World Obesity Day: A Guide to Help you Create Awareness About this Condition

Obesity is a medical condition wherein your body contains excess fat. Excess body fat can result in high blood pressure, diabetes and heart ailments. By observing World Obesity Day, you can create awareness and learn more about this condition.

Obesity Day provides the platform for those living with this condition to come forward and share their experiences. Different countries celebrate National Obesity Day in their own way. They adopt various themes emphasizing the importance of a healthier world.

Statistics reveal that approximately 2.7  billion adults may be obese by 2025 [1]. According to WHO, you are considered an overweight person if your BMI is more than or equal to 25. In case the BMI exceeds 30, you will be considered obese. BMI or body mass index is calculated based on your height and weight.

Read on to get a proper insight about this condition and how World Obesity Day 2021 has been observed.

What Are the Types of Obesity?

There are six types of obesity issues seen in different individuals:  

• Food obesity 
• Inactive obesity 
• Venous circulation obesity
• Genetic metabolic obesity
• Obesity due to gluten diet
• Obesity due to unwanted stress

Food obesity is one of the most common in the world. This occurs due to excessive consumption of sugar and food. In genetic metabolic obesity, you may see a swollen stomach. This happens when there is an excess accumulation of fats in the middle of your body.

Venous circulation obesity is caused by genes and common among people with swollen legs. When you substitute normal staples with foods free of gluten, it can cause obesity. This is because your substitutes may contain a higher percentage of fats.

Obesity due to stress is also an important type you need to watch out for. When you are stressed, you tend to binge eat a lot of sweets. This can cause a lot of fat deposition in your body.

Inactive obesity affects certain body parts that were active before. Most commonly seen in people who play sports, you can manage it by eliminating stored fats from your body.

What Are the Risk Factors of Obesity?

In Asia, the risk factors of obesity are related to reduced physical activity and a high-fat diet [2]. Apart from this, here are the other risk factors of obesity: 

• Genes  
• Lifestyle choices such as overdoing alcohol and fast food 
• Certain medical issues or medications 
• Age
• Other causes such as quitting smoking or pregnancy
• Not enough or too much sleep
• Stress
• Unhealthy gut

Keep in mind that obesity can lead to several complications such as:  

• Type 2 diabetes 
• Stroke 
• Heart ailments 
• High blood pressure
• Liver disease
• Complications in pregnancy

While being obese doesn’t necessarily mean you will have these health problems, it is better to track your vital parameters regularly. This way, you can curtain your risk.

How to Manage Obesity?

• Eat when you are hungry 
• Chew your food properly and eat slowly 
• Avoid processed foods and drinks 
• Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes
• Sleep properly
• Avoid sugary foods
• Eat more vegetables and fruits
• Reduce stress 

Top Foods That Cause Obesity

Doctors recommend avoiding the following food to reduce the risk of obesity: 

• Processed meats
• Refined grains
• Red meat
• Beverages with added sugar
• Junk foods
• Fried food

How Is World Obesity Day 2021 Celebrated?

World Obesity Day has four main objectives [3]: 

• To increase awareness about this condition 
• To encourage people living with this condition to share their experiences 
• To create a healthy future by prioritizing obesity issues 
• To change the way our society addresses this condition

The World Obesity Day 2021 theme was based on the slogan Every body needs everybody. It is a wake-up call that obesity is a disease that needs support, love and care.

Now that you are aware of the cons of obesity, do your bit this World Obesity Day 2021 as well in the future. Build empathy in the minds of people and discourage them from body shaming. Lead an active lifestyle and eat a wholesome nutritious diet to prevent obesity. If your loved ones are trying to lose weight, reach out to top nutritionists on Bajaj Finserv Health. Book an appointment with a specialist close to you so that your loved ones get back to shape! Customized diet and exercise plans can help your loved ones combat this condition.