Obesity; Sedentary Lifestyle, Binge Eating and Lifespan

Lack of physical activity and binge eating, in my opinion, are the biggest culprits to be linked with the insurgence of obesity-related illnesses of our time. Diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hypertension and related stroke, heart-attack, kidney failure are causes of sudden deaths. Cancer and inflammatory disorders are direcly linked to obesity. Infections are secondarily associated with weight gain, which modifies the anatomy or biochemistry of the living system. Obesity,without doubt, makes the body to be less resistant to infections. Oxygen circulation is made worse.

By my own estimation, obesity is linked, directly or indirectly, to more than half of deaths in our hospitals, today. It compromises organs that are failing from other causes and, more so, fats accumulate when many organs fail and this, itself, accelerates the failure. Not to mention, many surgical procedures are riskier with obese individuals than with, otherwise, lean counterparts.

Obesity occurs when one eats more than his/her energy requirements to sustain vital function and do work.

Physical exercise, more than anything else, is the best way to burn excess calories because muscular exertion is not a very efficient way to use up energy. Most of the energy is lost as heat from friction on the sliding filaments in the muscle fiber.

People tend to eat a lot due to social demands. How many of us go to a function event and eat not because we are hungry but because it is socially right to do so. How many of us have the will power to say 'No' to an appetizing dish when we know, fully well, that we do not need it at that moment? Different people have different motivations and will powers to control impulsive or obsessional urge. The same as we can train ourselves to control our emotions(emotional cognition) so too can we train ourselves to resist impulsive or obsessional urges, burning deep down in us.

Dr Oliver Verbe Birnso

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