ARE YOU EATING YOURSELF TO DEATH?

Are you eating yourself to DEATH?

AN OBESE MAN

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent  that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. People are considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in metres, exceeds 30 kg/m2.

Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.

In Nigeria, obesity is visible. In 1996, the Associated Press cited the World Health Organization that more than one-third of African women and a quarter of African men are estimated to be overweight, and predicted that it will rise to 41 percent and 30 percent respectively in by 2016. Once considered a problem only in high income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

Although data from Nigeria on obesity are scant, a clear and distinct secular trend of profoundly increased weight is clearly observed. This growing rate represents a concern that needs urgent attention if its potential morbidity, mortality, and economic tolls are to be avoided.Conservative estimates suggest that as many as 250 million people are obese

Dieting and physical exercise are the mainstays of treatment for obesity. Diet quality can be improved by reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods such as those high in fat and sugars, and by increasing the intake of dietary fiber. Anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption together with a suitable diet. If diet, exercise and medication are not effective, a gastric balloon may assist with weight loss, or surgery may be performed to reduce stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.Two- to three-times more people than this are probably overweight. Although socioeconomic class and the prevalence of obesity are negatively correlated in most developed countries, including the United States, this correlation is distinctly reversed in many relatively undeveloped areas, including sub-Saharan Africa.

Michelle Obama recently launched anti-childhood obesity campaign called “Let’s Move."She has also congratulated the state of Mississippi for haven recorded decline in child obesity, she attributed the decline in childhood obesity rates here to efforts by state lawmakers, the Board of Education and individual school districts, which she said took such steps as setting new standards for food and drinks in school vending machines, serving more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and replacing food fryers with steamers, to which she exclaimed, "Hallelujah."

The first lady said Mississippi, and other parts of the country that also have seen their childhood obesity rates come down including California and New York City and Philadelphia are showing others what works. After all, she said, "love for our children" is the motivating factor.

Well you all know that here in Nigeria obesity is not getting the much attention it needs, either because we fail to see the worthiness of creating awareness or simply because we are too lazy. Imagine our first lady leading a campaign on obesity; she will have to lose some serious weight first. Whatever the case is, we have to wake up and help ourselves by spreading the negative impact of  obesity,