Fat Facts 101

by: Erika Carmela B. Inovero

Each year, more and more Filipinos are growing horizontally. They love to eat and go with the flow in their way of living. Thus, latest report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reveals an alarming rise on the negative impacts of obesity and overweight rates in the Philippines.

As defined by the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO), overweight is the increased body weight in relation to height, while obesity is the state of having excess proportion of total body fats. It is also a medical condition in which a person is at least 20% over his or her normal body weight to the extent that it may have adverse effects on health. But, take note that heavy weight does not necessarily mean one is already overweight or obese. The most obvious symptom and way to know if someone is obese is through the increase of weight or Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference.

More than 1 billion people worldwide are overweight and at least 300 million of them are obese. While in the Philippines, there are more than 3 million overweight citizens and more than 600,000 of them are obese. Consequently, the prevalence rates of overweight and obese Filipinos are expected to increase significantly by 2015, which means more high risk diseases, health problems, short life expectancy and death ahead.

Taba Ching

Since the day that *Ching’s obese mother died due to coronary heart disease, she could not accept the fact of continuously living her life alone at a very young age. She used to always have her mother – the one and only loving mom who raised and took good care of her little chubby daughter, *Ching.

“I missed the nights when mom pinches, kisses and bites my fab flabby fats before she sleeps, but gone are those days because even at the age of eight, I knew she cannot wake up anymore”, *Ching sadly recalled.

After her mother’s death, she thought that her step-father also loved her so much that he would never leave her. But, *Ching was wrong. She also shared that she has not met her biological father yet, so her relatives took her in their households.

“At first, they felt affection and sympathy for a healthily cute and pitiful child. But as time passes by, I realized that some of them were just up to my ‘mana’ and like my step-father, they also abandoned me and passed me on to another relative. In order for them to keep me, I needed to work or do household chores to survive. Of course it was hard, especially with this big fat body of mine”, she reluctantly shared.

The same situation goes with her studies. There was a time when she stopped and transferred from one school to another. “Everywhere I go, even at school, people would call me ‘taba-ching’”, she said. While, other children would tease her: “Ching-ching! Taba-taba ching-ching! Taba-taba ching!”, she sang. “And I have already accepted that fact”, she added.

Often times, worst things happen. As a result, she felt insecure, depress and had low self-esteem. Once, she isolated herself because she felt being discriminated and she also believed that she has a bad image. “I felt like no one likes me for nobody would even understand nor accept me”, she admitted.

Now that *Ching is already 18, she has somehow moved on and her apple-shaped body also changed a bit. The previous years she checked, she was obese. As far as she can remember, her weight was 70 kg and her height was 1.52 m. But recently, her weight reduced into 62 kg, while her height remained the same. Although she is still overweight, she is somehow happy that her diet, exercise and household chores turned-out well.

Obese problems

The World Health Organization in 1997 declared obesity as a disease. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Philippines is one of the developing countries with high levels of obesity. Hence, it continues to grow as one of the country’s serious health problems which also affect the national and social economic development. In developing countries like the Philippines, there are numerous factors leading to obesity.

One leading factor is the expensive and increasing prices of world and domestic food. As an effect, a lot of Filipinos alternatively purchase cheap but unhealthy processed food over healthy and staple ones. Base on a series of research, obesity and overweight is fundamentally caused by energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. In obese or overweight people, there is usually an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar but low in vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients.

Sedentary lifestyle is also a contributing factor that does not only affect adults but also children. Are you aware that child obesity is already a big problem that should not be taken lightly? According to one of Rappler’s articles, “The more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their health.” Thus, overweight and/or obese children are more likely to be obese as they grow. Remember that as a child grows, anything can happen. Tendencies of child growth can be associated with higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. In addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects. Some health experts around the world blame it on unhealthy snacks such as junk food, and technology such as electronic gadgets and internet. Henceforth, obesity especially in children will continue to rise due to lack of physical activities, specifically with increase unhealthy eating patterns.

