The percentage of people who are overweight and obese is on the increase, there are more than 1 billion adults in the world who are over weight and 300 million of these are obese.

The percentage of young people who are over weight has more than tripled over the last few years and among children in the age group 6 to 19 years, over 9 million young people are thought to be over weight.

These are startling figures when you think about the consequences being over weight and particularly obesity has on the health, being over weight or obese can increase the risk of many diseases and affect the health, some of which include:

• Hypertension

• Type 2 diabetes

• Coronary heart disease

• Gallbladder disease

• A stroke

• Respiratory problems

• Some types of cancer such as breast cancer and colon cancer

Why is this on the increase?

Studies have shown that we are getting less and less exercise and eating more foods which are high in sugar and saturated fats, more people are eating less healthily instead turning to fast food or junk food as a major part of their diet.

This is often blamed on the world we live in today, people don’t have time to plan and buy foods that are healthier then cook them, it is so much more tempting to just order a take away and have it delivered.

Snacking also has a big part to play particularly with young people and children who are always on the go and can’t take the time out to eat proper healthy meals.

When does being overweight turn to obesity?

The term over weight and obese are terms for ranges of weight that are more than what is considered to be healthy for a given height. For adults weight and height are used to calculate a body mass index, this finds the amount of body fat.

An adult who scores between 25 and 29.9 is said to be over weight, if the person were to score over 30 then they would be classed as being obese. Other methods used to give an estimation of body fat are measurements of skin fold thickness and waist circumference.

Testing for obesity or being overweight

You can perform a simple test at home to determine if you are overweight or becoming obese, you can determine your waist circumference by using a tape measure and fitting it snugly around your waist.

This gives you a good indication of the amount of abdominal fat which can then give you an indication of the risk of developing health problems in the future.

The risk increases if you are a woman and your waist measurement is over 35 inches and in men if it is over 40 inches. If after taking this simple test you are concerned that you may be over weight then it is in your best interest to start doing something about it.

Gradually increase the amount of exercise done per day and start eating a more healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and if you have to snack then snack on fruit or fresh carrot sticks instead of chocolate and cakes.

If you are a lot over the amount of inches recommended then it is advisable to see your Doctor and he will probably recommend that you see a dietician to help you.

Severe obesity is a very chronic condition that is extremely hard to treat, for the person suffering from severe obesity sometimes surgery to restrict food intake and therefore aid in weight reduction is the only option left available.

How digestion works

When food moves along the digestive tract digestive juices and enzymes arrive at the right place to digest and absorb calories and nutrients. When we chew and swallow food it moves down the oesophagus to the stomach where a strong acid continues with the digestive process.

Our stomach can hold roughly 3 pints of food and when the contents of the stomach move down to the duodenum which is the first segment in the small intestine bile and pancreatic juices help speed up the digestive process; this is where most of the iron and calcium is absorbed.

The remaining two segments of the small intestine complete the absorption of almost all the calories and nutrients. Any food particles that can’t be digested in the small intestine are stored in the large intestine until eliminated.

How does surgery promote weight loss?

The use of gastric surgery as an aid to helping obese patients came after results from cancer patients who had a tendency to lose weight after the operation, this operation involves parts of the stomach or small intestine being removed.

For the treatment of obesity through surgery surgeons now use techniques that produce weight loss by limiting how much the stomach can hold. There are two main types of surgery used to help promote weight loss in an obese person.

Restrictive surgery

This type of surgery is used to make the stomach smaller, a part of the stomach is either removed or closed off which limits the amount of food it can hold and therefore makes you feel full.

Malabsorptive surgery

Digestion and absorption takes place in the small intestine, so this type of surgery is used to shorten the length of the small intestine at the point where it connects to the stomach. This then limits the amount of food that is completely digested or absorbed.

What are the benefits and risks?

Benefits

The main benefit is rapid weight loss following the surgery and for 18 to 24 months after the procedure, some patients will start to regain a little of the weight lost but few ever regain it all.

Conditions relating to obesity also improve for example those patients that developed diabetes found that blood sugar levels returned to normal following the surgery.

Side effects

Vomiting is a common side effect of restrictive surgery and patients very often develop nutritional deficiencies such as anaemia. More than one third of obese people who had restrictive surgery developed gallstones and other common side effects such as dizziness, nausea and excessive sweating.

Any type of surgery for obesity isn’t taken lightly and you will have to prove to your Doctor that you have tried all other methods to lose weight before he/she will even consider surgery an option.

For the majority of obese people greater efforts towards losing weight should be made with changes in eating habits, lifestyle and physical activity, this is a more appropriate long term solution and one the Doctor will usually recommend first.

Obesity is not just about how the person looks, it also poses more serious medical issues, any person who is 40% or more over weight is twice as likely to die earlier than a person in the recommended weight zone. Obesity has been linked to several very serious medical conditions including:

• Diseases of the gallbladder especially gallstones.

• Developing high blood pressure.

• Developing some types of cancer.

• Diabetes.

• Gout.

Developing breathing problems which can include sleep apnoea; this is a condition where breathing is paused during sleep.

• Asthma.

Health experts all agree that the more obese a person is then the more likely they are to suffer health related problems. People who are 20% over the recommended weight can gain significant health benefits from going on a diet and losing weight.

People less than 20% above a healthy weight should do everything they possibly can to try and lose weight especially if any of the conditions below are met:

• There is a family history of certain chronic diseases. People who have had relatives who have had diabetes or heart disease have been found to develop these conditions more if they are over weight or obese.

• Pre existing medical conditions exist. Cholesterol levels that are high, high blood pressure and levels of high blood sugar are all warning signs of obesity related diseases.

• Apple shape. This is when the weight is concentrated around the stomach and these people are more at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or some forms of cancer.

Even a weight loss of just 10 to 20 pounds can reduce the risks significantly and bring health improvements.

Heart disease and obesity

People who are overweight are twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure which is a major risk factor for strokes and heart disease, being over weight or obese contributes to a condition called angina, which is pain felt in the chest which is caused by a decrease in oxygen to the heart. Obesity is also linked to sudden death without warning from a stroke.

Diabetes and obesity

Obesity is linked to type 2 diabetes and is a major factor in early death, heart disease and blindness. Over weight or obese people are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes as a person of normal weight.

Cancer and obesity

Several types of cancer are associated with obesity more so in women than men, these include breast cancer, cervical cancer and cancer of the uterus.

Gallbladder disease and obesity

Diseases of the gallbladder and gallstones are common in over weight people and those suffering from obesity but it is not entirely clear why.

Sleep apnoea and obesity

Sleep apnoea is a very serious condition which affects breathing in the sleep, it is commonly associated with people who are over weight or obese. Sleep apnoea can cause daytime sleepiness and increases the risk of heart failure.