Why does obesity indicate malnutrition

Despite research increasingly demonstrating how obesogenic factors perturb metabolism, and the role of commercial interests in shaping global exposure to these factors through manipulative mechanisms, public health policies are failing to adapt. Still placing great emphasis on total energy intake and physical activity patterns, such campaigns do not address the underlying driving forces of chronic weight gain. It is notable that obesity treatments targeting individual behaviour tend to have poor efficacy, and the most effective treatment for diabetes, one of the primary morbidities of obesity, is bariatric surgery, 56 which does not require compliance with diet or exercise regimes.

Bariatric surgery is undoubtedly an unpleasant treatment, but at a conceptual level the message is that if obesity treatment is more successful by bypassing individual responsibility, the same is likely to be true for obesity prevention. A crucial contrast of course is that obesity prevention does not have to deal with the disease itself, and can thus avoid invasive procedures. Paradoxically, minimal responsibility is placed on the food companies who sell food products that may perturb metabolism.

Instead, other companies from the pharmaceutical industry are seeking their own profits from increasing demand for obesity treatment, although few products have been classified safe for human use, and their efficacy is poor.

Figure 3 illustrates the effect of the prevalence of obesity on per capita energy requirements. Simple simulation of the effect of increasing obesity prevalence on population energy requirements. Using data on energy requirements of these four body mass index BMI categories, 60 the average per capita daily energy requirement was calculated. This simulation demonstrates the greater average quantity of food required as obesity prevalence increases.

Reprinted with permission Wells. Most industrialized countries have recently experienced recession because of misdirected global economic policies. Governments therefore want to have their cake and eat it: they desire minimal prevalence of obesity in order to cut health costs, but maximal retail sales to increase revenue.

The contribution of individual responsibility in obesity aetiology is not zero, but it is certainly systematically over-estimated.

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Appetite ; 55 : — This may be beneficial for some people, but also comes with…. The body needs vitamins to help it work as best it can. A study finds that the costs associated with obesity are likely to account for an average of 3.

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Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R. High-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten many bottled beverages is often singled out as being particularly likely to cause obesity. However, recent studies show that it is no more likely to cause obesity than other foods with a similar number of calories in sugar. Larger portion sizes at restaurants and in packaged foods and beverages encourage people to overeat. Also, restaurant and packaged foods are often prepared in ways that add calories.

As a result, people may consume more calories than they realize. Obesity tends to run in families. However, families share not only genes but also environment, and separating the two influences is difficult. Genes Genes Genes are segments of deoxyribonucleic acid DNA that contain the code for a specific protein that functions in one or more types of cells in the body.

Chromosomes are structures within cells They can also affect appetite and thus how much food is consumed. Genes may have a greater effect on where body fat accumulates, particularly fat around the waist and in the abdomen, than on how much body fat accumulates.

Many genes influence weight, but each gene has only a very small effect. Obesity rarely results when only one gene is abnormal. The gene for the melanocortin 4 receptor: Receptors are structures on the surface of cells that inhibit or produce an action in the cell when certain substances such as chemical messengers bind with them. Melanocortin 4 receptors are located mainly in the brain. They help the body regulate its use of energy. The ob gene: This gene controls the production of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells.

Leptin travels to the brain and interacts with receptors in the hypothalamus the part of the brain that helps regulate appetite. The message carried by leptin is to decrease food intake and increase the amount of calories energy burned. A mutation in the ob gene prevents leptin production and results in severe obesity in a very small number of children. In these cases, administration of leptin reduces weight to a normal amount.

Certain characteristics can increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese. They include the following:. Obesity during childhood Obesity in Adolescents Obesity is defined as a body mass index BMI equal to or greater than the 95th percentile for age and gender.

Adverse childhood events or a childhood history of verbal, physical, or sexual abuse are associated with a higher risk of obesity. Gaining weight during pregnancy is normal and necessary. However, pregnancy can be the beginning of weight problems if women do not return to their prepregnancy weight. Having several children close together may compound the problem.

Breastfeeding can help women return to their prepregnancy weight. If a pregnant woman is obese or smokes, weight regulation in the child may be disturbed, contributing to weight gain during childhood and later. After menopause, many women gain weight. This weight gain may result from reduced activity. Hormonal changes may cause fat to be redistributed and accumulate around the waist. Fat in this location increases the risk of health problems such as metabolic syndrome Metabolic Syndrome Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a large waist circumference due to excess abdominal fat , high blood pressure, resistance to the effects of insulin insulin resistance or diabetes, Obesity is influenced by a combination of factors, which usually results in consuming more calories than the body needs.

These factors may include physical inactivity As people age, body composition may change as muscle tissue decreases. The result is a higher percentage of body fat and a lower basal metabolic rate because muscle burns more calories.

Sleep deprivation or lack of sleep usually considered less than 6 to 8 hours per night can result in weight gain. Sleeplessness results in hormonal changes that increase appetite and cravings for energy-dense foods. Stopping smoking usually results in weight gain.

Nicotine decreases appetite and increases the metabolic rate. When nicotine is stopped, people may eat more food, and their metabolic rate decreases, so that fewer calories are burned. Cushing syndrome Cushing Syndrome In Cushing syndrome, the level of corticosteroids is excessive, usually due to taking corticosteroid drugs or overproduction by the adrenal glands. Cushing syndrome usually results from taking The syndrome can result from a benign tumor in the pituitary gland pituitary adenoma or from a tumor in the adrenal gland or elsewhere, such as in the lungs.

