Causes Of Obesity
There are various causes of obesity, and in some people it
is true that they have a much more difficult time shedding
pounds than most other people do. Obesity is now largely
considered to be an epidemic in the Western world by many
health practitioners and industry experts. Indeed, some
previous studies have even suggested that there are people who
are healthier being overweight than they are in trying to shave
off extra pounds. However, obesity is beyond being
overweight.
According to the online Medical Encyclopedia, "Obesity is an
abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an
individual's ideal body weight. Obesity is associated with
increased risk of illness, disability, and death...Twenty to
forty percent over ideal weight is considered mildly obese;
40–100% over ideal weight is considered moderately obese; and
100% over ideal weight is considered severely, or morbidly,
obese. More recent guidelines for obesity use a measurement
called BMI (body mass index) which is the individual's weight
multiplied by 703 and then divided by twice the height in
inches. BMI of 25.9–29 is considered overweight; BMI over 30 is
considered obese."
Therefore, it needs to be recognized
that there is probably nothing "natural" about obesity, but it
is brought on by some kind of distortion. Being overweight is
relatively healthier and easier to manage than being obese.
Being obese leaves one more open to having a compromised immune
system (because the body's systems are overtaxed), less able to
live a fully active life, depression due to lack of energy, and
significantly increased risks of heart disease and high
cholesterol leading to strokes or heart attacks.
Medical and health researchers almost universally agree that
one of the leading causes of the obesity epidemic in the West
is the high-starch, high-fat diet consumed at the very same
time that so many people fail to get adequate physical activity
or exercise. The body naturally has an instinct to consume
fats, sugars, and starches because during physical activity
these are the body's primary fuels. If these fuels become
depleted the body then turns to burning off its own muscle in
the form of burning protein to get energy. So the often
maligned fast-food restaurants are not serving anything that is
inherently "evil".
Nevertheless, the problem is the fact human instincts have
not kept pace with human technological development, which has
freed up a great deal of time for people that once was taken up
quite largely by varying degrees of physical activity. While
only a few "Luddites" argue our technology is killing us and
should be halted or turned back, it is true that people need to
wisely reconsider their eating options as well as making up for
less need for physical labor by voluntarily taking up an
exercise program.
In fact, diet and exercise remain the two best
ways of treating obesity. Consuming less Omega-6 fat (such
as what is found in steak and fried foods), replacing it
with more Omega-3 fat (found in great abundance in
seafood), eating less starch and less preserved or denuded
("refined" or "enriched" ) foods and more fresh fruits,
leafy vegetables, and legumes, and entering into a regular
exercise regimen (under, at least at first, a doctor's
guidance) are all vitally important keys to fighting
obesity.
All of these things are better than relying on expensive,
powerful drugs that have potent side effects.
But another equally important way of fighting obesity is
getting sufficient rest and sleep. Recent research has exploded
onto the scene with its findings that people who regularly get
less than at least six hours of undisturbed sleep per night are
much more at risk of putting on additional weight than people
who get six to eight hours per night (although the same
research finds that excessive sleep, beyond eight hours, also
packs on the pounds). The reason for this causing increased
risk of obesity is that when the brain's lymbic system begins
to calculate a high-stress situation (which it assumes to be
the case when there are prolonged times of insufficient rest),
it sends out chemical signals that alter the body's metabolism,
slowing it down to preserve precious energy reserves in case of
a "flight-or-fight" situation.
Our modern world with its many new kinds of stresses all too
often triggers insomnia. Exercise and good dieting, however,
also help fight this condition.
If you find yourself waking up at all hours of the night or
you know for a fact that you snore, you should get checked for
possibly having sleep apnea. A disruption of the breathing
during sleep, sleep apnea has also been linked to significantly
increased risk of becoming obese.

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