Obesity: Causes, Complications, and Diagnosis

Journal of Food and Clinical Nutrition is a peer reviewed open access journal. It is a bimonthly journal. Here we discuss about Obesity: Causes, Complications, and Diagnosis

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to an extent that it may have a negative effect on health.

Causes

Eating more calories than you burn in daily activity and exercise (on a long-term basis) causes obesity. Over time, these extra calories add up and cause you to gain weight.

Common specific causes of obesity include:

• eating a poor diet of foods high in fats and calories
• having a sedentary (inactive) lifestyle
• not sleeping enough, which can lead to hormonal changes that make you feel hungrier and crave certain high-calorie foods
• genetics, which can affect how your body processes food into energy and how fat is stored
• growing older, which can lead to less muscle mass and a slower metabolic rate, making it easier to gain weight
• pregnancy (weight gained during pregnancy can be difficult to lose and may eventually lead to obesity)

Certain medical conditions may also lead to weight gain. These include:

• polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
•  Prader-Willi syndrome
• Cushing syndrome
• hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• osteoarthritis 

Diagnosis

Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or more. Body mass index is a rough calculation of a person’s weight in relation to their height.

Other more accurate measures of body fat and body fat distribution include skinfold thickness, waist-to-hip comparisons, and screening tests such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

Your doctor may also order certain tests to help diagnose obesity as well as obesity-related health risks. These may include blood tests to examine cholesterol and glucose levels, liver function tests, diabetes screen, thyroid tests, and heart tests, such as an electrocardiogram.

A measurement of the fat around your waist is also a good predictor of risk for obesity-related diseases.

Complications

Obesity leads to much more than simple weight gain. Having a high ratio of body fat to muscle puts strain on your bones as well as your internal organs. It also increases inflammation in the body, which is thought to be a cause of cancer. Obesity is also a major cause of type 2 diabetes.

Obesity has been linked to a number of health complications, some of which are life-threatening:

• type 2 diabetes
• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• certain cancers (breast, colon, and endometrial)
• stroke
• gallbladder disease
• fatty liver disease
• high cholesterol
• sleep apnea and other breathing problems
• arthritis
• infertility

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Journal of Food and Clinical Nutrition 

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