Obesity is the rising plague in America. Over 33% of the population in America is considered to be obese with 5-10 Million considered to be at a morbid level.
It is killing hundreds of thousands of people across the nation. A few years, obesity was thought to only be indirectly related to heart disease.
However, recent studies have shown that there is a direct link between obesity and heart disease. It causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, and type two diabetes.
The Body Max Index (BMI) of a person uses variable such as height and weight to indicate whether a person is healthy or not. This measurement tool does not apply to pregnant women, body builders, or athletes.
A BMI over 25 indicates that a person is overweight and a BMI over 30 indicates someone is obese. Someone with a BMI over 40 is morbidly obese, and at severe risk for heart disease.
A 14 year study on middle aged women found that women who had a BMI between 23 and 25 had a 50% higher risk for contracting coronary heart disease than women with a lower BMI. This study showed a direct link between obesity and heart disease.
When severe it can also lead to abnormalities in the left ventricle of the heart. This ventricle pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body.
These abnormalities are also associated with high blood pressure and hypertension. They will lead to congestive heart disease, and eventually failure.
Combating obesity is a steady long term task that takes commitment and perseverance. However, how far would you go to save a friend's life? Your own?
Small changes in lifestyle and diet can have dramatic improvements on overall health and lowering the risk of heart disease. A short term solution to weight loss is to reduce the sodium or salt found in the diet.
This will improve the performance of the heart function and can reduce weight. This is a temporary solution, but a step in the right direction and a good way to begin.
Gastrointestinal surgery is also an option for those with a BMI over 40. Of course, following the surgery better health and eating habits will have to be followed to retain a healthy weight.
Other habits that can be changed to optimize weight loss include reducing calorie intake, medication, exercising, and cessation of smoking. There are also genetic and social factors that can affect your weight.
When beginning to practice better eating habits, it is a good idea to avoid social functions where there will be food. It may be too tempting to take a bite when everyone else is eating and watching you.
Sometimes allergic reactions to specific foods will cause weight gains. Weight gain and obesity are also directly connected to mental health.
Occasionally people will have developed addictions to specific foods. Studies have shown that frequent ingestion of allergenic foods trigger a rise in the chemical opioid enkephalin in the human brain.
This chemical acts as a narcotic causing cravings, irritability, weakness, hunger, and other withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms do not go away when the food is eaten in normal serving sizes, and can result in uncontrollable eating.
If this is the case the doctor may place the patient on a low allergen diet to help them overcome these addictions. These kinds of diets result in a major increase in the sense of well being within the first month.
If the body hangs on to water and fat excessively, this can indicate that the food allergies and intolerance. When placed on a low-allergen diet water loss of 5-10 pounds followed by fat is very common.
Fighting obesity is worth the battle. It can save lives and prevent thousands of deaths through excessive weight and heart disease.
This fight is also a fight against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, and type two diabetes. It is a fight for healthy, happy, and able people.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels has a PHD in financial services and has written hundreds of articles relating to consumer services and online personal loans. He has been a consumer advocate for nearly 25 years.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 