Body composition and obesity in weight management

Most people are unaware of what is body composition and don’t understand obesity in weight management and health risks. The reality is that people don’t observe the factors that cause obesity but they get shocked when the obesity dominates. They even don’t know the term BMI and its importance in weight management. After developing obesity, they find different ways to get rid of this extra body weight. For such people, here is a detailed guideline to better understand what is body composition and know what is the relationship between obesity in weight management and health risks.

BODY COMPOSITION

Body composition, for better understanding, is the proportion of fat, muscle mass, minerals, and water that make up the human body. It is a better and more precise measure of ideal body weight when we compare it with height and weight table to know whether an individual is overweight or underweight. There is about 65% water in an adult’s body and this amount fluctuates from person to person. In a lean body, this proportion of water is usually higher because there exists more water in muscles than in fat tissues.

Minerals make up approximately 6% of body weight and most of it is present in the bones. Lean mass, depending on the activity and body size, has ranged from 40% to 70%. Keep in mind that lean body mass reduces with age.

Body fat also fluctuates differently because it shows different ranges depending on age and sex. It ranges from 15% to 30% in male adults and 20% to 35% in women. These percentages also change with age and activity level. Through weight management and exercise, some older persons manage a low ratio of body fat. These factors are important to monitor obesity in weight management. But, there must be some fat present in the body for survival as it insulates the body from temperature fluctuation of the environment. In addition to this, it also guards the body from trauma and maintains the internal temperature of the body. That is why the standard proportion of body fat varies with survival needs.

Obesity Overview

There is a big difference between overweight and obesity and it is obvious when we see a person bearing these two conditions. You can differentiate by taking the values of both conditions through some measuring formulae. The word overweight means the body weight with an excess of some values and does not point out the degree of fatness, but the term obese means the indication of the percentage of fatness.

There are two problems which arise due to overweight; one is social and the other is a medical problem. But the social impact is much stronger than medical. The person carrying overweight may experience embarrassment, social isolation, and low self-esteem. For such individuals, counseling works better to motivate them to take regular exercise and to understand weight and body composition. Usually, the fully obese person gains much more weight in his early adolescence.

Taking a controlled diet and exercise lets the overweight person achieve a normal weight. We can differentiate between obese and overweight persons by knowing the body fat percentage and by some body systems that support the deposition of adipose tissues. The higher fat deposition makes it difficult to lose obesity in weight management.

The gross amount of body fat is the number of cells and the size of cells. The adipose cell consists of 72% fat and 23% water.

The enlargement of fat cells happens in all obese, and all obese persons who have 4 to 5 times more fat cells as compared to non-obese persons do not show weight loss. Such persons do not show significant weight loss in their whole lives and face several health hazards.

There are several serious health issues along with social and psychosocial issues that follow obesity. Below are some health problems of obesity.

Health Problems:

• High blood lipids

In an obese person, the risk of heart disease increases because of both high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

• Hypertension and Kidney diseases

Both these conditions are common in obese people because of the high work burden and the creation of some more capillary systems. This system nourishes the adipose tissue causing the additional weight.

• Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common disease in obese people. It is thought to be happening due to long-term obesity and genetics. Type 2 diabetes makes it worse when you observe obesity in weight management.

• Cancer

Cancer is one of the disorders which is caused due to obesity. Different types of Carcinomas of pancreas, breast, gallbladder, and uterine are being studied in this regard.

• Skin infections

Skin infections and irritations are common in the lower body, especially around the parts of the genitals. It happens due to moisture and heat caused by fat. Such people also experience difficulty in cleaning the genital area which leads to infection.

• Female related issues

There are some problems experienced by females which are caused by obesity. In these problems, menstrual disorders are common. Furthermore, some pregnancy-related difficulties are also faced by such females. That is why there is a high stillborn rate in such females.

• Hernias

Hernias also happen in obese people because of fat deposition in the abdominal cavity and around the organs. Among these, hiatal and abdominal hernias are very common.

• Osteoarthritis

Obesity causes an extra burden on weight-bearing joints that leads to osteoarthritis. Varicose veins are another such condition where extra weight causes veins to swell, especially in the lower limbs.

• Exercise intolerance

Reduced breathing ability causes poor oxygen intake due to obesity which causes decreased tolerance for exercise.

• Cholelithiasis

This condition is also known as gall stones which are majorly composed of cholesterol coming from saturated fats. As there is a huge amount of fats in obese people, so is the level of cholesterol. That is the reason that there is always a greater risk of this condition in obese individuals.

• Premature Aging

In obese people, premature aging has been seen commonly. The estimated reduction in age of obese people by 15 years has been noted.

Summary

Obesity is a complicated problem with different aspects like psychological, physiological, and cultural factors. All the therapies to control these factors are in vain due to their complexity. Obesity is a term which is referred to extra fat gain but the term overweight refers to gain in all aspects like fat, cells, and water. We can say that an individual is overweight but we cannot say an overweight person is obese at all. Being overweight may be your choice but to be obese is undesirable.

Obesity does not cause any disease itself but it worsens some other serious health conditions like arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, digestive issues, kidney disease, difficulty in breathing, and varicose veins, etc. Now, it’s up to you whether you maintain a healthy weight gain or develop obesity and how you see obesity in weight management.