Obesity
Public Health Enemy #1
by David Zeiger, D.O. and Judy Manisco, L.D., C.N.
Today many American adults, teens and children are facing the alarming fact that they are either overweight or obese. Metabolic obesity, as it is know understood, is a factor of neuropsychological stress, hormonal imbalances and dietary lifestyle. The following statistics are staggering:
The U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates that approximately 58 million American adults (26 million men and 32 million women) are obese.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 55% or 97 million adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese, with at least 33% (58 million) of adults considered overweight and 22% (39 million) considered obese.
The prevalence of obesity increased from 12.0% in 1991 to 17.9% in 1998. A steady increase was observed in all states; in both sexes; across age groups, races and educational levels; and occurred regardless of smoking status.
More than a problem of appearance, obesity can also be a life threatening condition. As the number of pounds increases, the risk for gallstones, high blood pressure, heart and kidney diseases, stroke, colon and breast cancer escalates. Other medical problems associated with obesity, include adult onset diabetes, hormonal imbalances, osteoarthritis, fatigue and sleep apnea — abnormally long pauses in breathing during sleep.
Genes, Hormones and Sensible Metabolic Planning
Medical research indicates there may be a genetic basis for 40-60% of persons at risk for developing obesity. However, the more common causes may actually reside within the complex interaction of these genes that code for an individual’s metabolism and the additional effects of such hormones as; estrogen, insulin, triiodothyronine (T3-a thyroid hormone), cortisol, as well as, lifestyle and dietary choices.
Chemicals called leptins act as the ‘middlemen’ messengers between the brain and one’s fat cells effecting hunger and the feeling of satiety. Stress, high carbohydrate meals, lack of exercise, and in some women added estrogen from the use of birth control pills — even Premarin™ — will often contribute to a marked increase in body fat. Note here that estrogen promotes an increase in the size and number of fat cells.
Stress releases cortisol from the adrenal gland. This hormone single-handedly impacts on your thyroid, estrogen and carbohydrate metabolism. High cortisol levels will make more estrogen and decrease triiodothyronine the powerhouse thyroid hormone that drives cell metabolism. High carbohydrate diets release insulin. In some patients it might not be immediate, but eventually, there may be a tendency over time that the bodies’ cells become insensitive or even unreactive to the insulin it produces. Even though this effect may be transient, such higher than normal insulin levels stimulate the production of fat stores in your body.
Furthermore, fat (adipose tissue) is a major source of estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women through an enzymatic conversion of testosterone into estrogen. This is usually seen in men as gynecomastia and symptoms of hyperestrogenism in women as I discussed in a previous article in April 2002 issue of Conscious Choice.