Obesity is a complex disease which causes excessive accumulation of fat in the body and eventually could lead to health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), and even affects fertility. It is measured by determining the body mass index (BMI) of a person. We calculate BMI by taking a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2). Increased BMI shows the fatness of your body.
The Lifeline hospital’s Obesity Clinic provides specialized treatment in dealing with obesity and infertility caused by obesity. Our specialists and dietitians have extensive remedies for regulating body weight with diet plans and exercise training. Bariatric surgery is done for motivated patients whose BMI is more than 40 or BMI is more than 35 with comorbid illnesses like diabetes or hypertension.
What are the causes of Obesity?
The major cause of Obesity is the imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned. If we have the habit of taking excessive amounts of energy (especially food items with fat and sugar) and adopt a lifestyle of not burning off the obtained energy through physical activity, our body will convert much of the surplus energy into body fat. This condition is what we call overweight. Obesity is not always caused by a sedentary lifestyle but is also linked to genetic reasons. Statistics show around 40 percent of obesity is because of genetic factors.
What can lead to Obesity?
- Excessive intake of food items having a high volume of fat and sugars
- Inactive lifestyle, often caused by desk jobs, habitual laziness, or any such factors which constrict energy expenditure to less than or equal to 1.5 METs (metabolic equivalents)
- Eating Disorders, Unhealthy diet, liquid calories (sugary drinks, alcohol)
- Social and environmental changes
- Triggered by Diseases- Insomnia, Stress, Hypothyroidism, Arthritis
- Quitting Smoking
- Poor healthcare policies
What diseases can come with Obesity?
- A person with obesity has a heightened chance of affecting diseases like
- Hypertension
- Dyslipidemia
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Gallbladder disorders
- Infertility
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Insulin Resistance
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Cancers
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Psychological disorders