- Types of obesity
- 1. Abdominal obesity
- 2. Peripheral obesity
- 3. Homogeneous obesity
- Signs and symptoms of obesity
- What Causes Obesity
- How to tell if I'm too overweight
- How to treat obesity
Obesity is characterized by being overweight, usually caused by a sedentary lifestyle and exaggerated consumption of foods high in fat and sugar, which generates several harms in the person's life, such as the development of diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol high, infarction or osteoarthritis of the bones, in addition to symptoms such as difficulties to make efforts, indisposition and low self-esteem.
To identify that a person is obese, in most cases, the BMI, or body mass index, is used, which is a calculation that analyzes the weight that the person presents in relation to his height, being divided into different degrees:
- Normal weight: BMI between 18.0 to 24.9 kg / m2 Overweight: BMI between 25.0 to 29.9 kg / m2 Obesity grade 1: BMI between 30.0 - 34.9 kg / m2; Grade 2 obesity: BMI between 35.0 - 39.9 kg / m2; Grade 3 obesity or morbid obesity: BMI equal to or greater than 40 kg / m2.
You can also use our calculator to find out your BMI:
Types of obesity
In addition to being classified according to weight, obesity also varies according to the location and distribution of fat throughout the body:
1. Abdominal obesity
Fat is deposited mainly in the abdomen and waist, and can also be distributed across the chest and face. This type of obesity is also known as android or apple-shaped obesity, due to the similarity of the person's silhouette to this fruit, and is more common in men, although some women may also have it.
Abdominal obesity is very associated with a high risk of developing other cardiovascular diseases such as high cholesterol, heart disease, heart attack, in addition to diabetes, inflammation and thrombosis.
2. Peripheral obesity
This type of obesity is more common in women, as the fat is located more on the thighs, hips and buttocks, and is known as pear obesity, due to the shape of the silhouette, or gynoid obesity.
Peripheral obesity is more associated with circulatory problems, such as venous insufficiency and varicose veins, and osteoarthritis in the knees, due to the weight overload in these joints, although it also increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
3. Homogeneous obesity
In this case, there is no predominance of fat in a localized area, as excess weight is distributed throughout the body. This can be dangerous, as the person may be careless because there is not a big impact on physical appearance, as with other types.
Signs and symptoms of obesity
Excess fat has negative effects on the entire body, causing uncomfortable signs and symptoms, such as:
- Shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, due to the pressure of the abdominal weight on the lungs; Pain in the body, especially in the back, legs, knees and shoulders, due to the excessive effort that the body makes to support the weight; Difficulty to make efforts or walks, due to excess weight and deconditioning of the body; Dermatitis and fungal infections, due to the accumulation of sweat and dirt in the folds of the body; Dark spots on the skin, especially the neck, armpits and groins, a reaction caused by insulin resistance, or pre-diabetes, called acanthosis nigricans ; Impotence and infertility, due to hormonal changes and difficulties in blood flow in the vessels; Night snoring and sleep apnea, due to the accumulation of fat in the neck and airways; Greater tendency to varicose veins and venous ulcers, due to changes in vessels and blood circulation; Anxiety and depression, due to dissatisfaction with body image and binge eating.
In addition, obesity is a determinant cause of several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, thrombosis, and impotence, and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and high cholesterol.
What Causes Obesity
Obesity can occur at any age and, in Brazil, the number of people who go through this situation is increasing, due to the excessive consumption of caloric foods, such as bread, pasta, sweets, fast food and ready meals, in addition to sedentary lifestyle., which causes the amount of calories consumed to be greater than the amount the person spends throughout the day.
In addition, hormonal disorders or emotional problems such as anxiety or nervousness can also increase the risk of obesity and, therefore, these situations should be treated as soon as they are identified. Better understand what are the main causes that explain the emergence of obesity and how to fight them.
Childhood obesity has also been more and more frequent, due to the excess of industrialized foods, sweets and soda, in addition to less and less outdoor activities. The child usually follows the habits of the parents, so it is very common for children with obesity to also become overweight.
How to tell if I'm too overweight
The main way to detect obesity is with the calculation of BMI, however, in addition to the increased weight, it is also important to identify the fat deposit in different parts of the body, differentiating the weight in fat from the weight in muscles.
Thus, as a way of assessing the body's fat mass and its distribution, we use:
- Measurement of skin fold thickness: measures the fat located in the deposits under the skin, which is related to the amount of internal fat; Bioimpedance: exam that analyzes body composition, indicating the approximate amount of muscles, bones and fats in the body. Understand better when it is indicated and how bioimpedance works; Ultrasonography, tomography or magnetic resonance: they evaluate the thickness of the adipose tissue in the folds, and also in deeper tissues in different body regions, such as the abdomen, therefore, they are good methods to assess abdominal obesity;
Measurement of abdominal circumference: identifies the deposit of fat in the abdomen and the risk of developing abdominal obesity, being classified as having this type of obesity when the waist measurement exceeds 94 cm in men and 80 cm in women;
Abdominal circumference / hip ratio: measures the relationship between abdominal circumference and that of the hip, evaluating differences in patterns of fat accumulation and the risk of developing obesity, being high when above 0.90 for men and 0.85 for women. Find out how you can measure your waist-to-hip ratio.
Ideally, these assessments and measures should be made by the nutritionist or doctor, to correctly identify the amount of fat that the person needs to eliminate and schedule an ideal treatment.
How to treat obesity
The treatment of obesity should be done with regular physical exercises, guided by a physical trainer, and a weight loss diet, guided by a nutritionist, and should be done gradually and in a healthy way, because diets that promise weight loss very fast, usually do not have long lasting effects or are harmful to health.
Check out some tips to adjust your diet, in a natural and healthy way, to achieve the goal of losing weight:
Weight loss drugs can also be used to treat obesity, however, their use should only be done under the guidance of the endocrinologist. In the most severe cases, some types of surgery can also be used, such as bariatric surgery. Find out how the treatment for obesity is done and when the use of drugs or surgery is indicated.