Cushing syndrome typically causes fat to accumulate in the face, making it look full called moon face , and behind the neck called a buffalo hump. Polycystic ovary syndrome Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCOS Polycystic ovary syndrome is characterized by slight obesity, irregular or no menstrual periods, and symptoms caused by high levels of male hormones androgens.

It involves disruption of the Affected women tend to be overweight or obese. Levels of testosterone and other male hormones are increased, causing fat to accumulate in the waist and abdomen, which is more harmful than the fat that is distributed throughout the body.

Binge eating disorder Binge-Eating Disorder Binge-eating disorder is an eating disorder characterized by the repeated consumption of unusually large amounts of food binge eating with a feeling of loss of control during and after the Most affected people do not purge for example, by vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics.

Binge eating disorder is diagnosed when bingeing episodes occur at least twice a week for 6 or more months. Night-eating syndrome involves not eating much during the day, consuming a lot of food or calories in the evening, and awakening to eat in the middle of the night. Rarely, taking a sleeping pill, zolpidem , can cause similar problems. Many drugs used to treat common disorders promote weight gain. These drugs include some drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders including depression antidepressants Drug Treatment for Depression Agomelatine, a new type of antidepressant, is a possible treatment for major depressive episodes.

Several types of drugs can be used to treat depression: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors Many people have unusual sensations just before a seizure It often does not cause symptoms; however, high blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and heart failure. Therefore, it is important There are two types of diabetes mellitus Type 1, in which the Being obese increases the risk of many health problems.

Virtually every organ system can be affected. These weight-related health problems can cause symptoms, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing during activity, snoring, skin abnormalities including stretch marks, and joint and back pain. Abnormal levels of cholesterol and other fats lipids , called dyslipidemia Dyslipidemia Dyslipidemia is a high level of lipids cholesterol, triglycerides, or both or a low high-density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol level.

High blood pressure High Blood Pressure High blood pressure hypertension is persistently high pressure in the arteries. Metabolic syndrome Metabolic Syndrome Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a large waist circumference due to excess abdominal fat , high blood pressure, resistance to the effects of insulin insulin resistance or diabetes, Coronary artery disease Overview of Coronary Artery Disease CAD Coronary artery disease is a condition in which the blood supply to the heart muscle is partially or completely blocked.

The heart muscle needs a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood. The coronary Diabetes Diabetes Mellitus DM Diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which the body does not produce enough or respond normally to insulin, causing blood sugar glucose levels to be abnormally high. Gallstones Gallstones Gallstones are collections of solid material predominantly crystals of cholesterol in the gallbladder.

The liver can secrete too much cholesterol, which is carried with bile to the gallbladder Gastroesophageal reflux Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease GERD In gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach contents, including acid and bile, flow backward from the stomach into the esophagus, causing inflammation in the esophagus and pain in the bottom A low testosterone level, erectile dysfunction Erectile Dysfunction ED Erectile dysfunction ED is the inability to attain or sustain an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse.

See also Overview of Sexual Dysfunction in Men. Every man occasionally has Menstrual disorders Menstrual Disorders and Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding read more , infertility Overview of Infertility Infertility is usually defined as the inability of a couple to achieve a pregnancy after repeated intercourse without contraception for 1 year.

Frequent intercourse without birth control usually Varicose veins Varicose Veins Varicose veins are abnormally enlarged superficial veins in the legs. Varicose veins may ache or cause itching or a sensation of tiredness.

Doctors can detect varicose veins by examining the Fatty liver Fatty Liver Fatty liver is an abnormal accumulation of certain fats triglycerides inside liver cells. People with fatty liver may feel tired or have mild abdominal discomfort but otherwise have no symptoms The scar Blood clots deep vein thrombosis Deep Vein Thrombosis DVT Deep vein thrombosis is the formation of blood clots thrombi in the deep veins, usually in the legs.

Blood clots may form in veins if the vein is injured, a disorder causes the blood to clot Obstructive sleep apnea Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea is a serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops long enough to disrupt sleep and often temporarily decrease the amount of oxygen and increase the amount of carbon dioxide Arthritis Osteoarthritis OA Osteoarthritis is a chronic disorder that causes damage to the cartilage and surrounding tissues and is characterized by pain, stiffness, and loss of function.

Arthritis due to damage of joint The accumulations of crystals cause flare-ups The pain usually results from problems with the musculoskeletal system—most notably the spine, including Depression Depression A short discussion of prolonged grief disorder. Breathing stops for a few moments, as often as hundreds of times a night.

This disorder is often undiagnosed. It can cause loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness and increases the risk of high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, metabolic syndrome, heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. Obesity can increase the risk of early death. The more severe the obesity, the higher the risk.

In the United States, , deaths a year are attributed to obesity. It is the second most common cause of preventable death cigarette smoking is the most common. Obesity can lead to social, economic, and psychologic problems. For example, obese people may be underemployed or unemployed, or they may have a poor body image and low self-esteem.

However, BMI has some limitations. The BMI does not take sex and age into consideration and makes only a few adjustments based on ethnic group. For Asians and some other ethnic groups, the BMI that is considered overweight is slightly lower. Also, the BMI does not distinguish between lean and fat tissue. Therefore, doctors may be unsure whether a high BMI is due to muscle for example, in body builders or excessive fat.

In such cases, they determine body composition the percentage of body fat and muscle. Waist circumference Diagnosis Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a large waist circumference due to excess abdominal fat , high blood pressure, resistance to the effects of insulin insulin resistance or diabetes,