The big, fat truth about obesity

It’s official: according to the Ministry of Health, 40 percent of Malaysians are overweight or obese.

The path to obesity

Unfortunately, becoming obese isn’t all that difficult, especially when we take into account all the little factors that contribute to it, such as being sedentary, emotional eating and snacking on high-calorie foods.

Genetics

Researchers from Peninsula Medical School in Exeter and Oxford University in England have established that a variant of what’s called the FTO gene plays a role in obesity. Studies have indicated that people with a copy of the gene were 30 percent more at risk for being obese than those with none, while those with two copies had a 70 percent increased risk for being obese.

Environmental factors

Environmental factors have a lot to do with a person’s weight, says president of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (MASO) and Professor of human nutrition, Dr. Mohd Ismail Noor, FASc, DVM (Punj), Msc (Reading), PhD (London), FIUNS, FNSM, FMSA, FMOSTA.

In fact, he says: “Communities can influence the health and weight of its people by creating suitable environments that make it easier to engage in physical activity. For example, in Malaysia, you are less likely to find people cycling to work compared to Western countries. The reason? It could be the lack of cycling lanes here, or that it’s just too hot and humid, and no one wants to go to work drenched in sweat,” he says, adding: “Although nothing can be done about the weather, establishing cycling lanes may encourage more people to cycle and become physically active in the process.”

Your mindset

A person’s state of mind plays a remarkably important role in their weight as well, stresses general physician Dr. Suganya Raghavan, MBBS (India), Dip. Reproductive Medicine (Australia). “There are people who overeat when they feel negative emotions such as boredom, depression or stress,” she says. Being overweight or obese, in turn, can then lead to depression and feelings of shame or inadequacy, adds Dr. Suganya. A study published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry found that people who suffered from depression and obesity prior to, or at the time of the study, were up to 60 percent more likely to be obese.

Hormonal imbalances

“Hormonal problems such as hypothyroidism (an under active thyroid) and polycystic ovary syndrome are two common illnesses that can contribute to obesity,” says Dr. Suganya. Hypothyroidism develops when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough of the thyroid hormone, slowing down your metabolism and leading to weight gain. Polycystic ovary syndrome, on the other hand, results in unusually high amounts of the male hormone androgen, causing irregular or infrequent periods, as well as excessive hair growth and weight gain. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, women with this condition are five times more likely to be obese than those who don’t have it. In addition, says Dr. Suganya: “Being on certain drugs like antidepressants can also cause excessive weight gain because they tend to slow down your metabolism,” she adds.

Excess calories

“When you eat more calories than you burn off, you’ll gain weight, because the extra calories are stored in the body as fat for future use,” says Dr. Suganya. While the number of calories you need depends on your height and weight, eating just 100 calories more (like just a tablespoon of butter, or a medium-sized banana) than you need can pack on 5kg per year.

Watch out! Being obese can set you up for…

Heart disease and stroke

The build up of fat along your coronary arteries narrows the passageways through which your blood travels to provide oxygen and nutrients to your heart and the rest of your body, increasing your risk for a heart attack, blood clots and hypertension. Other potentially fatal consequences of clogged arteries include higher levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and stroke. A recent study that was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference established a link between the increasing obesity rates in the United States and the number of strokes in women between the ages of 35 and 54.

Diabetes

Not surprisingly, being obese also raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, which occurs when your blood sugar levels are too high. Your body makes insulin so that it can transport blood sugar into the cells of your body, where they are used. Having type 2 diabetes, however, leaves your body unresponsive to the insulin that’s made, and your blood sugar levels elevated, putting you at risk for damage to the vessels that supply blood to your vital organs.

Another worrying diabetes-related consequence: Researchers from The George Institute for International Health and University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, have discovered that women with diabetes are 50 percent more likely to die from heart disease than men with the same condition.

Infertility

After following 3029 couples who had no other apparent reason for fertility problems, a study in the journal Human Reproduction concluded that women who were obese had the most trouble conceiving. In fact, they were 43 percent less likely to conceive compared to women who had a BMI within the healthy or normal range.

In part 2, we look at how to beat obesity.

Story courtesy of Shape Malaysia.