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Obesity

The most common form of malnutrition in the Western world is Obesity, a condition of excessive fat stored in the body. It is important to note that no "diet or weight loss formula" works independently of an eating plan based on the Dietary Guidelines given by the mainstream nutrition and health institutes.

So, if you are obese throw away all those "special formulas", supplements, and pills, stop eating more calories than you need, become more physically active and adopt a healthy eating plan as well as insert exercise in your daily schedules.

More than one-half of all Americans are overweight or obese. If you are overweight or obese, carrying this extra weight puts you at risk for developing many diseases, especially heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases as well as maintaining a healthy life.

Women generally have more subcutaneous fat than men, but men appear to suffer a greater cardiovascular risk. The distribution of body fat may be an indicator of this difference. Men accumulate more fat cells in the abdominal region than women (high waist-to-hip ratio). This distribution around the abdomen, referred to as upper body obesity, is associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors. Lower body obesity is more typical in women, who tend to accumulate fat in the hips, glottal regions, and extremities, a distribution that does not appear to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors.

Over eating is clearly a prominent contributor to obesity. Eating behavior occurs in response to hunger and to appetite induced by the presence of food. Satiety and the resulting cessation of eating occur in response to certain hormones, nervous impulses, and absorbed nutrients signaling the brain.

To loose weight, one must decrease caloric intake, increase caloric expenditure, or do both.

Thus, weight reduction involves behavior change related to diet and exercise. Weight loss reduces health risks in the obese and a long life.