Obesity is best defined by using the body mass index calculated using a person’s height and weight: the body mass index (BMI) equals a person’s weight in kg (KG) divided by the height in meters (m) squared. A normal BMI is between 18.5-24.9, An adult with a BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight and a person with a BMI of over 30 is considered obese.

Worldwide, the incidence of obesity has nearly doubled from 1991 to 1998.

Many patients are overweight even if they think they eat healthy. Sometimes, with some trigger like a changing to a night shift job or facing a stressful situation, a woman can suddenly find herself gaining unwanted kilos. Obesity does not only affect your appearance, it also affects your heart, your joints, your spine. Obesity is also linked to a higher risk for breast, colon, rectum, gallbladder, kidney, pancreatic and thyroid cancers. It is also the number one risk factor for developing sleep apnea. Because of the extra fatty tissue around the upper airway, this can make the airway smaller and likely obstruct. Obesity increases the risk for heart disease and hypertension. If you are preparing for pregnancy and are obese, it is best to drop your weight first. Pregnancy and obesity are both insulin resistant states. So, getting pregnant while obese
increases one’s propensity for gestational diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy, both very grave conditions that can lead to a growth retarded fetus and many other complications.

What are the causes of Obesity?

1. Leptin Deficiency – Leptin is a hormone produced in fat cells as well as the placenta. This
   hormone controls weight by signaling the brain to eat less when body fat stores are too high.
   If, for some reason, the body cannot produce enough leptin or leptin cannot signal the brain
   to eat less, this control is lost, and obesity occurs. This can be from a genetic cause. In fact,
   if one parent is obese, more likely than not, the child can become obese.
2. A High Carb Diet – Carbohydrates convert to glucose (which is sugar) in the blood, which in
   turn triggers the pancreas to secrete insulin. Insulin, in turn promotes the growth of fat tissue
   that can cause weight gain plus, insulin also triggers the kidneys to retain sodium which
   causes water retention. Simple carbohydrates like white rice, chocolates, sugars, fructose,
   desserts, soft drinks, etc. contribute to weight gain because they are more rapidly absorbed
   into the bloodstream than complex carbohydrates (pasta, brown rice, root crops, grains, raw
   fruits, etc.) and thus cause a more pronounced insulin release after meals than complex
   carbohydrates.
3. Physical inactivity. Sedentary people burn fewer calories than people who are active.
   Physical inactivity can have serious implications for people’s health, Approximately 2 million
   deaths per year are attributed to physical inactivity, prompting WHO to issue a warning way
   back in 2002 that a sedentary lifestyle could very well be among the 10 leading causes of
   death and disability in the world. ¹
4. Medications – drugs used to achieve glycemic control such as insulin, sulfonylureas or
   thiazolidinedione therapy is generally accompanied by weight gain. Weight gain is also
   common in with some atypical antipsychotic drugs (clozapine, olanzepine, risperidone and
   quetiapine) are known to cause marked weight gain. Antidepressants such as amitriptyline,
   mirtazapine and some serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) also may promote appreciable
   weight gain that cannot be explained solely by improvement in depressive symptoms. Mood
   stabilizers such as lithium, valproic acid and carbamazepine as well as antiepileptic drugs
   (AEDs) valproate, carbamazepine and gabapentin have all be found to promote weight gain.
   Lamotrigine, however is an AED that is weight-neutral, while topiramate and zonisamide
   may induce weight loss. ²
5. Diseases such as hypothyroidism , insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome , and
   Cushing’s syndrome can lead to obesity. Many Polycystic Ovary Syndrome patients are
   obese because they have the insulin resistance gene. This means that they are unable to
   metabolize carbohydrates and sugar efficiently.

With a series of baseline tests, to uncover the cause of obesity, tried and tested methods for weight reduction can be implemented, which can make one drop at an average of 20 pounds every 40 days. Yes, it’s possible!

Reference:

1. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/release23/en/
2. Ness-Abramof R , Apovian CM . Drug-induced weight gain. Drugs Today (Barc). 2005
   Aug;41(8):547-55.