What is obesity?

What is obesity?

Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat body in relation to lean body mass. It is commonly measured by Body Mass Index (BMI), which is the relationship of weight to height. An adult with a with BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

BMI = Weight in kgs/Height in m2

Obesity becomes morbid obesity when an adult IS 40 kgs or more than ideal body weight, has a BMI of 37.5 or more in combination with health related conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea or diseases such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease.

Health at risk

Obesity dramatically increases the risk of:

Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
High levels of cholesterol
Heart disease and smoke
Arthiritis
Obstructive sleep apnea
Polycystic ovarian syndrome

Higher body weights are also associated with cancer, infertility, depression, asthma and early death.

Treatment Options

Most weight loss programs are based on a combination of diet, behavior modification and regular exercise. However, published scientific papers sort that these methods do not help resolve morbid obesity because they fail to help people maintain weight loss. In fact, more than 95% of people regain the weight they lose within a few years after treatment.

Several factors can contribute to weight gain. Diet and exercise programs address factors that can be modified, such as lifestyle and behavior. However, because these methods fail to help people achieve and maintain a healthier weight, a strong link between our genetic makeup (which are born with) and obesity are postulated. Other studies have identified substances or enzymes that act on the brain to signal a need for an increase in food intake. This information may help explain why diet and exercise programs have not worked for you.

Weight loss surgery

Over the last decade, weight loss surgery has been continually refined to improve results and minimize risks. Today, bariatric surgeons have access to substantial body of clinical data that supports the use of surgery as a safe and effective weight loss treatment when other methods have failed.

Compared to other weight loss methods such as dieting, surgery provides the longest period of sustained weight loss in patients for whom all other therapies have failed. It has also been shown to improve many obesity related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Many patients who have had bariatric surgery, report improvements in their quality of life, social interactions, psychological well- being, employment opportunities and economic condition.

Bariatric surgery is a weight loss surgery that includes a variety of procedures performed on people who have obesity. Weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through removal of a portion of the stomach (sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) or by resecting and re-routing the small intestine to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery).

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Source: https://bangalore.apollohospitals.com/

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