November 12 is World Obesity Day. It may seem a bit inconsequential considering that there are world days for almost everything. But, in this case, we believe that it is not that it deserves a day, but surely a whole year should be dedicated to it, because according to the World Health Organization (WHO) it is already an epidemic and one of the greatest health challenges we face. we will face in the next few years. Due to its seriousness, at Clara we are committed to the dissemination of a way of eating and healthy habits to find a solution, because in most cases, it is in our hands and has a healthy weight.
Overweight and obesity in numbers
The WHO makes very clear the alarming growth that obesity is having. The numbers of those affected have tripled worldwide since 1975.
In 2016, more than 1.9 billion people over the age of 18 were overweight, of which more than 650 million were obese. This means that 39% of adults were overweight, and 13% were obese.
And they encrypt them in children and adolescents are not better. In 2016, there were more than 340 million children and adolescents (ages 5 to 19) who were overweight or obese.
In Spain, the numbers are not more encouraging either. According to the Nutritional Study of the Spanish Population (ENPE) carried out between 2014 and 2015, 39.3% of Spaniards were overweight and 21.6% were obese.
And, above all, it affects us more
According to the WHO, obesity is more prevalent in the female population. In Spain it affects 16% of women. Among the obese, we tend to be more obese than them. In addition, half of Spaniards are overweight, the prelude to obesity.
It is not an aesthetic issue, it is a health issue
Although the fight against extra kilos is often related to an aesthetic issue, it is actually a very important health issue. Obesity is related to such serious diseases as cancer, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, musculoskeletal problems, infertility, etc. Not to mention the psychological problems arising from problems accepting body image.
Do you have a kilo left over?
This is a question that we should not answer lightly. According to a study by the Spanish Society of Dietetics and Food Sciences (SEDCA), Spaniards believe that we are slimmer and taller than we are.
The best way to find out is by calculating your body mass index following the instructions of our nutritionist, M.ª Isabel Beltrán.
How can I lose the extra kilos?
This will depend on how many extra kilos you have. In general, if there are only 3 or 4, with some changes in the way you eat and in your lifestyle you can easily achieve it. At Clara we are committed to a diet based on the Mediterranean diet, a type of diet that not only responds to our cultural habits and that, therefore, is easy for us to follow, but also has the recognition of both the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Ideally, taking the Mediterranean diet as a reference, you find a diet that suits your needs, since some of us are more interested in being satiating because they tend to leave it because they are hungry; to others that it is purifying because their problem is that they feel bloated; or others who prefer it to be low in fat and calories.
At Clara we firmly believe that it is important to stimulate the desire to take care of ourselves, to eat better, to feel better with ourselves by throwing challenges at our readers or assuming them ourselves as a way of spreading the importance of eating well and that this is something that can be achieved in a simple way in everyday life with tools as useful as the Harvard University (USA) plate method, a method that has also been adapted to the needs of children thanks to the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital.
What if you have more kilos left over?
In this case, it is important to put yourself in the hands of a good professional, to see what strategies to follow. Both in case of overweight and obesity, the cause can be very varied and, even difficult to establish, because there may be genetic factors combined with poor diets, lack of exercise, but also the consumption of drugs that cause weight gain or other type of diseases such as a thyroid problem, for example, that do not favor weight loss either.
For all this, it must be a professional who, after doing the relevant tests (blood tests, etc.) establish a guideline to follow.
Good news even in case of obesity
Medicine and pharmacology are working to provide an effective response to the epidemic of overweight and obesity, so there is reason to be optimistic. Among the latest developments to address this problem, we highlight the following:
- The surgery, getting better. It is safer and less invasive. Bariatric surgery (gastric bypass, intragastric balloon, etc.) not only helps to reduce weight, it also improves diseases associated with obesity (diabetes, heart problems, etc.). Today the doctor operates a robot with mechanical arms that place tiny cameras through small incisions made in the patient, which avoids having to make large incisions. The images are transmitted to a three-dimensional high definition monitor, which allows users to navigate within the abdominal cavity of the patient in a virtual way and make movements much more precise than before.
- And without going into the operating room. It has also been possible to limit the absorption of food with a new system that allows a prosthesis to be placed in the small intestine through the mouth and the digestive tract without surgery. It is inserted through a tube with a camera (gastroscopy). The prosthesis lasts for a year, after which it is removed without leaving sequelae or abdominal scars. This method, called Endobarrier, makes food reach the end of the intestine more quickly, limiting its absorption, which ends up causing weight loss. Also, it allows the pancreas to work better and this prevents diabetes.
- Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. This psychological therapy teaches the patient to observe their behavior, thoughts and feelings as well as the relationship that exists between them and their eating habits, so that they can look for alternatives to eating emotionally. And is that recent studies show what emotional aspects are involved in addiction to eating, which accounts for 70-85% of eating disorders.
- Heal with video games. Through them we seek to achieve more self-control. This type of games is part of psychological therapy. Using sensors, facial and voice expressions and physiological reactions of the person playing are captured. The user only manages to advance towards the objective if he reacts with self-control to the situations raised.
- "Anti-obesity" t-shirts. The Center for Biomedical Research in Network-Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (Ciberobn) has tested the effectiveness of “smart” t-shirts to control the physical exercise of overweight children. These T-shirts allow you to design physical exercise tailored to each child and combine it with nutrition and psychological support. The key to the program is in its individualized design to respond to the needs and characteristics of each patient individually.
- Anti-obesity drugs. There are promising studies that focus on finding drugs that help control weight, such as:
- A number of proteins have been identified that help dissolve fat, such as cardiotrophin-1. They are still under study but they are very promising and could lead to new “anti-obesity” drugs.
- And also a study with mice has shown that with a substance called GC-1, white fat in the body can be converted into brown fat. Because it's interesting? Because white fat is the "store" in our body of fats from food and the brown "burns" to maintain our body temperature. It is still early days but this could also translate into weight control medications.
- On the other hand, a team from the University of Santiago de Compostela has discovered how estrogens help regulate body weight. This opens the way to create more effective drugs to control weight when menopause is reached, a stage in a woman's life in which there is a sharp decline in these female hormones. It is estimated that by reaching this stage the woman can gain on average between 2 and 4 kilos.
