Obesity is a complex disease involving having too much body fat. Obesity isn’t just a cosmetic concern. It’s a medical problem that increases the risk of many other diseases and health problems. These can include heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver disease, sleep apnea and certain cancers.
Body weight is controlled by number of internal factors like hormones and neurotransmitters as well as external factors like stress,diet ,lifestyle and chemicals in the environment. The only way to lose weight permanently is to address the underlying causes of weight gain.
Here are the top ten risk factors to consider.
Hormonal Imbalance
Hormones in the body work together to regulate weight gain and weight loss. Imbalances in levels of insulin, melatonin, thyroid hormone, cortisol, adrenaline, DHEA, estrogen, or testosterone can promote weight gain or more specifically fat accumulation, by promotes hormonal imbalance that is the leading cause of obesity and weight gain in both men and women. If you have a known or suspected hormonal imbalance, address it with your doctor.
Chronic Stress
Stress can significantly impact your ability to maintain a healthy weight. It can also prevent you from losing weight. Whether it’s the result of high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, unhealthy stress induced behaviors and sedentry lifestyle.Researchers have long known that rises in the stress hormone cortisol can lead to weight gain. Every time you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol, and as a result, glucose is released into your bloodstream. All of this is done to give you the energy you need to escape from a risky situation (also known as the fight or flight response.
Diets deficient in calories and/or low fat diet slow our metabolism and actually make it more difficult to lose weight.Low calorie diet can make you fat since,your body perceives a state of starvation and responds by raising levels of stress hormones and increasing the storage of fat. It is possible to lose weight on a starvation diet, but as soon as a normal diet is resumed, the body will compensate by overeating, gaining weight more easily, and losing it more slowly.
Too Much Exercise
Moderate exercise can help with weight loss because it lowers blood sugar, improves insulin sensitivity, and helps burn fat, but too much exercise can have the opposite effect. Studies show that high intensity exercise and prolonged periods of exercise (an hour or more) raise levels of stress hormones like cortisol that trigger inflammation and cause our bodies to accumulate fat.
Low Vitamin D
Vitamin D may be best known for its immune and bone building benefits, but it’s also a key regulator of fat and metabolism. Observational studies shows that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D gain more weight, on average, than people with the highest levels.
Chronic Stress
During times of physical and psychological stress, our adrenal glands increase their production of stress hormones like cortisol. Chronic, unmanaged stress and high levels of cortisol deplete serotonin, raise blood sugar and promote weight gain.
Lack of Sleep
Like stress, lack of sleep increases levels of cortisol. Not getting enough sleep also causes levels of ghrelin, a hormone that makes you hungry, to go up, and levels of leptin, a hormone that reduces appetite, to go down. As a result, we eat more, our cells become less sensitive to insulin, and our bodies accumulate fat. In one study of healthy men, being deprived of just two hours sleep caused them to crave sugar and eat more of it.
Food Sensitivities
Compounds in foods can cause irritation in people who are sensitive to them. The two most common food sensitivities are cow’s milk and gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats). Irritation from food sensitivities can trigger inflammation, swelling, and weight gain.
Neurotransmitter Deficiencies
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow cells in the brain to communicate. Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters that function in parts of the brain controlling mood, appetite, and addictions. When levels of serotonin and dopamine are low, we crave sweet and starchy foods and we’re more likely to binge or overeat.
Medications
Several medications can cause weight gain and interfere with weight loss. Culprits can include birth control pills, anti-depressants, antipsychotic drugs, corticosteroids, allergy medications, heartburn drugs, seizure medications, and diabetes drugs. If you are overweight and taking any of these medications, ask your doctor about alternatives.
Bottom Line
The good news is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent the health problems associated with obesity. A healthier diet, increased physical activity and behavior changes can help you lose weight temporarily.But the only way to lose weight permanently is to address the underlying causes of weight gain with the Functional medicines,hormone balancing, stress management and healthy life style.
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