Health Risk of Obesity

Understanding Obesity

There is a general perception by the lay public, and one that is sometimes even shared by some health workers, that the overweight or obese person eats too much and is basically a glutton. Although this may be true for some, it is just as often untrue for others.

Experiments performed in many centres, including the USA and Australia, have shown that many overweight patients often eat less than their normal weight counterparts.

What then is the problem?
The problem is complex and multi-factored, but there appears to be no doubt that in a significant number of people there may be a problem of a low metabolic rate.

Genetics/Heredity
It appears that genetic influence is even more important than environmental factors as a cause of obesity.

Studies of twins have shown that although separated for many years and brought up in different environments, the weights of twins were determined by their heredity and furthermore were much more likely to be similar to the weight of their biological parents compared to their adopted parents.

Examples:

• If neither parent is overweight, there is only a 20% chance of the child being overweight.
• If one parent is overweight, there is a 40% probability of the child being overweight.
• If two parents are overweight, there is an 80% probability of the child being overweight.

It is therefore of the utmost importance to take a thorough family history with regard to:

• Obesity in parents or siblings
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Heart disease

The Diet Dependent Dilemm
Chronic dieters, who go on and off crash diets, may also develop a lower metabolism.