Surgery for obesity & metabolic diseases
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For many years, health experts have been sounding the alarm on an epidemic that continues to spiral in scope: obesity. Any way you look at the numbers, the statistics are sobering. The rate of obesity has tripled in the past 50 years. More than a billion people worldwide are living with obesity. Over half of that number are adults, though it has not spared adolescents and children as millions of kids are affected, too. Even more telling is the fact that this number continues to increase.
Some quarters attribute the beginning of this health crisis to our modern age; others contend it goes way back to before the Second World War. Whichever is true may not be as important as tracing what caused the epidemic in the first place and what reasons may be perpetuating the health crisis.
Two of the most cited reasons for the prevalence of obesity are certain food marketing practices and an overall reduction in physical activity.
The former includes the issues of the increased portion sizes in food items that are commercially marketed to the public, cheap food sources like fast food, ready availability of vending machines dispensing energy-dense foods, and increased usage of high fructose corn syrup.
The latter includes the decrease in physical activity across all age groups due to a number of reasons including advances in modern technology, fewer physical activities in schools, and the ubiquitousness of built environments. Then, there’s also the imbalance between energy intake and expenditure.
The issue of obesity is a very complex one. The current evidence available suggests that there are multiple factors outside of the diet and exercise paradigm that can lead to obesity. This may include genetic, economic, dietary, psychosocial, reproductive, and pharmacologic factors. Just to illustrate its complex nature, some studies show obesity may also be caused by genetics, a response to infection and inflammation, environmental factors that influence epigenetic gene regulation, sleep debt, certain medications, and other putative causes not commonly discussed in the mainstream.
It goes without saying that preventing excessive weight gain can be key to avoiding obesity in the first place. Physical activity is vital when it comes to striking a healthy balance between energy intake and expenditure.
For adults aged 18 to 64 years old, the World Health Organization guidelines call for the following:
For older adults above 65 years old, the guidelines call for the same volume of physical activity and the addition of a multiple-component activity, putting an emphasis on improving functional balance to help prevent falls and injuries.
Since exercise goes hand-in-hand with diet, the WHO guidelines for eating call for a healthy diet that involves eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugar, and saturated fats.
The most obvious benefit of exercise for people living with obesity is weight control, which in itself, is already a considerable one. Physical activity, however, offers more advantages such as lowering the risk for the following health issues and disorders:
Additionally, exercise may also help improve your mood and reduce your levels of stress. Interestingly, this last-mentioned benefit is highly relevant as studies suggest a relationship between stress and increased food consumption. Physical activity can help reduce stress hormones like cortisol which can affect eating habits and patterns.
A study published in 2019 and cited on the Harvard University website suggests six physical activities that may be able to help people living with obesity to lose weight and keep it off.
While most exercise may be able to help you lose weight, researchers found out that the best activities for maintaining a healthy weight among people with a genetic link to obesity were the following:
The reason offered by the researchers was that the activities enumerated may involve higher-intensity movement and hence, may burn more calories. An underlying rationale may also be because the abovementioned activities are more enjoyable than conventional gym-based workouts and, therefore, more sustainable to do in the long term.
The findings also offer two tantalizing ideas: first, is that genetic obesity can be countered. Secondly, people who struggle to lose or manage their weight may be able to do so more successfully by adopting higher-intensity exercises.
An important note: before embarking on an exercise program, it’s a good move to first consult an Accredited Health Professional such as an exercise physiologist who is well qualified to assess your health condition and needs and design a training program most suited to your requirements and goals. A good EP will also guide you in how to properly exercise so you can avoid getting injured and derive optimal benefits from being physically active.
For people living with morbid obesity, the extra weight is one of the challenges of getting physically active. The additional poundage can make exercise hurt the joints, stress the body, and affect levels of endurance.
You may also want to consider enlisting professional help like consulting an Exercise Physiologist who can help you decide on the physical activity that best suits your health condition and needs as well as take your challenges into consideration.
Being more physically active is a good prescription regardless of your age or health condition. For people living with obesity, exercise can offer wonderful benefits such as more effective weight management and prevention of a myriad of health risks.
Some important things to consider: a little activity is better than none at all. Having said that, research also shows that for more meaningful loss of weight and adiposity, a minimum of 300 to 420 minutes per week of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity is required. This means the choice of physical activities to undertake is crucial. Finding something you really enjoy is important so you can sustain it for the long term. On this specific aspect of exercise and obesity we are completely aware that sometimes this disease is the actual limiting factor that prevents people from exercising, either due to lack of fitness, shortness of breath, or joint pain; this is when weight loss surgery makes sense and has a very relevant role in letting people change things up for good and effectively.
Your Exercise Physiologist can also help you rethink your options for physical activity such as adding household chores, hiking, dancing, and non-gym activities to the mix. You may also want to consider more joint-friendly activities such as water-based exercises – remember that exercise doesn’t have to hurt to be effective.
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