WEIGHT GAIN: DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS
Americans treat weight gain as a modern-day blasphemy of sorts, no matter whether they’re talking about 5 pounds or 50. I feel far too many men and women are totally obsessed with a process that I view as pure physics most of the time: weight gain is the body’s natural reaction when a person takes in more calories than his body needs. Most of the time, it’s as simple as that. Excess weight is one of the major contributors to America’s health problems and is so common because of the high-fat, high-calorie, sedentary life many people lead. When a person weighs more than 20% above his ideal weight, he automatically becomes more prone to developing high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, diabetes, and arthritis, as well as the psychosocial problems that go along with carrying extra weight, such as low self-esteem and emotional isolation.
However, the aging process works in such a way that a weight gain might actually be due not to an increase in body fat, but rather to an increase in the amount of water the body retains. This excess water can be the result of kidney, heart, or liver failure, and it accumulates most often in the abdomen or in the legs. Weight gain that results in fat and occurs without a corresponding increase in caloric intake can be a side effect of corticosteroid preparations such as prednisone, which are prescribed to treat arthritis or asthma. The face will commonly take on a round, moonlike look, and a hump may develop on the upper back. Prednisone can also raise blood sugar levels and aggravate an existing case of osteoporosis. However, the good news is that these symptoms and the weight gain will develop only in people who take high doses of the steroid for more than three or four months. Many times, however, an inactive thyroid is the first condition your doctor will check for. This can be diagnosed with a physical exam and a simple blood test.
*569\167\8*
Leave a comment
You need to log in to comment.