Obesity is excess weight resulting from a large accumulation of fat in the body that can be detrimental to health. Except for very muscular people; a body weight 20% greater than that established in the standard height and weight tables is arbitrarily considered obesity. The root cause of obesity is an imbalance between income and calorie expenditure. When more calories (energy from food) enter the body than needed to keep it functioning, the excess is stored as fat. Small amounts that accumulate over a period of time form fat deposits.
Changes in the lifestyle of the civilized world, such as an increase in the intake, above all, of hypocaloric foods, rich in fats and sugars, but scarce in vitamins and minerals; and the decline in physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many jobs, changes in means of transportation, and growing urbanization are largely responsible for the increased incidence of obesity.
Various factors also influence obesity, in addition to those already mentioned, such as genetic factors, or environmental and psychological factors. Some people seem to have a hereditary tendency towards being overweight. It is difficult to determine if it is a genetic or environmental trait. Excess fat causes serious health problems, there are risks of chronic diseases such as diabetes, gallbladder disease, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, blood clots, some forms of cancer, arthritis, atherosclerosis, shortness of breath and perhaps sterility and sexual problems.
The most common treatment is to reduce your intake of sugar and calories from fat, switch your intake from saturated to unsaturated fats, increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrients, and increase your physical activity. Other treatments such as the application of drugs that suppress the appetite (commonly a mixture of amphetamines) are found, but those who consume them run the risk of becoming drug addicts. There are also surgical techniques such as intestinal bypass and gastric bypass, these sometimes bring certain complications.
