What is Obesity?
Individuals who are classified overweight or obese mostly have a weight exceeding a healthy weight for given height. A body mass index (BMI) is weight (in kilograms) over height squared (in meters) or weight (in pounds) over height squared (in inches) multiplied by 703. The calculated BMI is further categorized into a series of weight classifications as shown in the graph below.
Though health at every size promotes being comfortable in your own skin, carrying excess weight can compromise health in numerous ways. Being overweight and obese increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, bone and joint pain, and other conditions among the body systems. Waist size is another measure to indicate health risks - women with a waist size greater than 35 and men with a waist size greater than 40 increase their risk of diseases and conditions. Though health is on the front line of concern, healthcare costs also rise with increased weight and its complications.
Solution to Obesity
Physicians, dietitians, and public health advocates are a few of the many trying beat overweight and obesity numbers. Though extreme measures are personally taken for weight loss (fad and starvation diets, diet pills, etc.), researchers are tapping into a quite unconventional weight loss approach...
A scientific trial plans to provide 20 obese patients with a daily pill. With weight loss pills already sought out after, its use seems pretty unoriginal, right? Well, the unconventionality is based on the pill's ingredients - a couple grams of someone else's freeze-dried fecal matter. Now you may be asking "Why!?" which is certainly understanding.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are utilizing fecal samples related to its intestinal microbe content. The transplanted microbes will (hopefully) provoke weight loss and correspond to previous research. Preceding evidence suggests such microbes may have an effect on body weight. The studies mostly found a cause-and-effect relationship between gut microbes and its possible prevention in obesity development, mostly related to the microbe's diversity and heritable strains.
Though the research may be unappetizing yet convincing, it is extremely critical to take this solution with a grain of salt. First off, the experiment is conducted under tight control and investigation. Lead clinical researcher, Elaine Yu, indicates herself she is unsure on what the results may be. Though the solution to obesity is urged sooner rather than later, fecal pills are not the initial treatment at this time. Until the hunt to end obesity in America is pinpointed, most health experts will agree a lifestyle overhaul and change may best reverse overweight and obesity numbers - embrace a healthful diet, become more active, reduce stress, and get adequate sleep at night.
