OBESITY IT IS NOT ALL OUR FAULT

As you all have noticed,  the problem of overweight instead of decreasing is increasing especially in the young population. If until recently we had seen the average life increase and reach levels close to 80 years, for the first time we are noticing a reduction in life expectancy and this is also due to the overweight population. The incidence of overweight and/or obesity has been increasing in all industrialized countries, due to the abundance and availability of refined foods on the one hand and the scarce or absent physical activity on the other. Epidemiological surveys indicate the presence of overweight in 20% of the male population and 14% of the female population and severe obesity in 6% of males and 7.7% of females. Other deadly diseases such as diabetes, arterial hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are linked to obesity and overweight. What are the tools used to combat this problem? different!.

Nutrition, movement (which are the basis), psychology (for food relationship problems), endocrinology and pharmacology for hormonal problems, genetics and in extreme cases surgical therapy through (gastric bypass, gastric rings or removal of portions of the stomach, techniques used only for second or third degree obesity and not responding to classic therapies). Today we add to this long list of problems associated with obesity, the problems of lipedemia and lymphedema which, due to the strong inflammation generated by the accumulation of fat, further inflame the tissues with an accumulation of weight that cannot be reduced with movement, but which requires the intervention of physiotherapists prepared in the field.

But something is not right. We continue to look at the tip of the iceberg without delving into what is instead under the sea and I am convinced that there is much more and that obesity is not only due to a change in our habits, but that the environment has too neglected an effect. Today we talk about epigenetics (the environment that affects the expression of our genes and therefore of the hormones that the body produces). Since the post-war period we have been bombarded by a myriad of new substances whose long-term effect on our bodies we still do not clearly understand. Therefore, the failure of the global policies against overweight undertaken by the WHO in recent years, which have not yielded results, cannot be explained. There are in fact factors that on sensitive people determine an increase in weight. Here are some examples: Pesticides that affect the metabolism and hormones (absent before the Second World War), Fast food with toxic hydrocarbons, Air pollutants and fine dust that alter tissue oxygenation, plastics that release bisphenol and phthalates and induce obesity, endocrine disruptors deriving from tools used in the kitchen, and then herbicides, did you know that they increase hunger?? Not to mention the chemical dyes that disturb our eating behavior and the use of sweeteners that make us diabetic; moreover, we eat less at home and eat more prepared and compound foods and few simple foods. All of this could lead to inflammation in the body of sensitive people leading them to gain weight and become ill. This is my not entirely negligible opinion, so it’s not all our fault! Or in part it is.

Now as far as diet plus what to do let me tell you what you are not supposed to do.

A fact is this, diets without supervision by a doctor or nutritionist, subjects undergo dehydration, hypotension, uricemia, electrolyte disturbances, ventricular arrhythmias. In subjects with less than 30% overweight, very low-calorie diets are very dangerous as in these subjects there is also a significant loss of lean body mass, with serious heart damage and other organs.

The so-called grapefruit or pineapple diets, prescribed to “oxidize fat”, “increase calorie consumption”, “inhibit appetite”, actually act because the calorie intake is less than 1000 Kcal per day.

The diets recommended by doctors are instead established on the basis of individual weight indexes and have principles which in most cases are Mediterranean and with several meals a day, so they are not improvised fasts.

So my advice is that if you find yourself in a stalemate, instead of thinking about shortcuts or risky drugs, talk to an expert who can guide you on the correct steps to take to regain control of your body and help it make you live better for the better.

greetings