In the modern industrial world, it is necessary to ascertain the existence of oppressive dependence which indicates that the more perfect economically the country is, the more intensively health balance of its residents is disturbed. One of such implications is obesity which is the excess deposition of fat in the human body. Normally, in healthy male, fat weight should be about 10-20%, and for women – 25-30% of the total body weight. With age, in both sexes, fat mass increases with a decrease of bone and muscle mass which brings about a threat of obesity.
According to the World Health Organization, there are about 2 billion patients who are overweight (WHO, 2015). Furthermore, this number is steadily increasing, and therefore obesity is classified as an epidemic of the XXI century. By frequency of cases of obesity, undoubtedly, the USA occupies leading positions, which 60% of the population is overweight (WHO, 2015). Of particular concern is the fact that obesity is more and more often registered among children.
As it is mentioned by Evelyn Kelly in the book “Obesity”, an issue of obesity arose in the late XX century, a few decades after a devastating war, when the economy was restored, and the aims were set to achieve decent level of life after painful death and sorrow (29). However, in pursuit of this goal, food that is sold in supermarkets gets more and more fatty and with the higher content of carbohydrate which largely contributes to obesity due to the high energy value of fat and rapid digestibility of sugars.
An important question arises: How to reduce weight in order to overcome obesity? What are the solutions? To start with, many have seen a way to solve this problem in a diet and revision of the concept of nutrition. There emerge more and more new diets which are widely advertised and capture minds of obese people, but soon lead to frustration and absence of results (Kelly 38). This is because the approach must be comprehensive, involving a whole lifestyle change. Obesity, in most cases, develops when the volume of food consumed is getting larger, but body energy expenditure is getting smaller. Modern lifestyle is characterized with low mobility, low muscle activity, and the consumption of high-calorie foods. Such an energy balance equation is possible when the amount of food consumed completely covers the body's need for energy and energy consumption level is composed of metabolism, heat generation and physical exercises (Kelly 39).
However, experience shows that only a small proportion of patients follows doctor`s prescriptions for lifestyle changes, possibly due to "hardship" and "restrictions". Lifestyle change is necessary with the aim of preventing obesity. To achieve this goal, a well-trained and financially supported program to counter obesity is needed. Something similar is being introduced in the United States and, according to experts, will lead to a decrease in the frequency of obesity there. Specialists from National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute came to the conclusion that the best results in countering obesity are obtained through combined use of medications, diet, behavioral therapy, and physical exercises (2012).
The main objective of treating obesity should be the reduction of the risk of co-morbidities, increase of life expectancy, and, additionally, to improve glycemic control among obese individuals. Primary goal of treatment of obesity is the reduction of body weight by 10% of the original weight (National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute, 2012). More intensive weight loss may be recommended for patients with morbid obesity (BMI> 40.0), obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or before scheduled surgery.
According to Caroline Apovian and Carine Lenders, when attempting to lose weight, especially under sedentary age of life, it is necessary to exclude products containing carbohydrate (sugar, honey, jam, sweets) and sharply limit starchy foods (bread, pasta, and rice; limit potatoes and cereals) (164). Preference shall be given to products containing vegetable fiber (vegetables and fruits). Vegetables with fewer carbohydrates include all kinds of cabbage, herbs and seasonal vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and zucchini); fruit – unsweetened apples and citrus fruits (Apovian & Lenders 164).
Furthermore, a patient shall adhere to strict water and salt consuming regime. Drinking adequate amounts of pure filtered water (2-3 liters a day) helps the body to be cleansed of "slags". However, provided that it is consumer not later than 20-30 minutes before taking meals (Apovian & Lenders 165). Exclusion of sugar and salt from the diet will create conditions for getting rid of without further accumulation of excess fluid in the body, as well as deprivation of a few kilograms in the first few days of such a diet (Apovian & Lenders 166). Additionally, patients shall not forget about medicines which are used for overcoming of obesity. List of drugs which are safe for treatment of obesity is too small to date, and, therefore, the development of new medical drugs should be encouraged at the state level. Such effective and safe pharmacological drugs should be for long-term and possibly life-long use. Among the drugs that contribute to weight loss, a special place belongs to the orlistat – drug that has no systematic influence on the current inhibiting gastrointestinal lipase, but is rather effective in countering obesity (National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute, 2012).
Thus, through changing the way of life and thinking, increasing of motor activity and observing diet, obese people can restore their health, improve the physique, and return back to normal weight.
Works Cited
Apovian, C. and Carine M. Lenders. A Clinical Guide for Management of Overweight and Obese Children and Adults. CRC Press, 2010. Print.
Kelly, E. Obesity. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Print.
National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute. “How Are Overweight and Obesity Treated?”. nhlbi.nih.go. 13 Jul. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
World Health Organizations. “Obesity and overweight”. who.int. Jan 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
