|
|
|
|
Genetic defects encoding for certain proteins (e.g., leptin, glucagon like protein) and their receptors have recently been associated with obesity. The macro-nutritional composition of food may also influence hormonal secretions and determine the metabolism of carbohydrates and impact whether they are efficiently converted to energy or stored as fat.
It is also observed that when one diets the body naturally defends itself from the perceived threat of starvation by lowering metabolism in order to conserve body mass. Thus, weight lost through dieting results primarily in lean muscle loss; the very tissue that burns calories most efficiently.
Consequently, when one reverts to his previous diet he will gain back the weight that was lost or, most likely, gain back even more weight. This "yo-yoing" effect then further increases their risk of heart attack, other cardio-vascular disorders, osteoarthritis, diabetes, certain cancers, and other disorders.
Socially, obese women are 20% less likely to marry than their thinner counterparts, have a lower household income by an average of $13,420.00 per year; and are 10% more likely to live in poverty. It also has an obvious depressing effect upon self-esteem.
As dieting rarely achieves any lasting benefits and often results in a worsening of the condition, other approaches are often tried, including drugs. Appetite suppressant drugs have improved safety profiles as compared with the amphetamines commonly prescribed in the sixties and seventies; and, newer serotoninergic drugs, such as fenfluramine and other anorectics, are often effective in the short-term; yet, long term use has not been proven to be safe.
FOOD SENSITIVITIES & WEIGHT GAIN
For years, a small number of doctors and other healthcare professionals have been aware that foods can cause adverse reactions, including immunologic problems and imbalances in bio-chemistry, which can result in weight gain or the inability to lose weight.
Any food can cause the problems and it is often the very food or foods that one craves the most which do so. What we take for granted as a "normal diet" is a relatively recent cultural development which, in many instances, has outstripped biological mechanisms of adaptation.
For example, members of certain racial groups who, by virtue of their geography and culture have not had a historic exposure to milk, will not have developed the genetic disposition to digest milk proteins efficiently and may experience an adverse reaction to ingestion of milk or foods that contain it. Nonetheless, dairy products are heavily advertised and have become a major component of a modern diet.
In addition, "advances" in food technology, as regards to methods of processing, preserving, and flavoring, including the use of dyes, pesticides, and fertilizers, has altered food to the point that these additives, in addition to food's natural components, can cause a disruption to the immune system. Further complication may arise from the overuse of antibiotics coupled with an increased consumption of simple sugars and refined flours (very common in a food sensitive patient's diet) thus causing an imbalance in the flora of the intestinal tract and an overgrowth of yeast (candida).
|
|
