A Disease
Obesity is a complex, chronic, and relapsing diseasecharacterrised by excessive amount of body fat. Obesity is emerging as a health epidemic around the world. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is rapidly spreading across all regions and demographic groups.
Obesity develops in individual when energy intake exceed energy expenditure. People living with obesity haves symptoms such as increased hunger and decreased fullness. is diagnosed whenyour body mass index is 30 or higher.
Click here to find out more about Body Mass Index BMI.
The American Obesity Association reports that that people living with obesity have more than a 50% increased risk of early death as compared to people with a normal body mass index This substantial increase in health risks has made obesity the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
Causes of Obesity
Obesity results from combination of genetic, biological, hormonal and environmental factors.
Risk factors:
Obesity results from combination of causes and risk factors
- Advancing age, being female and family history of obesity
- Sedentary and physically inactive lifestyle.
- Unhealthy diet and eating habits.
- Pregnancy
- Lack of proper sleep.
- Disease conditions such as hypothyroidism and depression.
- Medications such as steroids, antidepressants, antiseizure, antidiabetic medications and antiretroviral treatements.