Obesity not only leads to diabetes, but also creates a variety of unimaginable diseases.
Currently, the trend and situation of obesity around the world is increasing at a rate of 1 in 3 people. In 2017, there were 2,200 million obese people, with men increasing threefold and women increasing twofold. In Thailand, the rate is also increasing very high. This can be seen from the statistics of obesity patients in Thailand, which is the second highest in ASEAN countries, after Malaysia. There are 16 million obese people, divided into 4.7 million men and 11.3 million women.
Obesity
Obesity is caused by many factors, especially the behavior of people who are at risk of becoming obese, such as:
- Choosing foods that contain too much carbohydrates and sugar, such as bakery products, desserts, crunchy snacks, sweet drinks, carbonated drinks, etc.
- Eating an incomplete diet
- Eating fast food frequently due to the hectic pace of daily life or becoming addicted to the delicious taste of these foods until it becomes a habit in choosing to eat.
- Lack of adequate exercise
- Improper weight loss or weight control can lead to obesity problems becoming more severe.
- In some cases, it may be caused by abnormalities in the body’s metabolic system that is not functioning properly.
How do you know if you are obese?
Weight gain, enlarged arms and legs, potbelly, no matter how much you eat you still feel insatiable, snoring or sleep apnea. These symptoms may not always indicate that you are obese.
Obesity can be identified by measuring the body mass index and the amount of body fat. Values that exceed the standard may indicate an abnormal condition that is at risk for obesity and other complications.
What diseases are obese people at risk of?
There are various complications that may come with obesity. Some diseases may show obvious symptoms, while others may not show external symptoms but affect health in the long term.
1. Fatty liver
Eating too much is one of the causes of fat build-up in the liver. When the liver does not use or break down fat properly, fat can accumulate. About 20 percent of obese people also have fatty liver disease.
2. Sleep apnea
For people who are overweight and obese, there is often more fat accumulated in the throat wall. The throat wall is thicker and the neck looks shorter. The throat passage is narrower, causing airway obstruction and risk of sleep apnea.
3. Cardiovascular disease
Obesity often directly causes a risk of cardiovascular disease because the level of cholesterol and fat accumulated in the body is higher than normal, causing the blood vessels to thicken, the arteries to narrow, causing less blood to flow, until the blood vessels become blocked and may develop into a myocardial infarction.
4. Acid reflux
In obese people, there is increased pressure in the abdomen and stomach, causing stomach acid and digested food to flow back into the esophagus, causing acid reflux.
5. Coughing, sneezing, and urine leakage
Urine leakage is caused by sagging pelvic floor muscles that support the urethra and bladder. It can occur from various physical conditions, including obesity. เล่นเกมคาสิโน UFABET ทันสมัย ฝากถอนง่าย. When the muscles supporting the urethra are not supported, when coughing or sneezing, the urethra opens up, causing urine to leak out.
6. Irregular menstruation
In women who are overweight and obese, it may result in irregular menstruation, missing periods for several months at a time. This is because in obese women, the skin can change fat cells into estrogen, which affects the secretion of FSH and LH hormones, causing irregular menstruation.
7. Diabetes
Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for diabetes. In obese patients, insulin secreted by the pancreas may not work well and result in insulin resistance, making the terminal tissues less responsive to insulin. Beta cells do not work, high blood fats cause metabolic syndrome.
8. Osteoarthritis
When obese people walk, each step creates more impact force on the knee joint than in non-obese people. In addition, the knee joint, which has a lot of fatty tissue, will overflow and press on and destroy the cartilage surface nearby, accelerating the onset of osteoarthritis.
There are also other diseases and conditions such as depression. The symptoms of these diseases are usually relieved or may improve when weight is lost. Therefore, you should take care of your nutrition, choose to eat a complete diet of all 5 food groups, control your weight to be stable and consistent, and exercise regularly. If you have tried all the methods recommended here and still cannot lose weight, it is recommended to consult a specialist to find the right approach and treatment method for each individual. Gastric bypass surgery is another option that is effective for the overall health of the body.
Take care of yourself to avoid obesity and complications.
- Pay attention to food, nutrition, control your diet, reduce starch, focus on vegetables and fruits to increase vitamins and fiber in your body.
- Drink at least 8-10 glasses of clean water per day because water helps flush out toxins, maintains balance and the body’s proper temperature.
- Choose cooking methods such as boiling, steaming, grilling rather than frying or stir-frying.
- Reduce, avoid, and quit beverages that are high in sugar or alcohol, such as soft drinks (1 can contains 7-12 teaspoons of sugar) and green tea (1 bottle contains 8-14 teaspoons of sugar).
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day , depending on your physical condition. Don’t forget to consider safety and don’t overdo it. For those who are overweight, avoid sports or exercises that cause ankle impact, which can lead to injury. Change to slow walking, yoga, or swimming.
- Sleep during the appropriate time, which is 10:00 PM – 6:00 AM, by sleeping deeply and continuously for a long time because sleeping and waking up will cause the body’s metabolism to be out of balance.
- Move your body more each day. Start with simple arm swings, simple exercises, a walk in the park, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Create a regular exercise routine.
- If you have tried everything and still cannot lose weight, consult a specialist to find the cause and solve the problem appropriately, such as various types of gastric bypass surgery, which in addition to treating obesity also helps reduce the risk of other complications.