This week I have been working on a project that analyzes the relationship between obesity and other diseases. In this regard, Hauner (2016) maintains that nowadays, an increasing number of people suffer from having excess weight. The author argues that the main reason behind such a trend is the lifestyle changes, which implies that people started having high-sugar and high-fat diets and reduced activity. Other less significant reasons for weight gain include genetics, diseases, and medical side effects (Baothman et al., 2016). Moreover, an increasing number of scholars investigate the role of gut microbiota on metabolism, energy extractions from food, and endocrine functions (Al-Assal et al., 2018).
As a consequence, I discovered that obesity could cause diabetes (type 2), hypertension, cardiovascular and chronic diseases (Hauner, 2016). Additionally, the overweight is associated with cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, breathing problems, and an overall reduction in quality of life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). Furthermore, Li et al. (2016) found that obesity not only hurts the overweight person but also can negatively affect his/her offspring’s health. The authors discovered that women’s abnormal weight before giving birth increases the risk of children’s intellectual disabilities and an autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, it is evident that obesity can cause several dangerous and lethal diseases. For this reason, in order to address the problem that concerns more and more individuals in the population, certain steps should be taken.
The most effective preventive and control measures to counter excessive weight include a healthy diet and regular exercise (CDC, 2021). However, two problems may deter the success of treatment, including patients’ lack of understanding of his/her problem and self-stigma, which may reduce an individual belief in the possibility of change (Palmeira et al., 2016). For those reasons, healthcare professionals should seek to educate and support the people struggling with obesity.
Personally I think that I will be able to successfully manage the two functions mentioned above in my professional practice. I always believed in my good ability to educate people and communicate my own thoughts clearly and comprehensibly. Moreover, I have a friend who suffered from excessive weight in the past and who sometimes shares his experiences fighting obesity. Therefore, I hope that I will gain enough expertise to properly understand my patients and address their fears and self-doubts.
References
Al-Assal, K., Martinez, A. C., Torrinhas, R. S., Cardinelli, C., & Waitzberg, D. (2018). Gut microbiota and obesity. Clinical Nutrition Experimental, 20, 60-64.
Baothman, O. A., Zamzami, M. A., Taher, I., Abubaker, J., & Abu-Farha, M. (2016). The role of gut microbiota in the development of obesity and diabetes. Lipids in Health and Disease, 15(1), 1-8.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Adult obesity causes & consequences. Web.
Hauner, H. (2017). Obesity and diabetes. In R. R. Holt, C. Cockram, A. Flyvbjerg & B. Goldstein (Eds.), Textbook of diabetes (pp. 215-228), John Wiley & Sons.
Li, M., Fallin, M. D., Riley, A., Landa, R., Walker, S. O., Silverstein, M., Caruso, D., Pearson, C., Lyn-Dahm, J., Kiang, S., Hong, X., Wang, G., Wang, M. C., Zuckerman, B., & Wang, X. (2016). The association of maternal obesity and diabetes with autism and other developmental disabilities. Pediatrics, 137(2), 1-12. Web.
Palmeira, L., Pinto-Gouveia, J., & Cunha, M. (2016). The role of weight self-stigma on the quality of life of women with overweight and obesity: A multi-group comparison between binge eaters and non-binge eaters. Appetite, 105, 782-789.