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OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY: Healthy or Heavy? You choose

Overweight and obesity are two similar words, which are very common in Pakistan nowadays. Overweight and obesity are caused by more intake of a lot of fat, sugar, and unhealthy items like junk foods and less physical activity due to a sedentary lifestyle which causes an imbalance between ingestion and utilization of food and leads to overweight and obesity.

Overweight and obesity are measured by BMI (Body mass index), which is defined "as weight divided by the square of the height of that person". If the BMI of a particular person is more than 25 then it leads to overweight, or you can call that person an extreme or severe obese person. It is not only influenced by the increase in BMI but also by age and muscle mass. Overweight and obesity are not only caused by the imbalance between consumption and expenditure of calories, but they can also be due to genetics, not enough exercise, an increase in age, not getting enough sleep, and pregnancy. 

 According to WHO, since 1975 Overweight and Obesity have tripled. In 2016 more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight, whereas over 650 million adults were obese. It is more usually found in women than men (with about 39% of men and 40% of women obese) due to their sedentary lifestyle as compared to men. Which ultimately leads to death worldwide more as compared to being underweight. 

Obesity can lead to severe health issues which include;

Diabetes ( Type 1 or Type 2)

The cardiovascular: problem eventually leads to heart failure or, cardiac arrest and other heart-related diseases.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Obesity and overweight are considered one of the main causes of PCOS, which is abundant in middle-aged women and gives rise to severe hormonal imbalance.

Infertility: Obesity leads to infertility as it causes a significant hormonal imbalance in women.

Pregnancy complications: Obesity in pregnant women leads to severe delivery complications as an increase in weight during pregnancy or before pregnancy can cause preterm birth (baby delivered before 37 weeks of gestation) or an increase in gestation period that is baby delivered after more than 37 weeks gestation period.

Or sometimes during delivery, it can also compromise the baby's or mother’s life. That is why it is recommended to talk to your doctor about how much weight you should gain during pregnancy.

After delivery complications in women: Some women become overweight or obese after pregnancy as it is very difficult for them to maintain their weight and eventually gain weight. It leads to postpartum complications which affect mothers such as hypertension, headaches, back pain, diabetes, and sleep disorders

Sleep issues: One of the main causes of obstructive sleep apnea is obesity.

Hypertension: Due to the accumulation of fat, the artery becomes occluded, when blood passes through that artery it creates pressure and leads to hypertension, and the person’s blood pressure increases to more than 120/80. 

Liver diseases: In obese people, there is an excess intake of fats which leads to the storage of fats in the liver, as the result of storing too much fat and no excretion it chronically causes liver diseases.

Cancers: Such as breast cancer, colon, and endometrial cancers.     

PREVENTION

You can prevent overweight and obesity by limiting the intake of unhealthy food and improving your lifestyle. By increasing physical activity one can improve their lifestyle for which “the Global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030; more active people for a healthier life” has been launched which provides more effective policies to improve the lifestyle by increasing physical activity.