
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day to maintain good cardiovascular fitness.But some relatively easy lifestyle changes do have proven benefits. There are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss.
DELBOEUF ILLUSION AND FOOD TV
Where, a generation ago, children might have spent hours riding their bikes in the street, now they may spend that time snacking in front of the TV or computer. The growth in childhood obesity reflects changes in society. Obese children are often bullied, and tend to become obese adults, so they may face a lifetime of low self-esteem and ill health. By the time they leave, this has risen to one in three. Increasing numbers of children are obeseĪlmost one in five children is obese when they start primary school. Britain has the highest rate of obesity in Europe, part of a major global epidemic that has grown fourfold in twenty-five years. How common is it?Īccording to the World Health Organisation, 28.1 percent of UK adults were obese in 2014, and 62 percent were overweight. The NHS spends some £5 billion a year on treating weight-related conditions – that’s £78 for every man, woman, and child in the country.
It’s often socially stigmatised, and it imposes huge additional costs on overstretched health services. It makes people more likely to get heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other diseases.
The worldwide move away from rural areas to citiesīeing overweight or obese reduces life expectancy. Increasing mechanisation and computerisation at home and in the workplace, ranging from TV remote controls to industrial robots. Ready availability of cheap, processed food with a high sugar content. Growing consumption of takeaway and restaurant meals rather than home cooking. The obesity epidemic reflects radical changes in our lifestyles over the past few decades. In the vast majority of cases, it’s preventable. But there’s no medical evidence to support the idea that obesity is caused by a slow metabolism. And certain medications, such as some corticosteroids and antidepressants, can cause weight gain. Some medical conditions may make you more predisposed to obesity, such as an underactive thyroid and Cushing’s disease, and some people inherit a large appetite from their parents. Quite simply, it’s caused by consuming more energy than you’re using, and the excess is stored as fat. If you’re a man with a waist circumference of more than 94 cm (37 in), or a woman with a waist measuring more than 80 cm (31.5 in), you’re more likely to develop obesity-related problems. A useful additional benchmark is your waist measurement. However, BMI is not a definitive indication of obesity, because it’s possible to be very muscular without being obese. 40 or over is defined as severely obese. 25 to 29.9 indicates that you’re overweight. 8.5 to 24.9 means you’re a healthy weight. The first is your body mass index, calculated by multiplying your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in metres. There are two main ways to determine whether you’re obese. Obesity is an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that poses a risk to health.