Lifestyle Risk Factors and Management of Obesity: A Mini Review

Author Info

Alice Antenucci Eleni Anastasilaki Giulia Antenucci Ioannis Patrikios Mousa Al Rawashdeh Stephanos Christodoulides Zisis Barmpas

Corresponding Author

Ioannis Patrikios
School of Medicine, European University Cyprus, Cyprus

A B S T R A C T

Obesity is one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. The most common method used to define obesity is the BMI (weight/height squared in meters). If a person’s BMI is 30 or above is considered to be obese. In this review we focus on the different factors that cause obesity and on the different available treatment strategies. The mechanism behind weight gain is based on the energy intake of an individual. Positive energy balance leads to gain weight. With rapid economic growth, urbanization and westernization traditional diets high in fibres were replaced by diets high in sugar and fats which are high in energy and lead to a positive energy balance and therefore gain weight. Also, energy high food prices have declined leading to increased consumption of the latter. Fast foods which sell low quality/ energy high foods for a convenient price are an example of this phenomenon. Daily choices also influence the prevalence of obesity. For instance, eating out often can expose individuals to larger portions eventually leading to the phenomenon of portion distortion. Physical activity affects the energy balance of an individual along with dietary choices. Increase in physical activity, as shown in different studies, promotes weight loss. Combining low-fat diet with either vigorous exercise or simple lifestyle activity has been proven to be the best modality for weight loss. There are three main management strategies that can be followed in order to lose weight: lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy and surgery. The primary approach to treat obesity is weight loss through diet and exercise, supported also by behavioural therapy. The aim of the diet should be lowering the calorie intake. People should first of all inform themselves about the different macronutrients normal intake levels and consult an expert. If no adequate weight loss is achieved by lifestyle changes, medications like Orlistat may be taken. If medications and lifestyle changes aren’t successful, surgery may be considered as an option to lose weight.

Article Info

Article Type

Review Article

Publication history

Received: Mon 24, Feb 2020
Accepted: Tue 10, Mar 2020
Published: Mon 30, Mar 2020

Copyright

© 2023 Ioannis Patrikios. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.CDM.2020.01.03