Obesity and anorexia: two challenges in today’s society

Obesity is arguably a disease. In fact, the World Health Organization has recognized it as such. In turn, it is a chronic disease, which must be treated for life, or at least as long as it continues in an environmental context so prone to cause this disease.

We speak of obesity when the BMI, that is to say, the Body Mass Index is higher than 30. Thus, there are four types of obesity:

  • Obesity type 1: the BMI is 30 to 35.
  • Obesity type 2: BMI is between 35 and 40.
  • Obesity type 3: BMI varies between 40 and 50. Also called morbid obesity.
  • Obesity type 4: BMI is more than 550. We speak of extreme obesity.

Thus, on more than one occasion it has been stated that obesity is the epidemic of the 21st century. Some of the reasons are the following:

  • The magnitude of the prevalence of the disease and, especially, its speed of increase and spread justify its being called a true epidemic.
  • Obesity has become a great challenge -if not the greatest- for public health in the 21st century, since it is estimated that it affects more than 500 million people worldwide, and that it represents an expenditure of 200,000 million dollars (in the United States alone) to combat it.
  • In our country, it is estimated that between 23 and 28% of the population over 18 years of age is obese. Thirty-nine percent are overweight, or have a BMI of over 25. Thirty-six percent of the population has abdominal obesity.

Comorbidities of obesity

  • It favors the development and appearance of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular diseases.
  • It makes the sufferer prone to some types of cancer, such as colon, rectal, esophageal or pancreatic cancer. In women breast and endometrial cancer.
  • It causes an increase in mortality from all causes, but especially death from cardiovascular disease and/or cancer.

Treatment of obesity

A paradigm shift and a correct and sustainable strategy are necessary to cure obesity.

In the case of professionals, it implies the correct diagnosis of every obese patient, while at the same time treatment strategies are proposed in the main lines of action: nutrition, attitude towards food and physical exercise.

Drugs and treatments

“Traditionally, obesity has been seen as the result of an imbalance between the amount of food ingested and the amount of exercise performed, although this view overlooks the contribution of genetics in the metabolism of each individual.”

Transnational research in genetic, epigenetic, hormonal, etc. advances opens new doors.

We are what we eat

The education given to children both at school and at home is extremely important. In fact, teaching good nutritional guidelines is the way forward. In schools, children know how the nutritional pyramid is composed within the Mediterranean diet, although this should also be followed at home.

Children should learn to eat in a healthy and fun way, collaborating with parents in the kitchen and gradually getting used to all kinds of food. At the same time, meals should serve as a meeting or gathering point, no longer just to perform one of the basic functions.

Read Now 👉  How to prevent childhood obesity and overweight?

Obviously, fast food or pre-cooked or ready-made dishes are a simpler way of eating, although this type of food generally involves a high caloric intake and an excessive and inadequate amount of saturated fats.

Keeping the weight off after losing it, a difficult challenge to meet

The changes in diet, the reduction in the amount of food eaten and the change from a sedentary life to a healthy life in which exercise is practiced, leads to a five to ten percent decrease in weight, a fact that improves overall health and personal self-esteem. In addition, diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses are better controlled.

“Diets have a rebound effect.” This is a frequent statement. It should be noted that, after a diet that involves weight loss many people return to their old lifestyle, which implies a gradual gain of weight, in turn aggravating the diseases associated with obesity.

To avoid regaining the lost weight, it is necessary to maintain control of the diet, monitoring the quantity and quality of what is eaten, practice exercise or even increase its frequency.

In case the patient has a tendency to gain weight, he/she must assume that his/her lifestyle is not the most adequate for his/her health, so it must be permanently changed. A balance between the energy intake of what we consume and the energy expenditure of the organism is necessary. This is one of the reasons why it is important to exercise, since more energy is expended in addition to promoting muscle mass.

Anorexia, an increasingly common problem

Anorexia is another problem that has been gradually emerging in society and has been growing among young people, occurring at increasingly younger ages. Cases are detected from the age of ten, and although it affects both sexes, it is more frequent in girls.

The main problem lies in the impact on children of models of perfect aesthetics, such as current beauty standards. People must learn to love themselves as they are, with their own characteristics, trying to take care of themselves but without being ashamed of who they are.

The environment that surrounds the person influences, since there is competition, family influence… Conversations about weight, clothes, fatty products… All this information is absorbed by children, so the warning signs must be taken into account. The first to notice the problem are friends, because usually the anorexic does not hide it.

Anorexia is a serious disease that can kill. There comes a time when the patient has such a great alteration in perception that he/she sees him/herself as fat or with cellulite even though he/she is practically in the bones.

A courageous attitude is needed, to face these behaviors, to let families and teachers know, and if necessary, seeking the help of professionals such as Psychologists, Nutritionists or Endocrinologists. This is slow work that must be carried out as a team.