for various other health issues. Weight management is very crucial for the modern generation. Individual factors like genetics and behavior, which include physical activity, dietary patterns, medication, inactivity, etc. can be contributing factors and causes leading to obesity. Food, education and skills, physical activity, food marketing, and promotion, the environment can be additional contributing factors in our society. The leading cause of deaths like poorer mental health, diabetes, reduced quality of time, stroke, heart disease, some types of cancer might be a few of the severe consequences arising because of obesity.

Most common obesity causes:

The weight of a person is defined by the balance between the intake of calorie and energy expenditure. Eating more calories than once can burn (metabolizes), a person gains weight and vice-versa. Hence, overeating and physical inactivity are the most common causes of obesity. Metabolism, genetics, environment culture, behavior together ascertain a person’s body weight.

Physical inactivity

Compared to the active people, sedentary people burn fewer calories, and researches show that there is a strong correlation between physical inactivity and weight gain.

Overeating

When a person overeats, he is more likely to gain weight, especially if the diet is high in fat. Foods high in fat have high-level energy density. A diet with high fat can lead to weight gain.

Genetics

Obesity is more likely to get develop if one or both parents are obese. Hormones involved in fat regulation can get affected by genetics. Leptin deficiency is one of the examples of the genetic cause of obesity.

A diet high in simple carbohydrates

There is no clear evidence on the role of carbohydrates in weight gain. Because of the carbohydrates, blood glucose levels increase, which leads to the insulin released by the pancreas. This promotes the growth of the fat tissue, which can lead to weight gain. As compared to the complex carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates contribute to weight gain as they are more rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. Simple carbohydrates lead to the release of pronounced insulin after meals resulting in weight gain.

Eating frequency

The relationship between weight and the rate of eating is quite controversial. Many people who eat less than normal people might also have overweight issues. It is believed that people who eat large meals twice or thrice a day are at increased risk of obesity compared to the people who eat small meals 4 - 5 times daily as the small frequent meals produce stable insulin levels.

Medications

Medications used to treat depression, controlling seizures, controlling diabetes, controlling blood pressure, etc. are associated with weight gain. Weight gain reason differs from medicine to medicine. One must consult a doctor before starting and discontinuing any medicine to avoid severe consequences.

Psychological factors

Emotions might influence people to eat more. Around 30% of people with overweight seek treatment for weight problems have worries with binge eating.

Diseases

Diseases like polycystic ovary syndrome, Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism, Prader-Willi syndrome can lead to obesity.

Social issues

Lack of places to exercise, lack of money to purchase healthy food, etc. increases the risk of obesity.

Treatments:

Weight loss treatment includes natural ways to reduce weight & surgical methods to reduce weight. Following are the various treatments for curing obesity;

Dietary changes

Exercise and activity

Behavior changes

Counseling

Prescription weight-loss medication

Endoscopic procedures for weight loss

Weight-loss surgery

Common weight-loss surgery in India includes;

Gastric bypass surgery

Adjustable gastric banding

Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch

Gastric sleeve

Other treatments