A well-known saying seems so obvious: “We are what we eat”, though food is frequently taken for granted. Nowadays a serious eating disorder, obesity, is prevalent among both adults and children. Empirical evidence suggests that obesity should be regarded as a serious disease. A woman became 30 kilos overweight over a short period of time and that marked change shaped her destiny. Though the causes and the consequences of obesity might seem apparent, excessive accumulation of body fat raises considerable concerns.
Most common reason that compels people to overeat is a psychological one. Strong emotions can reduce the sensitivity of satiety center in the brain. Malfunction of appetite center in the brain can provoke a person into unconscious consumption of copious amounts of food, as the normal amount of consumed food cannot suppress the hunger. Increased appetite provokes excessive consumption of fatty foods, which in turn leads to obesity if a person has inherited poor body's ability to burn fat.
The cause of increased appetite often becomes not the physiological needs of the body, and the reaction to stress. Thus, people face this eating disorder due largely to a number of psycho-emotional factors, namely loneliness, anxiety and depression. In these cases, the food is a substitute for positive emotions. Binge eating is usually prevalent among introverts and those who feel lonely for some reason. The following example illustrates this point. A woman in her early forties turned into obese after her husband passed away. Being a bit plump, she became addicted to food and her constant inactivity exacerbated the issue. Thus, the second most crucial factor leading to obesity is the proliferation of sedentary lifestyle. When a person is inactive even a normal amount of food intake is excessive because the calories that come with food are not burned during exercise, thus they are converted to fat. Technological revolution, particularly immense amount of cars and elevators has facilitated human life but at the same time has resulted in sedentary lifestyle. Heredity is fairly important as well, however if a person sticks to a low-calorie diet along with an active lifestyle genetics does not pose a threat.
As far as the effects are concerned, obese people are subject to a number of serious diseases. It is believed that excess weight is not only a heavy burden but also a factor that affects the health. The accumulation of excess fat leads to violations of hormonal effects on metabolism and the work of organs and systems. People who suffer from obesity are discontented and experience chronic fatigue. Serious repercussions include increased risk of diabetes, stroke, asthma as well as certain forms of cancer. Diabetes is ten times more common among overweight people, while high blood pressure is a determining factor in heart diseases. Cardiovascular diseases and the problems with respiratory system are very conspicuous among obese people, as they face difficulty in breathing even when they walk short distance. Moreover, this condition affects the joints owing to the heavy weight. Thus, arthritis is also one of the consequences of obesity. In addition, social sphere should be taken into account. Overweight people are prone to encounter a range of psychological problems. The matter of growing concern is that low self-esteem together with sense of inferiority is likely to cause lack of social interaction and can exacerbate emotional instability and mood swings. The financial impact is worth mentioning as well. A friend of mine recalled a notable instance the other day. One American bankrupted and the reason for this is entwined with obesity, as considerable sums of money were wasted on the abundance of food.
Being of paramount importance, obesity is an appalling condition that ultimately affects both health and a wallet. This condition is a ramification of personal choices, thus it is not beyond the realms of possibility to overcome it.
