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OBESITY
Experts estimate that 10 to 25% of all teenagers and 20 to 50% of all adults have a weight
problem. It is known that obesity brings many health hazards with it, including heart
attacks, strokes and diabetes with all of its complications. Obesity is a serious concern to
all health care practitioners.
When a person consumes more food energy than is needed to provide for all of the day's
activities, including work and exercise, excess body fat will accumulate. (By fat we mean
triglycerides). Over time this can result in obesity. There are many contributing factors to
obesity: activity levels, diet, genetic, metabolic, environmental, social, economic,
psychologic, behavioral and biological. Activity levels have significant impact on the body
systems that control food storage and utilization of energy. Low activity levels (typified by
the "couch potato") cause an increase in the storage of excess food energy as fat. Over-consumption of foods rich in calories and fat is the biggest dietary contributor, and also
will cause the excess food that is consumed to be stored as fat. There is also growing
evidence that genetic factors influence the body's tendency to store energy either as fat
or as lean body tissue (muscle). Metabolic processes also influence obesity. (The word
metabolism describes the sum total of all of the chemical reactions that occur in the body).
Other contributing factors include endocrine dysfunction, such as adrenal disease or
diabetes. However, endocrine causes of obesity are relatively uncommon. As mentioned
above, various environmental, social, economic, psychologic, behavioral and biological factors
have also been associated with obesity. However, inactivity and poor diet are the two
most important contributing factors to excessive weight gain.
Disclaimer To go forward, please acknowledge the following statement: The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. We encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing obesity with your health practitioner. |
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