World Obesity Day: Obesity Is Higher In Women Than In Men, Reasons And Precautions To Control It

It¡¯s generally observed that obesity is more common in females than males. The National Family Health Survey (2019-2021) data shows that obesity rates among Indian women aged 15-49 are 12.9% in urban areas and 5.5% in women from rural areas. Indian men in the same age group show obesity rates of 8.5% and 2.2%, respectively. Let¡¯s delve deeper into the reasons for high obesity rates among women and the preventive measures to control it.

Reasons why obesity is higher in women

Pregnancy has a role to play in the prevalence of obesity among women. Most women cannot regain their pre-pregnancy weight after delivering a child.

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Hypothyroidism is a common occurrence after childbirth, especially in women from South India. As compared to men, women are generally more prone to hypothyroidism. It reduces the body¡¯s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), leading to weight gain.

There¡¯s an increased deposition of fat in a woman¡¯s body due to repeated pregnancies. Also, the abdominal wall becomes weak, making women look obese. So, women look obese and are obese after multiple pregnancies.

Obesity isn¡¯t a simple numbers game based on the readings of a person¡¯s weight but we need to know Body Mass Index (BMI ¨C wt in Kg / Ht in m*2) & other factors like the persons built and the body fat percentage and a person¡¯s activity levels.

Indians are short-statured and small-built, especially Indian women. So, a person around 5 feet tall and weighing 70-80 kg will be obese. A person who is 6 feet tall and weighs 100 kg isn¡¯t considered obese but just overweight .

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Hormones play a crucial role in obesity. In comparison to men, women have a different hormonal makeup. For instance, oestrogen can change how fat is distributed throughout the body. Oestrogen levels fluctuate in menopausal women, which can also lead to weight gain.

Precautions to control obesity in women

Childhood obesity

It is a major problem that will only worsen in the coming days. Due to eating refined food products, obesity rates are shooting up. It was normal for girls to attain menarche at 12-13 years. Now, the age of menarche attainment has gotten reduced to 8-9 years. Early puberty attainment and rapid weight gain are the major concerns leading to childhood obesity.

The problem with childhood obesity is that besides the increase in fat cell size, their number also goes up. It¡¯s as if you built a bigger house and bought additional houses to store fat. Losing weight after childhood obesity is a difficult task. So, parents must guide their children regarding dietary habits to prevent childhood obesity.

Diet

More than exercise, diet plays a crucial role in obesity. The quality and volume of food getting consumed make a huge difference. Eating three meals a day isn¡¯t going to make a person overweight, but what they eat in between those three meals makes a huge difference.

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People usually engage in fad diets and exercises like keto, intermittent fasting, paleo, etc. They go to resorts, nature spas, and nature cure therapies to do crash dieting and lose 4 to 5 kilograms in a month. It makes their stomach secrete ghrelin (a satiety hormone which gives the satisfaction of eating )in abnormally large amounts. This happens because fasting causes the ghrelin-releasing cells in the stomach to increase in number. Once their weight starts stagnating after crash dieting, people start eating normally as before. The problem is that ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone, is now present in greater quantities in the stomach than before. The satiety isn¡¯t going to remain at the same level as before. They end up eating more.

So, most of the time, people opting for bariatric surgeries have tried crash dieting to lose weight a few times in their lifetimes. Every time crash dieting helps a person lose 5 kgs; they end up putting on additional 10 kgs.

Lack of sleep

Not getting enough sleep distorts the human body¡¯s hormonal balance, which can lead to obesity. These hormones are responsible for the body¡¯s metabolism and appetite regulation. Any abnormality in their normal body concentrations can manifest in the form of obesity.

Stress management

Women must manage their stress levels, as chronic stress can lead to obesity. It is doable via regular exercise, yoga, deep breathing, meditation, etc.

Healthy eating and exercises with no shortcuts like fad diets and no fad exercises like a marathon run for six months or a year are musts. It¡¯s because quitting due to pregnancy slows down the body¡¯s food expenditure. But women continue eating the same quantity as during the running period. There¡¯s an automatic gain of weight. Therefore, if you can¡¯t commit to a diet or an exercise program, don¡¯t even start. Intermittent crash dieting and exercising confuses your body and leads to obesity.

¡°A happy woman eating three simple meals a day going around with her routine physical activity and 8 hrs good sleep in a stress-free calm environment should be healthy and non-obese.¡±

About the author: Dr.Anand NS is a Consultant in General And Bariatric Surgeon, Manipal Hospital Hebbal. All views/opinions expressed in the article are of the author.