Obesity and Diseases of Men

Obesity is sometimes called the disease of diseases due to its negative role in the occurrence of numerous illnesses. This fact explains the high mortality among overweight people, which is significantly higher than in people with normal weight. Researchers, who studied the effects of obesity on men's health, found that considerable numbers of diseases occur against the obesity background. Thus, overweight people often develop hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Many obese patients suffer from concomitant diabetes. Almost all obese people have problems with musculoskeletal system such as osteochondrosis, arthrosis, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Obesity in men, especially abdominal type of obesity, when the body shape looks like an apple, is often accompanied by blood congestion in the pelvic organs, which can lead the prostate enlargement. Obesity in men leads to prostate hypertrophy even at a young age, significantly reducing the potency, which can seriously complicate family relationships. Excessive weight in men results in an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Furthermore, obesity in women increases the risk of breast cancer and causes problems with ovulation. Obesity in women significantly reduces the chances of getting pregnant or having a healthy baby. Even usual seasonal conditions, such as acute respiratory disease and influenza, occur in obese patients in much harder forms with a greater risk of complications and require more prolonged and serious treatment. This is explained by decreased immunity in obese people. The case is that system of immunity in obesity is switched to the activation of the reserves for fighting against the plaque formation in the blood vessels. This condition is known as metabolic immunosuppression.

Advanced degrees of obesity

As practice of nutritionists shows, frequently the active combat with obesity begins only when the overweight reaches advanced stages. However, even early stages of obesity can be successfully detected with BMI Calculator for Men. BMI calculator for males is good for detecting extra weight at the very beginning when other symptoms do not bother men. However, in advanced obesity doctors find new negative symptoms such as shortness of breath even with minimal effort, chest pain and heart palpitations, irregular heart beating, headaches due to the increase in blood pressure, aches in the spine and joints. These signs and symptoms make men think seriously about their health and treatment. It should also be noted that advanced obesity may develop into the morbid condition with all ensuing sad consequences.

Treatment of obesity in men

Any disease, including the fight against obesity, requires a professional approach. It is important to understand that obesity is being formed over the years, and cannot disappear immediately. Treatment of obesity requires a long, systematic and professional approach. Men need individual restorative program for treatment of obesity and subsequent recovery.

Individual approach to weight reduction in men

The life with normal weight is not a myth, it is the reality. The fight against obesity presupposes consistent approach to weight loss. The early stage of treatment is dedicated to body detoxification. Obesity is not only the overweight because of the buildup of excessive fat, but also the accumulation of various harmful and toxic substances in men's body that must be carefully and efficiently removed from it. The very recovery of impaired functional activity of the body prepares the ground for subsequent actions. It is also important to prepare an individual plan to eliminate all risks taking into account the age, gender, profession, cultural particularities and the amount of physical activity. The healthy recovery for life without obesity requires considerable willpower. It is not only important to get rid of excessive weight, but even more significant to avoid weight growth in the future.

Contemporary Approaches to Obesity

Obesity is one of the most common chronic diseases and is characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat in the body. Experts forecast that by the year of 2025 the number of obese people will exceed 300 million. Obesity is a disease with a high risk for health. Obesity is the second important risk factor for cardiovascular disease after smoking. Obesity, particularly the obesity with abdominal fat distribution, is often associated with hypertension, coronary disease, and diabetes mellitus. About 70% of patients with hypertension and 80% of patients with diabetes mellitus are overweight or obese. Hypercholesterolemia in young obese patients is detected two times more frequently than in people with normal weight. The frequency of cancer in obesity is also increased.
Body Mass Index (BMI) closely correlates with total body fat. Therefore, doctors use BMI to reveal the risks of diseases associated with obesity. To make calculations easy, it is good to use BMI calc specially created for these purposes. Statistics show that the risk of death increases dramatically with BMI greater than 30. However, among people over 65 years old and athletes BMI does not always reflect completely the body fat content.
Obesity is not only a fundamental medical issue, but also social and economic problem of modern society. This disease requires enormous direct and indirect financial investments. In developed countries these costs comprise about10% of all health care expenses.

Presently, the doctors use the classification of obesity on the etiological principle. From this standpoint obesity may be:

• Alimentary-constitutional
• Hypothalamic
• Endocrine
• Iatrogenic

Obesity may be also classified according to the type of fat distribution:

