Obesity and potbelly issues – By Dr Harold Gunatillake
Website: www.Doctorharold.com
Transcript:
Inactive lifestyles and over-eating are becoming more prominent worldwide, leading to ill health and chronic diseases.
Individuals who suffer from obesity can understand how difficult it is to lose weight through physical activity and diet only.
Obesity and pot belly are both common health issues that can lead to serious health consequences. Being overweight or obese can increase the risk of developing various health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A pot belly, also known as abdominal obesity, can be particularly dangerous as it is linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. It is important to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle to prevent these health problems and improve overall health and well-being. Obesity and abdominal pot belly are both complex diseases, most people are unaware of, and they feel that would be a healthy profile. It is a very slow time bomb, and this video article supports your understanding of the issues involved.
Overweight and obesity are key risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as mentioned before.
Obesity is currently presented as a pro-inflammatory state with an expansion in the outflow of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), alongside the expanded emission of leptin.
What are the inflammatory markers for obesity? Individuals who are overweight and obese have altered serum levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-),
C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukins (IL-6, IL-18), resistin and visfatin Chronic inflammation related to obesity is linked to an increased risk of various medical problems mentioned before, including cancer and dementia
Obesity is when there is excess fat distribution in your whole body. Early stages it is referred to as being over-weight. It is divided into three types: class 1, class 2 and class 3.
In this type of obesity, an understanding of the Basal Metabolic Index is relevant. It is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. It reflects well the amount of body fat you have.
In general, a BMI from 20 to 24.9 in adults is considered ideal. A BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight. A person is considered obese if the BMI is greater than 30 and is considered to have morbid obesity if the BMI is 40 or greater.
More than a third of U.S. adults are obese. People ages 60 and older are more likely to be obese than younger adults, according to the most recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And the problem also affects children.
Among Sri Lankans, it is a common problem, especially in the urban like, worst seen in Colombo where most of the affluent live.
Research paper done by Noel Somasunderam et.al. in 2019 revealed that two-thirds of adults in the studied urban population were overweight or obese. This highlights the urgent need for interventions to curb this epidemic.
The gender, and ethnic differences in obesity, its associations with educational status, and the interactions with metabolic comorbidities indicate that these interventions may need to be targeted towards different groups in the population.
Why should a good looking young person become overweight or obese with time. Eating too much of rice and spicy curries, fast foods that are high in fat and sugar with inactivity is the main cause among Sri Lankan adults. This puts on more due to eating more calories than they burn through activity.
Drinking too much of alcohol puts on weight. Alcoholic beverages have empty calories. Empty calories have no nutrition for your body,
Genetics is the other cause.
Health conditions and medications can lead to over weight and obesity. Stress, emotional factors and poor sleep are also considered as causes for overweight and obesity.
Now let’s talk about potbellies. Potbellies are mainly due to increased chunks of fat in the viscera inside your tummy.
Visceral fat is the main component of a ‘pot belly’ found deep within your abdominal cavity. It surrounds important organs, including your stomach, liver, and intestines. It differs from subcutaneous fat, which is just below your skin. Visceral fat is actually more dangerous to your health.
Key facts
Visceral fat, also known as toxic fat, is hidden inside your body on and around your vital organs. It produces harmful hormones and chemicals that can can be harmful to your body.
Visceral fat can cause health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Abdominal visceral fat is metabolically active and increased inflammatory cytokines, and leads to insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. The inflammatory cytokines released from adipose tissue may increase the risk of esophageal inflammation, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
The heavier you are, and the more fat you have on your body, the greater the strain on your heart. Obesity forces your heart to pump harder to distribute the blood throughout your body, and it causes your heart to beat faster. It can lower your “HDL” or good cholesterol and raise your “LDL” or bad cholesterol.
Visceral fat is caused by eating more calories than you burn and not moving enough. A waist circumference of 80cm or more for females and 94 cm or more for males could mean that you have too much visceral fat.
To prevent visceral fat, focus on maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and keeping physically active. It is also associated, in part, with poor dietary and lifestyle decisions.
