And it is not about eating too much.·
World Obesity Day is about promoting practical solutions to end the global obesity crisis.
And it is a crisis.
Currently:
❗ Childhood obesity is expected to increase by 100% between 2020 and 2035.
❗ It is expected that 1 in 4 of us will be living with obesity by 2035.
❗ The estimated global economic impact of overweight and obesity in 2035 is
$4.32 trillion
❗ It is expected that by 2035, 1.9 billion people around the world will be living
with obesity.
In response to this serious health crisis, the Australian government formulated the National Obesity Strategy 2022–2032
Obesity impacts many individuals and communities.
Living with overweight or obesity can have major impacts on a person’s life.
It can affect a person’s health and
well-being, including their mental health, and their social and economic opportunities.
Obesity increases the risk of preventable chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and at least thirteen forms of cancer.
Eat less, move more is NOT the answer to obesity.
Most people suffering from the disease do so due to a number of factors:
· Genetics
· Medications
· Hormones
· Severe life traumas
· Acess to quality healthcare
· Access to and affordability of healthy and nutritious foods
· Mental health
· Consumption of ultra-processed food
The relationship between mental health and obesity is a very complex one.
Some mental health disorders themselves can lead to weight gain. Weight gain can then lead to mental health disorders such as depression.
So obesity and mental health is very much a catch-22 situation.
We know just how important good quality sleep is to our physical and mental health yet something as common as insomnia can greatly impact weight gain.
Healthy sleep is defined as being of recommended duration, good quality, regular and consistent timing and devoid of any sleep disturbances or disorders.
Adults who sleep for ‘5 hours or fewer’ a night are 55% (or 1.5 times) more likely to be obese than those who sleep more than 5 hours. 31
Although maintaining good sleeping habits is increasingly recognized as a good strategy to prevent future weight gain, there is also a growing body of evidence showing that adequate sleep is important to improve the success of weight-loss interventions [1]
Research shows that sleep curtailment has a dramatic effect on our hormones resulting in increased hunger and appetite, especially for calorie-dense foods with high carbohydrate content.
Obesity can be driven by many factors which are outside of the control of the sufferer, such as complex biological, genetic and environmental factors.
Treatment of obesity is about improving the overall health of the patient.
Obesity itself leads to many other problems:
Excessive pressure on muscles and joints
Changes in the centre of gravity impact balance and mobility
Lack of mobility
Undergoing a regular regime of chiropractic therapy can improve balance and joint movement. Insomnia is another condition greatly improved with chiropractic.
As the focus of chiropractic is to restore the body to optimal health, trained chiropractors can also assist with lifestyle changes and dietary advice.
Sadly there is still a prevalence of obesity bias among many out there including some healthcare professionals.
Obesity is a disease with an extensive range of treatments available.
So if your healthcare professional is not offering effective solutions to your disease, move on to one who is.
[1] Chaput JP, Tremblay A. Adequate sleep to improve the treatment of obesity. CMAJ. 2012;184:1975–6.
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