OBESITY

The simplest definition of obesity is an excessive amount of body fat i.e. being greater than 10% above ‘normal’ weight. In terms of body fat percentage obesity is defined as a body fat percentage greater than 30% for women and 25% for men.

According to the results of The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, the frequency of obesity in adults living in the United States is now greater than one in three. Even more alarming is the number of obese children – the number doubled from 1960 to 1991. This situation is serious as the odds are 4:1 against a child ever achieving normal weight as an adult if they enter their teenage years obese, and 28:1 if they end their teenage years obese.

Obesity is such a problem for American adults as most eat a diet high in fat and sugar, and are physically inactive. Increased television viewing and decreased physical activity are thought to be primary causes of the growing number of obese children.

Indirect methods of analysing body fat composition are applied to determining body fat composition. Some of these methods include visual observation, anthropometric measurements involving measurements of height and weight, body mass indices, skin-fold thickness, body density and bioelectric impedance, which measures the conduction of an applied electrical current through body tissues.

There are several different categories of obesity based on the size and number of fat cells and also on how the fat is distributed in the body (e.g. in the abdomen versus the hips).

In Hyperplastic obesity, there is an increased number of fat cells throughout the body. The number of fat cells that a person has is primarily dependent on the diet of the mother while the person was still in the womb as well as early infant nutrition. An excess of calories during these early stages of development can lead to the formation of an increased number of fat cells for the rest of the baby’s life.

Hypertrophic obesity is characterized by an increase in the size of each individual fat cell and is linked to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other serious disturbances of metabolism. Usually with hypertrophic obesity the fat distribution is around the waist. The fat cell distribution is referred to as male-patterned or android since it is typically seen in the obese males. If the waist is larger than the hips, a person is said to have android obesity.          

There are basically two areas on which to focus in trying to understand what causes obesity: psychological factors and physiological. In the past, psychological factors were thought largely responsible for obesity. A popular theory proposed that overweight individuals were insensitive to internal signals for hunger and satiety while simultaneously being extremely sensitive to external stimuli (sight, smell, and taste), which can increase the appetite. One external stimuli that has definitely been shown to be associated with obesity is watching television.

Watching television has been demonstrated to be linked to the onset of obesity, and there is a dose-related effect. In addition to leading to childhood obesity, television viewing contributes to being overweight in adults. In one study of 4,771 adult women, the relationship between time spent watching television per week and reported obesity demonstrated that twice as many women who reported 3 or more hours of television viewing per day were obese compared with the reference group of women who watched less that one hour per day. Several physiological effects of watching television that promote obesity include a reduction in physical activity and an actual lowering of resting (basal) metabolic rate to a level similar to that experienced during a trance like state.

The physiological theories of obesity are tied to: brain serotonin levels, diet induced thermogenesis, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, the metabolism of the fat cells, and sensitivity to the hormone insulin.

Longterm, successful control of obesity is one of the greatest clinical challenges. Few people want to be overweight, yet only 5% of markedly obese individuals are able to attain and maintain ‘normal’ body weight, while 66% of those just a few pounds or so overweight are able to do the same.

The successful program for obesity is consistent with the basic foundations of good health a positive mental attitude, a healthy lifestyle (especially important regular exercise), a healthy promoting diet, and supplementary measures. All of these components are interrelated, creating a situation where no single component is more important than the other.

There are literally hundreds of diets and diet programs that claim to be the answer to the problem of obesity. Dieters are constantly bombarded with new reports of a ‘wonder’ diet to follow. However, the basic equation for losing weight never changes. In order for an individual to lose weight, energy intake must be less than energy expenditure.

The ICIM use several natural weight loss aids that can be very useful in helping either to reduce appetite or to enhance metabolism.

1. 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) : Studies conducted found that 5HTP appeared to promote weight loss by promoting satiety, leading to fewer calories being consumed at meals.

2. Thermogenic formulas : When properly combined, plant stimulants like ephedrine and caffeine can activate the sympathetic nervous system, thereby increasing the metabolic rate and diet induced thermogenesis. The thermogenic effects of ephedrine can be enhanced by methylxanthines. Botanicals rich in these ingredients can be used in a similar fashion to the isolated principles. Good sources include coffee (coffea arabica), tea (camellia cupana), cola nut (cola nitida), and guarana (paullinea cupana).

3. Fiber supplements : Increasing the amount of dietary fiber promotes weight loss. The best sources for weight loss are psyllium, chitin, guar gum, glucomannan, gum karaya, and pectin.

4. Chromium : Chromium supplementation has been demonstrated to lower body weight yet increase lean body mass. Chromium plays a key role in cellular sensitivity to insulin. It will not only improve blood sugar control, but also lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 

5. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) : are saturated fats extracted from coconut oil. MCTs may promote weight by increasing thermogenesis.

6. Hydroxycitrate : is a natural substance isolated from the fruit of the Malabar tamarind (garcinia cambogia).  It has been shown to be a powerful lipogenic inhibitor in animals.

7. Coenzyme Q10 : Clinical studies have shown CoQ10 may help promote weight loss.