General Information about Obesity

Obesity is considered to be one of the most widespread and serious health problems in the world. According to the latest research there are more that 1.7 billion people who are overweight. The United States is one of the countries where this illness reached the size and rate of epidemic with around 71 % of adults with overweigh diagnosis, and this index is almost 20% higher than it was in 1984. It is not hard to notice that nowadays the problem of extra weight trouble many people all around the globe, and not only adults or elderly people, but also teenagers and even children. The basic hazard that obesity involves is not only physical unattractiveness of extra kilos (which is quite a subjective point of view) but also the whole list of diseases capable to develop as obesity-concomitant negative factors. These diseases are as follows: gout, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and some others. The cases of deaths connected with being overweight are getting more and more frequent – more than 300.000 people die every year due to health problems that deal with obesity. When people lose extra weight and their weight becomes normal they automatically increase their quality of life in all spheres of activity. However, if a person tries to become slimmer even though his/her weight is normal, it can also lead to grave consequences, one of which is bulimia. Thus, one should be careful making decision to lose weight and doctor’s consultation is highly recommended.

It sounds unbelievable but our ideal weight is genetically predetermined and certain biological mechanisms are supposed to keep it in norm during our lifetime. However, the rhythm of modern life often breaks these mechanisms and we start to gain weight. In general, the main causes of obesity are:

1. Eating too quickly;
2. Habit to clean the plate completely, derived from childhood;
3. Irregular eating with long periods between meals;
4. Eating while driving, reading, watching TV, etc.