Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Risk Of Obesity During Pregnancy

Obesity is the consequence of a positive balance of energy. This means that we eat more calories than we consume. Our body needs energy to properly function, but keeping a constant weight requires a balance between the calories we eat and the calories we burn.
Too many calories in our daily diet and lack of physical activity are the primary causes of gaining weight and obesity; the effect is more obvious when these two causes are combined. However, there are plenty of other factors that can influence our body weight: genetic factors, environment factors, psychological factors and behavioral factors.
Genetic factors
If one of the parents is obese, there is a 40% chance that the child becomes obese as well. If both the parents are obese, the chance increases up to 80%. However, dissociating the genetic factor from all the other influences is difficult, as all the members of a family share similar life style and eating habits.
Eating habits
Wrong eating habits (eating too much, or eating too many fats) are risks for your health. Consuming foods rich in calories, such as fast food, many sweets, sodas, foods with high fat compounds is a primary cause for gaining extra weight.

Sedentary life style
Sedentary people are prone to obesity, because the lack of physical activity causes a decrease in energy consumption, which leads to a positive balance of energy.
Psychological factors
Some people tend to eat more when they're stressed, traumatized, bored, and anxious.
Age
As we grow old, we become less and less active. Additionally, the muscular mass decreases, together with the metabolism. The fats are burnt slower than before; this is why the calories input must be reduced accordingly. If we neglect this aspect, we tend to gain weight.
Smoking
Smokers ted to gain weight once they quit smoking, partly because nicotine used to accelerate their metabolism and also because they need another habit to compensate for lack of smoking. Smoking influences the way we perceive the food's taste; after we quit smoking, the food seems tastier and we like it more, therefore we will eat more too.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy the energy needs of women's body rises. Some women keep their habit of eating more calories even after they give birth. This is one of the most frequent causes of obesity among women.
Alcohol
Many of the alcoholic drinks have high calories content. A beer has around 150 calories and if one person drinks a beer every day, this can lead to gaining 1 kg per month. Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption encourages food appetite.
What are the risks to your health from being overweight? By being overweight or obese, it will lead you to many complications and leads to many health problem such as:
Type 2 Diabetes - Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. High blood sugar is a major cause of coronary heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and blindness
Coronary heart disease - Coronary heart disease means that the heart and circulation (blood flow) are not functioning normally. Often, the arteries have become hardened and narrowed. If you have coronary heart disease, you may suffer from a heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina (chest pain), or abnormal heart rhythm. In a heart attack, the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart is disrupted, damaging portions of the heart muscle. During a stroke, blood and oxygen do not flow normally to the brain, possibly causing paralysis or death
Metabolic syndrome - The metabolic syndrome is a group of obesity-related risk factors for coronary heart disease and diabetes
Certain types of cancer (cancers of the colon, esophagus, and kidney )- Cancer occurs when cells in one part of the body, such as the colon, grow abnormally or out of control. The cancerous cells sometimes spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver
Sleep apnea - Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing for short periods during the night. A person who has sleep apnea may suffer from daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, and even heart failure
Osteoarthritis - Osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder that causes the joint bone and cartilage (tissue that protects joints) to wear away. Osteoarthritis most often affects the joints of the knees, hips, and lower back
Gallbladder disease - Gallbladder disease includes gallstones and inflammation or infection of the gallbladder. Gallstones are clusters of solid material that form in the gallbladder. They are made mostly of cholesterol and can cause abdominal pain, especially after consuming fatty foods. The pain may be sharp or dull
Fatty liver disease - Fatty liver disease occurs when fat builds up in the liver cells and causes injury and inflammation in the liver. It can sometimes lead to severe liver damage, cirrhosis (build-up of scar tissue that blocks proper blood flow in the liver), or even liver failure. Fatty liver disease is like alcoholic liver damage, but it is not caused by alcohol and can occur in people who drink little or no alcohol
Pregnancy complications - Overweight and obesity raise the risk of pregnancy complications for both mother and baby. Pregnant women who are overweight or obese may have an increased risk for:
Gestational diabetes (high blood sugar during pregnancy).
Pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy that can cause severe problems for both mother and baby if left untreated).
Cesarean delivery or complications with cesarean delivery.
One way to determine if your weight is placing your health at risk is to measure your waist. By measuring your waist circumference, it does not determine if you are overweight. You have to do that by using the Body Mass Index table. But it does tell you that you have excess fat around your belly and this is important because extra fat around your belly may increase health risks even more than fat elsewhere in your body.
Men with waist measurement of more than 40 inches and women with waist measurement of more than 35 inches may have an increased risk for obesity-related diseases.
You may, however, reduce your overweight by getting a good weight loss program and getting the best diet programs. By reducing your weight 10 to 20 pounds, you may be able to improve your health.
If you are overweight, you should immediately start with a diet program or weight loss program. You should start making adjustments to your diet such as what type of diets you are taking and the size of your diets. You must burn more calories than you eat. By doing a combination of cardio, strength training and a healthy and good diet, you will be able to burn more calories.