Obesity is defined as a condition in which there is an excess of body fat. Why is there an excess of body fat? Simple, we tend to overeat and forget the importance of exercise.
Studies have shown that the brain plays a major role in why we overeat. The brain is responsible for releasing chemical messengers called noradrenaline and serotonin which regulates how fast we burn calories and how we eat, respectively.
Obesity
Factors like stress and genetics cause a re-uptake of these chemical messengers making us eat more than we should. The body converts food into energy and if we don’t exercise often, the excess is stored as fat- body fat! This is shown in the deadly equation:
INCREASE IN CALORIC INTAKE + DECREASE IN CALORIC EXPENDITURE = WEIGHT GAIN
Because of this discovery, studies on weight management have focused on controlling this function of the brain by preventing the re-uptake of noradrenaline and serotonin.
In the early 80s, they were successful in synthesizing a drug called sibutramine. Sibutramine is not a dietary supplement nor is it an appetite suppressant.
You will still eat 3 meals a day, but this time, sibutramine makes you feel full faster so you eat less.
Sibutramine promotes satiety, or the feeling of fullness early, reducing the person’s usual food intake. This way, the body does not have to store any excess as body fat (of course, the kind of food one eats also plays a role).
Sibutramine also increases energy expenditure with its thermogenesis effect. Thus affecting both equations of the energy balance:
DECREASE IN CALORIC INTAKE + INCREASE IN CALORIC EXPENDITURE = WEIGHT LOSS
The discovery of sibutramine is a major breakthrough in the fight against obesity, especially now that obesity increases the risk of several life threatening diseases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, obesity has a direct link in causing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
The same report also cites obesity as a determining factor in various disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome; musculo-skeletal disorders like back pain; gallbladder diseases and liver abnormalities; strokes and sleep apnea which in severe cases can result in sudden death!
Right now, studies are being done to verify the link between obesity and cancer.
Obesity has evolved into more than a “weight problem”. As scientists learn more about how extensive its effects are on the human body, it is quite a surprise to know that in the end, the organ responsible for gaining weight is not the stomach, but the brain.
If you think you are overweight or obese, see your doctor and ask his opinion. He is the best person to tell you the real score and suggest ways to solve your health problem.
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