Obesity

Obesity is not a simple condition of eating too much. It is now recognised as a serious chronic disease.

Causes of Obesity

Obesity could be a combination of the following:

The genes you inherit from your parents
How well your body turns food into energy
Your eating and exercising habits
Your surroundings
Psychological factors

Consequences of Obesity

If you are obese, severely obese, or morbidly obese, you may have:

Major health risks

Shorter life expectancy
Compared to people of normal weight, obese people have a 50% to 100% increased risk of dying prematurely
Diabetes (type 2)
Joint problems (e.g., arthritis)
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Gallbladder problems
Certain types of cancers (breast, uterine, colon)
Digestive disorders (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GORD)
Breathing difficulties (sleep apnoea, asthma)
Psychological problems such as depression
Problems with fertility and pregnancy
Incontinence

Risks to psychological and social well-being

Negative self-image
Psychological problems such as depression
Social isolation
Discrimination

Difficulties with day-to-day living

Normal tasks become harder as movement is more difficult.
You tend to tire more quickly and find yourself short of breath.
Public transport seats, telephone booths and cars may be too small for you.
You may find it difficult to maintain personal hygiene.

Treatment

Non-surgical intervention:

Many people who are unhealthily overweight have tried in vain to lose excess weight. The market is overflowing with all kinds of slimming diets, cures and products that advertise success, but many studies show that diets and slimming aids rarely succeed in helping people achieve the desired result of long-lasting weight reduction. In fact, many people who have tried dieting gain back more than they lost when they go off the diet.

Surgery:

If you have tried diets, cures, tablets or medicines, and they haven't helped you lose and maintain a healthy weight, obesity surgery may be an option to artificially reduce the amount of food your stomach can hold and decrease your appetite.

Click here on Dr Ian Martin’s lecture on the evidence for obesity surgery.