Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Obesity - Essay Example A Health Survey in England showed that 24.5% of adolescents above the age of 15 were suffering from obesity. It also showed that 13.9% of the children between the age group of 2 and 10 years were suffering from obesity (Department of Health 2009). Similarly other researches show that the rate of obesity in UK has increased to 22.1% in males and 21.9% in females (Information Center 2006). Obesity is defined as â€Å"an excess of body fat accumulation or adiposity with multiple organ specific adaptive or maladaptive consequences† (Iacobellis 2009). Causes: Obesity can be caused by both genetical and environmental factors. Genetical factors relate to the genes of the human body and any mutation in them. In human beings there is a gene known as the Ob gene. This gene is responsible for the risk of obesity in many individuals. Any change in the gene leads to obesity in the general population. The gene is related to a hormone known as leptin in the body. Leptin is a hormone or trans mitter which helps in conveying specific signals to the brain. The body fat has to be maintained by this hormone as it sends signals to the brain to regulate the metabolism of fat (NCBI 1998). Other than the genetic factors the disease also occurs because of the environmental factors involved. ... Increased fat in the diet is a reason because of which people get obese. Obesity has also been known to be related to psychological pathologies. Depression and eating disorders such as binge eating increases the level of stress individuals. Obesity itself causes a person to face from several psychological disorders too. These include the lowered self confidence of an individual along with less motivation to carry out specific tasks (Biddle et al 2009). Effects: The effects of obesity are spread all over the body and can result in several health conditions. It is a pathological state which has a huge effect on the cardiovascular system. The increased fat in the body leads to elevated blood pressure and hence increases the risk of stroke and coronary heart diseases. The blood flow in the individual increases and the lumen of the vessels in which the blood flows, decreases simultaneously because of excessive deposition of fat and cholesterol. This excessive deposition of cholesterol and fat is also known as plaques and leads to emboli. Emboli are clots which have been moved from one position to the other. These clots can reach areas far from the heart such as the brain. Emboli can lead to immediate death if they reach a certain part of the brain. Obesity also increases the risk of cancers such as breast cancer, colon cancer and endometrial cancer. It is known to be a major cause of diabetes mellitus as it results in the resistance of insulin within the cells. The musculoskeletal system is also affected as the joints become immoveable and this result in osteoarthritis. The respiratory system can also be affected by obesity as an obese individual may have difficulty in breathing he is sleeping. This condition is referred to as Sleep