• Android (abdominal, central)
• Gynoid (gluteal-femoral)
• Mixed

Nature of the adipose tissue distribution may be determined by measuring the waist circumference. Studies have shown that high levels of fat in the abdominal region are associated with a high risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Gluteal-femoral obesity is characterized by the deposition of fat in the lower body. Gluteal-femoral obesity is more common for women and usually has a benign course. Mixed type of obesity is characterized by a relatively uniform distribution of adipose tissue. Depending on the phase of obesity development, doctors describe the dynamical stage with constant increase of body weight and static stage with weight stabilization.
The main causes of obesity development are genetic, demographic, socio-economic, psychological, metabolic and hormonal factors, usually acting in combination with each other. However, the determining factor is overeating, combined with the lack of exercise against the background of genetic predisposition. Pathophysiological mechanisms of obesity are complex. In general terms, obesity is the result of a long-standing positive energy balance resulting from the predominance of energy intake over its expenditure. This leads to the accumulation of body fat and weight gain. The clinical picture of the disease is determined by the severity, duration, type of obesity, as well as the presence of associated diseases. The main criterion of obesity is excessive fat in the body. Indirectly the fat content in the body can be determined by the thickness of the skin fold using calipers, absorption densitometry, and bioelectric analysis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen area helps calculate the amount of subcutaneous and visceral fat.

Essential amino acids

Amino acids are formed of an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain. Human body is unable to synthesize 9 essential amino acids. These essential amino acids must be obtained from food. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Such amino acids as arginine, cysteine, and tyrosine may be required in particular situations for premature babies and in people suffering from liver disease. Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products are important sources of high quality proteins. Essential amino acids in these products can satisfy human requirements. The food proteins such as egg albumin, milk casein, and wheat gluten are digested into their constituent amino acids and then absorbed from intestine. Amino acids in the body are connected by peptide chemical bonds forming proteins such as enzymes, hormones as well as structural, transport, and contractile constituents of the body. Plant foods taken separately are less suitable protein sources. However, balanced vegetarian diets can also satisfy human protein needs if they harmonize each other with essential amino acids.

Essential fatty acids

People have particular nutritional demands for certain organic substances. Among them are essential fatty acids. The case is that human body is unable to synthesize 2 essential fatty acids called linoleate and linolenate. Therefore, these essential fatty acids must be obtained from dietary plant sources. Human body may store assimilated fatty acids or oxidize them to get energy. These essential fatty acids are important precursors of eicosanoids needed for numerous significant metabolic processes. Essential fatty acids take part in the production of phospholipids that are important constituents of cell membranes and nerve fibers. Production of some hormones also requires participation of essential fatty acids. From all these standpoints, essential fatty acids are valuable dietary substances. Vegetable oils are precious sources of linoleic and linolenic essential fatty acids. Deficiencies of these essential fatty acids may develop in patients with disordered intestinal absorption, babies fed with low-in-fat formulas, and small children consuming nonfat milk or meals low in fat.

Moderate thinness

Moderate thinness and limits of moderation

Everything in life has its limits and even "moderate" doesn’t always mean "good". For example, moderate thinness may be unhealthful. Why? How to find it out? If your BMI is low, you may be moderately thin. To detect moderate thinness you must know your normal weight range determined with BMI calculator. Suspect moderate thinness if your weight is 10% below the ideal one. Inadequate nutrition and excessive physical activity may cause this unpleasant condition. If you are in stress, overwork, sleep bad, skip meals, fast, have dyspepsia, diarrhea, constipation, hepatic dysfunction, and sexual problems your way to moderate thinness is paved. Low energy levels make people with moderate thinness indifferent, easily tired, and susceptible to infections due to weak immunity. If you want to forget about this condition, keep to diets containing more calories than are spent.

Vegetable oil

The notion vegetable oil includes important substances such as olive, peanut, coconut, cottonseed, sunflower seed, soybean, safflower, rape, sesame, mustard, red palm, and corn oils. Vegetable oil contains unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and is liquid at room temperature. Valuable essential linoleic acid may be found in corn, sunflower, cottonseed, and safflower oils. Any vegetable oil produces more calories than other foods. Practically any natural vegetable oil contains carotene and vitamin E, which is valuable antioxidant important also for healthy sexual activity. Oils are consumed in the form of various foods. Industrially, vegetable oil is produced from seeds and fruit by means of pressure extraction. Then, oils undergo processing to get neutral or yellow color and to remove odor. Oils are used in breads, rolls, and other baked foods. Unsaturated oils may be hydrogenated and used for shortening and cooking.

What are fats?

Fats are natural organic triglycerides composed of three molecules of fatty acids and one molecule of glycerol. Triglycerides are the main food lipids. Fats are stored in the body as adipose tissue. Fats are lighter than water and are water insoluble. However, fats are soluble in organic solvents. In the pure state, fats do not possess any taste, color, or odor. Examples of pure fats are palmitin, stearin, and olein. Fats in adipose tissue are mixtures of several pure fats and free fatty acids in different proportions, which determine their properties. Fats may be saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats are usually more stable and are solid at room temperature. People consume fats getting them from food. Some natural fats, such as butter and lard, may be used in food almost without preparation. Fats are extracted from animal tissue by boiling in water with subsequent cooling and skimming.