Is Obesity a major health concern?

NUTRITION:

It is the science of food and nutrients and other substances they contain and their effect on the body, including ingestion, digestion, absorption, metabolism, and excretion.

FOOD:

The products derived from plants or animals that are taken into the body to yield energy and nutrients for maintenance of life, growth, and repair of tissues.

NUTRIENT:

Chemical substances are obtained from food and used in the body to provide energy, support growth, and repair tissue. Nutrients reduce the risk of diseases.

ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS:

There are six essential nutrients

carbohydrates
proteins
fats
vitamins
minerals
water

The requirement of nutrients depends on age and state of the body. for instance physical activity, disease, pregnancy and lactation.

WHY IS NUTRITION IMPORTANT?

Nutrition is essential for growth and development, health, and well-being. Eating a healthy diet contributes to preventing future illness, improving quality and length of life.

Nutritional status:

It is a state of health determined by what you eat. there are several ways of assessing nutritional status, including physical body measurements, food intake, and biochemical measurements.

WHAT ARE PROBLEMS RELATED TO NUTRITION?

Problems related to nutrition includes

over-nutrition
under-nutrition

OBESITY:

When we eat more calories than we burn, extra energy is stored in the body in fat. Few extra pounds is not a big deal, but it increases the risk of other health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes and others.

Obesity is generally a medical condition that develops when excess body fat is stored in the body to such an extent that it has a negative effect on a person's health, which, as a result, reduces a person,s life expectancy.

How do we determine whether a person is normal, under or overweight?

BMI ( Basal metabolic rate) the indicator used to determine whether a person is normal weighted or not. It is not a very accurate method but can be effective for layman.

Method for determining

We simply take the ratio of weight and height.

BMI = weight(kg) / heightm²

^RANGES

underweight weight less than 18.5

normal weight 18.5 -- 24.9

overweight 25 -- 29.9

obesity weight greater than 30

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF OBESITY?

There are multiple causes or factors that directly or indirectly increase the risk of obesity. major of them are

genetic factors
environmental factors
overeating
physical inactivity

Genetics:

One of the important factors that leads to obesity is genetics. Individual's tendency to gain weight run in families; family members share not only diet but also lifestyle. But we can switch on and off our genes by adopting healthy eating and lifestyle patterns.

Physical inactivity:

Their is a strong association and link between obesity and physical inactivity. Physical activity or lack of exercise leads to fat storage, which, as a result, leads to obesity.

Diet:

obesity is associated with an increase in food consumption. Increase intake of dietary fat, including trans fat or saturated fat or increase intake of processed foods, is a major cause of obesity.

There should be a balance between intake and expenditure. This balance determines person's weight. If a person eats more calories than the calories being burned out, the excess calories are stored in the body in the form of fat and lead to weight gain and obesity.