Obesity: Fat facts and figures about this condition

According to the most recent World Health Organisation (WHO) data, out of three adults in the world, one is overweight and out of every 10 adults, one is obese. 24.2% of adults in the United Kingdom are considered to be obese, while 66.9% are consider over weight. If these figures don’t indicate or mean anything to you, read on to find out why these data is not to be taken lightly.

Every year, 400,000 people die in the European region due to weight problems. Obese and overweight patients increase their chances of death from diabetes, kidney or liver disease by up to 60-120%, vascular disease by up to 40%, respiratory disease by up to 20% and cancers by up to 10%.

However, you do not need to lose hope, as it is possible to fight obesity and overweight problems and eliminate risks that lead to premature death. However, before we go on about possible treatments for obesity, let us briefly discuss this growing problem in more depth.

What is obesity?

Obesity is not a condition wherein you are few pounds overweight. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or above, you fall in the group classed ‘obese’; and if your BMI is 25 or above, you will be classed ‘overweight’. Being overweight eventually leads to being obese in most cases. Therefore, you should take care not to become overweight in the first place and if you do, take extra precautions to lose the excess weight before it becomes too difficult to lose or manage weight.

How is obesity dangerous?

Besides inviting poor health and the possibility of premature death into you life, obesity has many dangers. It turns day-to-day life a living hell because of health problems such as hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes, means you cannot eat what you want, cannot participate in activities that put strain on the heart and live in the fear of stroke. Gallstones, sleeping problems, depression and osteoarthritis are other problems that add to the pain and discomfort.

The best thing to do is start following healthy eating habits and regular exercise regimes to lose weight and to maintain an ideal weight once reached. Most overweight people are not able to benefit from these conventional methods and they need some sort of medical aid to lose weight. Find out more about aids to treat obesity.

How to treat obesity?

Limiting fat-calorie intake, shifting from saturated to unsaturated fats, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, including legumes, whole grains and nuts in the diet and cutting down sugars are starters for you for healthy eating habits. Increasing level of exercise by involving in moderate physical activities such as power walking, cycling, swimming and jogging for 30 minutes daily can help people burn unused calories and avoid fat build up.

Medicines available for the treatment of Obesity

If healthy eating and dieting does not get you very far and you need an aid to lose weight, you may try the medicines available for the treatment of obesity. There are two prescription medications available at present for obesity treatment, namely Xenical orlistat and Reductil sibutramine.

Xenical works in the digestive system and is a lipase inhibitor whereas Reductil affects the brain and is an appetite suppressant. Consult a doctor to find out which of these medications is safe for you.