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 Obesity in adolescents

Introduction

The rate of obesity has increased in recent decades, mainly in civil societies, and obesity is considered one of the most complex diseases. The complications of obesity and its real danger go beyond the external and aesthetic appearance of many physical and psychological health problems. Adolescent obesity is a medical condition resulting from excess weight and body fat that affects adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years, and obesity may cause many health complications such as arthritis, some types of cancer, and metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a number of other health problems. It can be difficult to estimate the amount of body fat, so BMI is used to check for obesity. Adolescents with a BMI of 25 or more are overweight, and those with a BMI of 30 or more are obese.

Symptoms of obesity in adolescents

• Excessive obesity and fat accumulation are one of the most dangerous joint conditions, as it causes many health problems such as heart attack, diabetes, and joint, and muscle pain.
• Obese people experience severe shortness of breath, especially when doing physical activities.
• Increased heart rate, breathing, and chest problems.
• Heavy sweating.
• Snoring and shortness of breath during sleep.
• Severe pain in the joints, knees, and foot joints in adolescents.
• Problems in the heart, coronary artery, and heart attacks.

Causes and risk factors for obesity in adolescents

Body weight depends mainly on the balance between calories and the amount of energy consumed by the body, so eating calories that exceed the number of calories the body consumes in the process of metabolism leads to weight gain as a result of storing excess calories in the form of fat, and in return the process of losing weight when the amount of calories consumed by an individual is less than the amount of energy needed during the metabolism process, and thus it can be said that the most common cause of obesity is overeating with lack of physical activity.

 The main causes of obesity include the following:

 1- Overeating

There are many foods that overeating leads to weight gain, the most important of which are foods rich in fats, or sugars, as fast food, fried foods, and sweets are among the foods that increase weight because they contain fats and sugars at a high rate. Eating foods rich in simple carbohydrates: including sugars, fructose, sweets, and soft drinks, and these foods contribute to weight gain in several ways, including an increase in insulin secretion after eating them compared to complex carbohydrates such as pasta, brown rice, grains, vegetables, and fruits, which increases the growth of Fat tissue and cause weight gain.

 

2- Lack of activity and movement:

Inactive people burn fewer calories than active people. Lack of physical activity or lack of exercise leads to a decrease in the number of calories an individual consumes, which increases the risk of being overweight and obese.

 

3- Genetic factors and genes:

A person is more likely to become obese if one or both parents are obese, as genetic factors also influence hormones involved in regulating lipids. One genetic cause of obesity is a deficiency of leptin, a hormone produced in fat cells and the placenta. Leptin controls weight by sending signals to the brain to reduce food intake when body fat stores are too high. If for some reason, the body cannot produce enough leptin or leptin cannot send a signal to the brain to eat less food, this control is lost and obesity occurs

4- Medications

Some high blood pressure medications and antihistamines cause weight gain. The cause of weight gain varies with medications for each medication. If this is a concern for you, you should discuss your medications with your physician rather than stop the medication. As this may have serious and harmful effects. And some obesity drugs Such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine and valproate, some diabetes medications such as insulin, sulfonylureas, and some hormones such as contraceptives, and corticosteroids. Corticosteroids (such as prednisone), some medications to treat high blood pressure, and antihistamines.

 5- Psychological factors

For some people, emotions affect their eating habits. Many people eat excessively in response to feelings such as boredom, sadness, stress, or anger.

 6- Diseases

Having a number of diseases and health problems may increase the risk of obesity, such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Cushing's syndrome. )

 7-social issues

There is a link between social problems and obesity, as a lack of money to buy healthy foods or not having safe places to walk or exercise can increase the risk of obesity. Or the spread of ignorance and poverty among people and their lack of knowledge of the symptoms and risks.

 8- Lack of sleep

Lack of sleep and insufficient rest are factors that play a role in weight gain through appetite changes, as sleep deprivation leads to a decrease in the production of the hormone leptin, which is responsible for reducing appetite, which leads to increased food intake and weight gain.

 9-Smoking cessation:

Smoking is very harmful to health and affects the smoker with a decrease in appetite as a result of the presence of many toxic and harmful substances that reduce appetite hormones, so when smoking stops, these hormones rise above the normal limit due to the cessation of inhibiting factors, and here the patient becomes in a state of increased appetite, which It must be overcome by eating healthy foods so that unhealthy food that contains high calories does not lead to weight gain and obesity in the patient.

 

10-Fast food and industrial food

Fast food and industrial foods are full of processed saturated fats and processed oils, which are difficult to break down as the body cannot break them down and benefit from them.

Obesity complications

The most prominent complications include the following:

• type 2 diabetes
• Hypertension
• High blood lipids
• sleep apnea syndrome
• asthma
• arthritis
• Slipped disc
• heart disease
• Digestive problems
• Malignant tumors (cancer)
• loss of self-confidence
• depression
• woman's disease
• Preeclampsia
• giant fetus
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Surgical complications
• Dermatological complications of obesity

 Obesity prevention

• Among the most important prevention methods are:
• Eat four small meals a day.
• Reduce sugar consumption.
• Minimize the use of artificial sweeteners.
• Avoid saturated fats.
• Cook food at home.

 

Obesity treatment

 Obesity treatment aims to obtain and maintain a healthy weight, and this can be done by following a number of therapeutic procedures, and the following is a list of some of them

practicing sports:

Committing to exercise for at least half an hour a day leads to effective weight loss in most cases. You can also benefit from diets designed to lose weight, such as intermittent fasting.

 

Lifestyle change: 

Weight gain can be stopped by reducing the intake of sugars and sweets, drinking enough water, and sleeping for 8 hours.

 

Diet modification:

It should be noted the importance of a healthy diet to help get rid of excess weight, with the need to avoid a harsh diet because of the ease of regaining weight after it again.

Eat foods that contain small amounts of calories and help you feel full, such as; Vegetables and fruits, and avoid high-calorie foods such as sweets, fats, and prepared foods.

Eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and fish twice a week, low-fat dairy, and healthy oils such as olive oil, and reduce consumption of salt and added sugars.