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Obesity: Excess Proportion of Total Body Fat

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Obesity: Excess Proportion of Total Body Fat
Obesity
Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than he r she burns. For many people this boils down to eating too much food. [www.webmd.com]. When a person becomes obese it becomes hard to do something a normal person can do. Factors that affect obese are Age, Gender, Genetics, Physical Activity and illness. As you grow older, your body starts slowing down, and takes longer to break down foods you consume, so as you get older you have to start watching what you eat and how much you eat. Women tend to be more overweight than men [www.webmd.com]. Guys have a faster metabolic rate, which means they burn more energy than girls; guys require more calories to maintain their body weight. Obesity tends to run in families. In a study of adults who were adopted as children, researchers found that participating adults’ weights were closer to their biological parents’ weights than their adoptive parents’ [www.webmd.com]. Active individuals require more calories than less active ones to maintain their weight. Physical activity tends to decrease appetite in obese individuals while increasing the body’s ability to preferentially metabolize fat as an energy source. Although not as common as many believe, there are some illnesses that can cause obesity. These include hormone problems such as hypothyroidism (poorly acting thyroid slows down metabolism), depression and some rare diseases of the brain that can lead to overeating.
One of the most painful aspects of obesity may be the emotional suffering it causes. American Society places great emphasis on physical appearance, often equating attractiveness with slimness or muscularity. In addition, many people wrongly stereotype obese people as gluttonous, lazy, or both. However, more and more evidence contradicts this assumption. Obese people often face prejudice or discrimination at work, school, while looking for a job,

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