Children's body chemistry may be permanently affected if their mothers are obese. A study done on rats - because rats have human-like physiology - found obese rats gave birth to pups with hyper-response to inflammation. This condition remained after the pups became adults, as well as after they were put on low-fat diets. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type-2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease are inflammation-related disorders. Thus it's believed obese mothers put their newborns at greater risk for these disorders later in life. The fact almost two-thirds of pregnant women in the U.S. are overweight or obese gives new meaning to the word "fat-uous".
Even after we lose weight there are physiological reasons why it's hard to keep that weight off. Changes in the brain both increase emotional response to food and decrease activity in the brain systems more involved in restraint. Also, after we loose weight our bodies adapt to conserve energy and don't require as many calories. Then there's leptin, one of the hormones that controls appetite. After significant weight loss leptin levels drop, which signals a need for food to the brain. The only food without calories to turn into fat is food for thought.
As we age, even more calories are turned into fat and we gain weight. That's because muscles age too. Older muscles shrink because they don't repair themselves as well and then muscle cells die. Those remaining are worn out. Our bodies' energy source is calories and most calories are burned by muscle cells. Metabolism is based on how efficiently the calories are burned. Because older muscles don't burn calories as well, metabolism slows down and unburned calories turn into fat. The good new is exercise - specifically weightlifting - helps muscle cells get bigger and muscles get stronger. The bad news is exercising good judgment doesn't affect muscles.
The bad news for dogs is that overweight people are more likely to have overweight dogs. Being overweight puts extra pressure on dogs' bones, heart and other organs. As with humans, a healthy diet and cardio-type exercise - at least 30 minutes a day - are what dogs need to be healthy and what they need to avoid behavior problems like barking, chewing and house soiling. Statistics say over 34% of Americans are obese and approximately 40% of household pets are overweight. What this says is that if our dogs are fat, we need more exercise.
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