Obesity is a condition that is brought about by excess body weight in the form of fat. There are various categories of being overweight. Morbidly obese person is at least 100 lbs overweight and has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of around 40 or above. Obesity is found to be the cause of several ailments and is responsible for lowering life expectancy. Almost 300,000 deaths in United States annually, are attributed to obesity.
Obesity also affects the general well being of the individual and the quality of life. An obese person typically feels tired constantly and is unable to be active because of shortness of breath, joint pains, especially of the knees and the back caused, and other ills. This also results in decreased productivity because of missed work and absenteeism brought about by various illnesses.
Several factors are responsible for obesity. Decrease in exercising, is one of the major reasons for this. Due to fast-paced life and busy schedules, it has become difficult to take time out for extra activities, including exercises.
Hectic schedules have also contributed to an increased consumption in fast food. Fast foods are rich in fat and have high calorific value devoid of nutrients as processing removes vitamins and minerals. It has become difficult in most households to take out time for cooking a proper meal because of paucity of time.
Heredity is another factor that contributes to obesity. Studies have shown that the gene for obesity is passed on to the next generation. Hence, in families where parents are found to be obese, the children are found to have preponderance to this condition. In genetically obese people, it is more difficult to keep the weight off permanently.
Obesity surgery or bariatric surgery is the only proven method that allows severely morbid person to reach normal weight and not regain it for a long duration.
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