Weighing the Cost of
Obesity
By: alexis
Body mass index, or BMI, is a new term to most people. Body
mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and
weight that applies to both adult men and women. BMI uses a
mathematical formula that takes into account both a person's
height and weight. It equals a person's weight in kilograms
divided by height in meters squared, hence, the formula:
BMI=kg/m2. It is designed for men and women over the age of 18. A
healthy BMI is between 20 and 25. A result below 20 indicates that
one may be underweight; a figure above 25 indicates that a person
may be overweight. BMI is also the measurement of choice for many
physicians and researchers studying obesity.
Obesity is now considered an epidemic in the United States.
More than half of Americans are overweight including at least one
in five children being above the normal weight for their age.
Nearly one third of Americans are obese. Obesity is on the rise
because food is abundant and physical activity is optional or less
than what is required to maintain one's health. The number of
obese and overweight people is increasing dramatically all over
the world. The USA was the first country to notice its people were
getting fatter and fatter. Canada followed, then Australia and
Western Europe, and now the rest of the world.
Nutritionists and health experts say the main reason for the
increase in weight problems is having a poor diet and physical
inactivity. Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars on
dieting, diet foods, diet books, diet pills, and the like. Another
$45 billion is spent on treating the diseases associated with
obesity. Furthermore, businesses suffer an estimated $20 billion
loss in productivity each year from absence due to illness caused
by obesity.
Although there are genetic and hormonal influences on body
weight, excess weight is a result of an imbalance of calories
consumed versus calories burned through physical activity. If you
consume more calories than you expend through exercise and daily
activities, you gain weight. Your body stores calories that you
don't need for energy as fat.
The following factors, usually working in combination, can
contribute to weight gain and obesity:
-
Diet. Regular consumption
of high-calorie foods, such as fast foods, or increasing their
portion sizes contributes to weight gain. High-fat foods are
dense in calories. Loading up on soft drinks, candy and desserts
also promotes weight gain. Foods and beverages like these are
high in sugar and calories. In general, eating away from home
also increases calorie intake since the tendency of people is to
eat at fastfood joints whenever they are outside the home.
-
Quitting smoking. Smokers
tend to gain weight after quitting. This weight gain may be
partially due to nicotine's ability to raise the rate at which
your body burns calories (metabolic rate). When smokers stop,
they burn fewer calories. Smoking also affects taste since
quitting smoking makes food taste and smell better. Former
smokers often gain weight because they eat more after they quit.
However, cigarette smoking is still considered a greater threat
to your health than is extra weight.
-
Pregnancy. During
pregnancy a woman's weight necessarily increases. Some women
find this weight difficult to lose after the baby is born. This
weight gain may contribute to the development of obesity in
women.
-
Certain medications.
Corticosteroids treatment have shown an increase in fat and in
weight presenting obesity. Some antidepressant medications can
also lead to weight gain. So thus some high blood pressure and
antipsychotic medications.
-
Sedentary lifestyle is also
one of the principal causes for obesity. It has been proven
that physical activity is one of the greatest factors in the
body's use of energy. The increase in physical activity allows
the intake of more calories and helps a person achieve a more
favorable caloric balance in the body. Very often, weight loss
medications for treating obesity are prescribed with minimal or
no lifestyle modification. Researchers believe this practice
limits their therapeutic potential. They also say that these
drugs are more effective when combined with a lifestyle program
of diet and exercise.
Article Source:
http://www.articlerich.com
DrugstoreTM.com is a reputable online drug store. From sexual
health to a woman's health, sleeping aids to weight loss pills,
our online pharmacy offers convenient customer access to various
health medicines, including an array of health product and
Medicare prescription drug.
Buy Soma |
Buy Tramadol
