Obesity is arguably one of, if not the largest public health problems of the 21st century. Not only is it a global issue but also a significant concern here in Australia, ranking us the 6th “fattest” country in the world. With this in mind, 120 million of Australian dollars are contributed to obesity-related matters. Roughly 40% of both Australian men and women are considered overweight and 30% of the total population considered obese, as indicated by their Body Mass Index or BMI. Obesity is also increasing in younger age groups such as children, adolescents and young adults and these trends are only expected to rise.
So are obese people responsible for their condition? Couldn’t they just eat less and exercise more? The answer is complex. There is a currently wealth of evidence to indicate that bodily systems in obese people are different to systems found in a healthy body.
Let’s take food intake for example. When you eat and become full, your gut sends signals to your brain via hormones and neural signals to tell you that you are full. Conversely, when you fast, there is a hormone to tell you that you are hungry and thus, increasing your appetite. In obese people, there are less “full” hormones and their brains are less responsive to these hormones. Because of this, it is harder for obese people to regulate their food intake and lose weight because they feel hungry all the time.
There are several other factors indicated through research that make it even tougher for obese individuals to regulate their “energy balance” or the difference between intake and expenditure. Here are some examples.
- After weight loss in obese people, their bodies relapse and increase “hungry” hormones and decrease “full” hormones, returning them to a higher weight.
- Basal energy expenditure or the energy used to maintain essential organ functions and everyday activities is lower.
- Obese people display lower energy expenditure after a meal.
- There is evidence in the brains of obese people that indicate exercise is less appealing and they have a reduced drive for physical activity.
- There is a genetic aspect to obesity and there is evidence that shows that what your mother eats can alter your DNA and body composure, thus influencing your eating habits.
If you would like to find out more about developing an exercise regime, strategies on how you can increase activity through your daily routine or structuring a regular meal plan, My Rehab Team has friendly physiotherapists, exercise physiologist, occupational therapists and dieticians that can assist you with this. For more information, please contact us on 1300MYREHAB (1300 469 794) or at info@myrehabteam.com.au.
Notes taken from Australian Physiotherapy Association webinar titled “Preventati
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