What is obesity:
Obesity is characterized as a medical condition where excess fat has accumulated on an individual’s body to the point in which it may cause negative health effects. People are diagnosed with obesity though a measurement called the BMI, or body mass index.
BMI:
A person’s BMI is their weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. A high BMI can indicate high body fat. It is important to remember that this is just a screening tool and not always accurate.
-If BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. –If BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the normal.
-If BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. -If BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obese range.
Obesity and the Brain:
Obesity is far more than just having too much fat on your body. Obesity can actually alter the physiology of your brain. Hypothalamic inflammation has been associated with both the progression and the development of obesity. This inflammation can actually impair energy balance and contribute to insulin resistance. Consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) activates molecules such as JNK and IκB kinase (IKK) which contribute to the brain inflammation. This can happen regardless of if an individual is already characterized as obese or not. This inflammation causes the uncoupling of your consumed calories and your energy expenditure. This causes overeating leading to weight gain.
Insulin resistance can also occur due to this prolonged hypothalamic inflammation. Insulin resistance causes an individual to overeat due to a dysregulation in the brain. Activation of AgRP neurons signal the body to eat. Activation of POMC neurons signal the body to stop eating. However, when there is insulin resistance, they insulin cannot signal the POMC neurons to tell an individual to stop eating, and thus there is overexpression of the AgRP neuron causing an individual to continue eating, thus leading to weight gain.
The Western Diet:
The western diet, like here in the U.S. is characterized by overconsumption of sugars, saturated fats, animal proteins, and a reduced intake of plant-based fibers. It is also characterized by unnecessarily large portion size. This leads to inflammation in the brain as discussed earlier. We as Americans choose to eat this way largely due to both the convenience and affordability.
So How Can We Treat This?
Medication can be prescribed to treat obesity but should always be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise. These are not a diet replacement. Medication are also usually only given to patients who have a BMI > 30 or have a BMI > 27 with a medical history of high blood pressure, obesity, etc. Surgeries such as gastric bypass can also be performed but are much riskier and qualification are much more intensive.
We as a society should work to compensate for this increasing rate of obesity here in the United States by bettering the health of ourselves. We can do this by:
-leading an active and healthy lifestyle
-eating less salt and sugar
-keeping gut healthy and eating more plant-based foods
-replacing bad fat with healthy fat
-choosing healthier processed foods such as: canned vegetables, frozen fruits and vegetables, whole grain pasta, nuts and nut butters, yogurt, canned and frozen fish