Among all the numerous factors, the most alarming problem revealed in most studies and researches on overweight and obesity is that both can reduce life expectancy up to 8 years and 19 years of good health. Plus, risky chance of premature death is estimated from 50% to 100%. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.8 million people die each year due to being overweight or obese. Furthermore, it ranked 5th among the leading risks for global deaths. These deaths were caused by major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Approximately 115 million people may also develop serious medical conditions or NCDs such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, gallbladder problems, cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), musculo-skeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis), certain types of cancer (e.g., endometrial, uterine, colon, cervix, ovary, breast, and prostrate), urinary incontinence, problems with fertility and pregnancy, joint problems (ex: arthritis), digestive disorders (ex: gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GORD), breathing difficulties (ex: sleep apnea, asthma), and even psychological problems such as depression, discrimination, social isolation, low self- esteem and confidence.

Obesity to potentially healthy

A healthy lifestyle can make a difference. The safest, inexpensive and most effective way to treat overweight and obesity are by combining right behavioral patterns, physical activities such as exercise, proper diet or the intake of appropriate calories and low fat to satisfy the body’s needs, and above all, consistent maintenance. Experts recommend that people throughout their lives should engage in adequate levels of healthy lifestyle – “healthier lifestyle patterns produce greater health benefits”. Likewise, Filipino children and adolescents who were trained to live a healthy lifestyle will likely have brighter future and become successfully healthy adults.

Over the years, various medical treatments such as surgery and drugs were also proven to be successful methods in order to treat obesity. “Surgery is the most effective means available for successful long-term weight loss of morbidly obese patients”, Manila Doctors Hospital internal medicine consultant Dr. Anthony Leachon stated in one of his articles entitled “Healthy Living”. Some of these surgical treatments are laparoscopic gastric band, laparoscopic gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, stomach stapling or gastroplasty, and malabsorptive procedures.

“In morbidly obese patients, surgical procedures designed to either limit the entry of food into the stomach or reduce the amount of nutrients that is absorbed by the small intestines are sometimes carried out. But these procedures are risky because they are major operations in a high-risk population”, he said.

“Outcome of the clinical weight reduction after surgery is most desirable by many, because a ‘shrunk’ person can now be able to live a healthy and joyful life” he added. Moreover, some cases use drugs or medicines for a limited period to complement diet and exercise. Two new anti-obesity drugs known as Qsymia and Belviq were also introduced into the market last year. Consequently, Philippines was recognized as the most active country in creating awareness for the global problem of obesity, and became the first to provide the service of Bariatric Surgery in Southeast Asia.

On a broader level, the Philippine government, non-government organizations and other stakeholders also play vital roles in shaping healthy environments through making affordable, easily accessible and healthy options. Recently, by the power vested in the President of the Philippines, he declared the first week of September in every year as obesity prevention awareness week under Proclamation No. 162. This was implemented to address the different concerns in the prevention and treatment of obesity. As well as focusing on its management sought to reduce life threatening disease and intensify the knowledge or awareness of the increasingly recognized obesity risks. As a result, more departments and organizations are also planning and implementing different solutions and projects not only to combat obesity but also contribute to the country’s closer step to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

***

Indeed, there has already been an alarming rise on the negative impacts of obesity and overweight rates in the Philippines. If this trend continues, high chances of increasing problems will likely occur and more Filipinos will suffer from risky diseases that could lead to short life expectancy and death. But, various solutions were already implemented and successfully proven. Do not wait to weight too much. After being aware of the risks, prevention and treatments of overweight and obesity, it is now your decision to make a move, improve your health and enhance your quality way of living.

Note:

*Ching is not the real name of the interviewee. Her nickname was used for private reasons and/or purposes.

Sources:

* www.obesity.org

*http://www.mb.com.ph/obesity/

* http://www.ndap.org.ph/obesity

* http://www.newyou.com.ph/facts-about-obesity

*http://www.totalobesitysolutions.com/obesity.html

*http://asianbariatrics.rxpinoy.com/newchallenge.html

* https://ph.news.yahoo.com/obesity-now-disease-214039812.html

*http://www.news-medical.net/health/Obesity-What-Can-be-Done.aspx

* http://www.medicardphils.com/overweight-obesity-questions-answered-ii/