Obesity is the main culprit of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases...Himchan Hospital's 3 healthy meals are important
Jan 10, 2025
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According to a report published in the medical journal The Lancet by the World Health Organization (WHO), the world's obese population is more than 1 billion, more than doubling since 1990. As of 2022, 879 million adults and 159 million children and adolescents are obese. Forty-three percent of adults worldwide are overweight.
According to the Korean Society of Obesity's fact sheet 2024, the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in Korea has continued to increase, reaching 38.4% and 24.5%, respectively, as of 2022.
Kim Yu-mi, head of the endocrine department at Himchan General Hospital in Incheon, said "Abdominal obesity, especially visceral fat that accumulates fat between organs, can increase the incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer."Since visceral fat produces various inflammatory substances, it greatly increases insulin resistance and increases the likelihood of various diseases."
◇The probability of obesity and diabetes is about three times higher...Causes such as cardiovascular disease
Obesity is a state in which body fat is accumulated excessively or abnormally enough to threaten health, and is mainly diagnosed by body mass index (BMI). BMI is a value obtained by dividing weight by the square of height, and in Korea, a body mass index of 25 or higher is diagnosed as obese. Once the body mass index is above 25, the risk of health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and dyslipidemia increases. From this point on, special management is needed to prevent serious diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and cancer.
The reasons for the growing obese population are the increase in delivery and instant food consumption due to meat-oriented eating habits and the increasing trend of single-person households, and the spicy, salty, sweet, and stimulating food trend like Maratangfuru. In line with this trend, the problem of obesity among children and adolescents is also becoming more serious.
Typically, it causes metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, and obese people are about three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than normal-weight people. When metabolic diseases occur, they are transferred to life-related cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and cerebral infarction, and the risk of death increases.
In addition, various diseases such as musculoskeletal diseases such as arthritis and low back pain, respiratory diseases such as sleep apnea, sexual dysfunction, fatty liver, gout, and depression may occur. In women, it affects sex hormones and insulin levels, which can interfere with physiological activities and, in severe cases, cause infertility.
In particular, obesity in children and adolescents can reduce immunity and cause precocious puberty, affecting height growth. In addition, during the period of sensitive growth, psychologically, self-esteem and motivation to learn may decrease, and in severe cases, depression may occur. Above all, childhood obesity is likely to lead to adult obesity, so weight management is necessary from an early age.
◇ Steady lifestyle management and weight loss are important...Considering the combination of medication
In order to prevent and manage obesity, it is important to recognize that obesity can cause health problems and is a disease that needs treatment above all else.
In fact, the WHO defined obesity as a disease in 2021. And it is important to drop the weight reference point through continuous and long-term management. Diet management, which usually increases fiber intake and reduces high-calorie and carbohydrate intake, and regular aerobic and strength exercises should be combined to ensure normal weight.
In particular, if you are highly obese, it is not easy to lose weight through eating habits and exercise only with your will, so it is necessary to consider professional treatment. Depending on the degree of obesity, professional diet, exercise therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy can be combined, as well as medications such as lipolytic enzyme inhibitors and appetite inhibitors.
Of course, it does not require expensive and difficult treatment, but it can be managed as much as possible through healthy eating habits and steady exercise. It is also helpful to reduce the overall amount of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but to manage the least amount of dinner. Skipping dinner altogether turns into a fattening body because it stores energy while lowering the body's basal metabolism and increasing sugar absorption. To lose weight healthily, you need to eat three meals regularly.
Manager Kim Yoo-mi added that `The principle is that the weight for obesity management is measured on an empty stomach after waking up in the morning and defecating,' adding `It is better to measure it accurately on an empty stomach after defecation because it varies slightly depending on whether you eat or not you have a meal or whether you have a bowel movement.'
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
