Obesity

Causes :: Consequences :: BMI :: Treatment

A Disease

Obesity is the excess accumulation of body fat

• Over 60% of Australian are overweight or obese

Causes of Obesity
Obesity could be a combination of the following:

• The genes you inherited from your parents
• How well your body turns food into energy
• Your eating and exercising habits
• Your surroundings
• Psychological factors

Major health risks

Compared to people of normal weight, obese people have a 50% to 100% increased risk of dying prematurely

• Diabetes
• Joint problems (e.g., arthritis)
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Gallbladder problems
• Certain types of cancer (breast, uterine, colon)
• Digestive disorders (e.g., gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GORD)
• Breathing difficulties (e.g., sleep apnea, asthma)
• Psychological problems such as depression
• Problems with fertility and pregnancy
• Urinary Incontinence
• Shorter Life Expectancy

Risks to psychological and social well-being

• Negative self-image
• Social isolation
• Discrimination

Difficulties with day-to-day living

• Normal tasks become harder when you are obese, as movement is more difficult
• You tend to tire more quickly and you find yourself short of breath
• Public transport seats, telephone booths, and cars may be too small for you
• You may find it difficult to maintain personal hygiene

Other Treatment Options

Non-Surgical - Diet and Exercise

Dieting, exercise, and medication have long been regarded as the conventional methods to achieve weight loss. Sometimes, these efforts are successful in the short term. However, for people who are morbidly obese, the results rarely last. For many, this can translate into what's called the "yo-yo syndrome," where patients continually gain and lose weight with the possibility of serious psychological and health consequences. Recent research reveals that conventional methods of weight loss generally fail to produce permanent weight loss. Several studies have shown that patients on diets, exercise programs, or medication are able to lose approximately 10% of their body weight but tend to regain two-thirds of it within one year, and almost all of it within five years**. Another study found that less than 5% of patients in weight loss programs were able to maintain their reduced weight after five years*.

Surgical Treatments

Over the years, weight-loss surgery has proven to be a successful method for the treatment of obesity. Options included are:

• Laparoscopic Gastric Band
• Laparoscopic gastric Bypass
• Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Stomach stapling or Gastroplasty
• Malabsorptive procedures
  

For more information on the above surgical options please see:

www.easternobesityclinic.com.au
www.uppergisurgery.com.au
www.lapband.com

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** American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) / American College of Endocrinology (ACE) Statement on the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Obesity
(1998 Revision).

AACE/ACE Obesity Task Force. Endocr Pract. 1998; Vol. 4 No. 5: 297-330.

* Kramer FM et al. Long-term follow-up of behavioral treatment for obesity: patterns of weight regain among men and women. Int J Obes 1989; 13:123-136.

# SAGES/ASBS Guidelines for Laparoscopic and Conventional Surgical Treatment of Morbid Obesity. American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

http://asbs.org/html/guidelines.html