Obesity is the Most Serious Health Problem of the 21st Century

Obesity, which includes many health problems from heart diseases to cancer, from insulin resistance to muscular and skeletal disorders, continues to increase its effect all over the world, including our country.

Obesity and metabolic surgery specialist Associate Professor Hasan Erdem said, "18 percent of individuals over the age of 39 and more than 35 million children live above the predicted weight limit in the world." He made serious warnings by making a statement.

"Inactive life and unhealthy diet are the main causes of obesity"

Stating that obesity occurs because the amount of calories taken is more than the amount of calories the body consumes, Assoc. Dr. Erdem speaks as follows:

“Every person has a certain ideal weight ratio according to their height and gender. These ideal weight ratios that each person should have are determined by a calculation method that refers to the division of the patient's kilogram by the square of his height, which we call Body Mass Index (BMI). According to these calculations, when the BMI ratio is more than 25, we can talk about overweight. The higher the BMI ratio of the person, the more risk he is in terms of obesity and additional diseases to obesity. Sedentary life, unhealthy diet are the main causes of obesity. Of course, apart from these, various external factors such as genetic - metabolic problems, psychological problems, smoking and alcohol consumption have a high share in obesity.

“In 2016, more than 18 billion adults aged 1,9 and over were overweight in the world”

"All over the world, overweight and obesity rates are increasing rapidly, regardless of men - women, young - old." Assoc. Dr. Erdem pointed out that between 1975 and 2016, the number of people suffering from overweight and obesity increased approximately 3 times, giving the following information:

“In the past, obesity was seen as a health problem only in developed countries, but this approach is not correct. Processed industrial foods that can be obtained very cheaply are now everywhere. Convenience foods, defined as fast food in English, are the most serious examples of this. According to the data released by the World Health Organization, more than 2016 billion adults aged 18 and over were overweight in 1,9. More than 650 million of them were obese. This is a rate that requires serious monitoring and taking necessary precautions. "

"The situation is getting worse in Turkey"

Assoc seen in people older than 15 years in Turkey that the knowledge that 21.1 percent rate of obesity. Dr. Erdem continues as follows: “When we go to gender discrimination, we see that 17.3 percent of men and 24.8 percent of women are obese. These rates were 2016 for men and 15.2 for women in 23.9. We see that the rates have increased over the years. Apart from the obesity rates, 39.7 percent of men and 30.4 percent of women are in the overweight class defined as 'pre-obesity'. These rates increase the risk of people experiencing many additional diseases such as obesity and obesity-related heart diseases, lung diseases, joint problems, cancer, insulin resistance. The more you are overweight, the more at risk you are in terms of health.

"Social awareness against obesity is very important"

Pointing out that obesity is the most serious health problem of the 21st century, Assoc. Dr. Erdem emphasized that it is very important to raise awareness about the risks posed by overweight and obesity.

Talking about the ways to prevent obesity, Assoc. Dr. Stating that the amount of daily calories taken is very important in the process leading to obesity, Erdem said, “You should not take more calories than you need in your daily life, depending on your metabolic rate and daily activity. Because our body does not have a function of expelling excess calories. After the body consumes the energy in the food, it stores the remaining parts as fat. One should look at the nutritional values ​​of the foods consumed, the amount of daily calories to be taken should be determined and a nutrition program should be created accordingly. " He made recommendations.

"Obesity surgery is an effective solution in the fight against obesity"

Finally, Assoc. He also mentioned the place of obesity surgery in the fight against obesity and overweight. Dr. Erdem concludes: “People who have failed to lose weight with diet and sports activities, have a body mass index of 35 and above, and have many concomitant diseases related to obesity may be eligible for obesity surgery. Obesity surgery procedures that reduce stomach volume and reduce appetite are an effective solution in the fight against obesity. Of course, the process should be carefully examined and a physician support should be applied. "