Obesity and weight loss

General or Other | Fitness & Sports Medicine | Obesity and weight loss (Disease)


Description

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water.

Causes and Risk factors

Obesity occurs over time when someone eats more calories than they use. Being obese increases the risk of diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, arthritis and some cancers.

Diagnosis and Treatment

If a doctor believes that a person is overweight or obese, he or she will typically review the health history in detail, perform a physical exam and recommend some tests.

Most weight-loss programs can help lose weight at first. There are two types of weight loss surgery that work in two different ways: by restriction and malabsorption. By malabsortion- an area of intestine is skipped thus fewer calories are absorbed, which leads to weight loss. By restriction-weight loss surgery works by preventing the stomach from stretching to full size. Normally, the stomach can hold six cups of food. After weight loss surgery, the stomach can hold only a cup or so. This results in feeling full faster, eating less, and losing weight. ...