Obesity

Obesity is considered to be today's principal neglected public health problem, and is causing great harm to our society. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than one billion overweight adults globally, of whom at least 300 million are obese and in many of these cases there is a strong connection between fast food and obesity.

Current obesity levels range from below five percent in China, Japan and certain African nations, to over 75% in urban Samoa. But even in relatively low prevalence countries like China, rates are almost 20% in some cities.

Dr. Arya M. Sharma, who holds Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management, notes that obesity is increasing at alarming rates and is already a leading cause of death in North America, second only to smoking.

It has also been suggested that obesity is one of the principal risk factors for obtaning Type 2 diabetes or childhood diabetes.

What is Obesity:

The definition of obesity is the excess accumulation of body fat, whereas overweight is defined as the excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. Obesity is a result of multiple factors like environmental (food availability, sedentary lifestyle), behavioral, social, cultural and genetic factors. The key causes are increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars, and reduced physical activity that causes an imbalance between caloric intake and usage.

The effects of childhood obesity are rising in North America due to increase in consumption of fatty foods and a decrease in physical activity among children. As a result of eating non-nutritious foods, children add extra calories to their diets and gain weight. Obese children are more prone to vitamin deficiencies, especially Vitamin B12, which helps the body maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells.

Obesity in teens has become a disease of a pandemic significance as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), which states that obesity in teens is equally threatening to the developing world and developed countries.

Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for many diseases and conditions like:

• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
• Dyslipidemia (e.g. high triglycerides and high cholesterol)
• Certain forms of cancer ( breast, colon, and endometrial )
• Coronary heart disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Chronic musculoskeletal problems
• Sever cases of Colon Cancer

Obesity is a public health problem which can translate into a large economic burden as steadily rising obese population can succumb to the medical complications of obesity and can threaten to overwhelm health services. It is very important to adopt a healthy diet and regular physical activity. Because obesity is difficult to treat, public health efforts need to be directed toward prevention.