A study published in The Lancet by the World Health Organization states that more than 1 billion people, or one in eight of the population, suffer from obesity worldwide. In the face of obesity, people always have many questions and confusions. March 4 is World Obesity Day, and a number of experts from the Department of Endocrinology of Peking University People's Hospital unveiled the secret of obesity.
Q1 Is obesity a disease?
Zhou Lingli, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University People's Hospital: The traditional concept is that although obesity itself is not a disease, it is related to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and other diseases. As early as the American Endocrine Society and the Diabetes Society, obesity has been treated as a chronic disease, and proposed that "obesity is a chronic disease that requires lifelong follow-up, and obesity-related complications need to be paid attention to".
Q2Is it really the root of all diseases?
Chen Ling, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University People's Hospital: Obesity is closely related to a variety of diseases. Such as: osteoarthritis (because of excess weight, the weight of the bones and joints is relatively large for a long time, especially the spine and lower limb joints); diabetes (obesity increases the risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to elevated blood sugar over time); Hypertension; hyperlipidemia; Fatty liver; sleep apnea; cardiovascular disease; increased risk of tumors, etc.
Q3 What are the causes?
Zhou Lingli: Obesity includes simple obesity and pathological obesity. Obesity often refers to simple obesity, which is mainly related to genetics and living environment, and the living environment mainly includes diet and life rhythm. Eating too much, consuming too little, and an imbalance in and out of the diet can lead to obesity. In addition, people's life rhythm disorders are also one of the causes of obesity, such as going to bed late, eating too late, sitting for a long time, irregular diet, etc.
Q4 What foods can cause weight gain?
Zhang Rui, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Endocrinology, Peking University People's Hospital: High-sugar and high-fat foods, such as pastries, candies, drinks, desserts, and fried foods that contain a lot of sugar. Deeply processed or delicately processed foods, which reduce a lot of dietary fiber compared to unprocessed prototype foods, make people feel less satiety, and have higher energy density.
Q5 Does stress cause you to gain weight?
Zhou Lingli: Physiologically speaking, excessive stress will lead to an increase in the secretion of stress hormone adrenocorticosteroids, which will lead to an increase in blood sugar, and the increase in blood sugar stimulates insulin secretion, resulting in hunger in the human body and increasing the intake of foods such as high sugar. In addition, people often do not have the heart to choose the right food, but eat some fast food and fast food at will to fill their stomachs, and at the same time, they cannot exercise regularly, which will lead to fat hoarding and obesity over time.
Q6 Can staying up late cause obesity?
Zhou Lingli: When people sleep well, they will feel full of energy and refreshed in the morning, and the level of adrenal glucocorticoid secretion is the highest at this time, and when the night comes, the body's adrenal corticosteroid will gradually drop to the minimum, so that the body enters a state of sleep and rest. When staying up late, the human body will passively secrete too much adrenal corticosteroid, resulting in an increase in blood sugar, stimulating insulin secretion, making the body hungry and increasing the intake of foods such as high sugar.
Q7 Is there any relationship with cancer?
Chen Ling: Epidemiological findings have shown that obesity is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Obese men are susceptible to prostate cancer, and obese women have an increased risk of endometrial, cervical and breast cancers. Both men and women, as long as they are obese, are susceptible to colon and rectal cancer. It is believed that the cause of this phenomenon may be related to many factors such as increased estrogen levels in obese patients, abnormal cytokine levels, and chronic inflammatory states.
Q8 Can fasting**?
Zhang Rui: There are benefits, and we need to pay attention to the use of scientific methods. The more commonly used methods of fasting are 7 days a week, choosing 2 days that are not consecutive, only consuming 1 4 of the usual calories, and eating normally for the remaining 5 days. It can also be used, such as a 4-day or 2-day intermittent fasting in a month. Intermittent fasting is not suitable for teenagers, pregnant women, lactating women, the elderly, people with serious chronic diseases, etc., and is more suitable for people with good basic physical conditions, no serious diseases and people who want to lose weight and control weight.
Q9 Can I lose weight after just one meal?
Zhang Rui: First of all, the most important thing is the restriction of total calorie intake, if you only eat one meal, the calories of this meal will be exceeded, and the previous efforts will be wasted. Secondly, not eating for a long time in the day can lead to increased hunger, easier to eat more calories more quickly, and may also have an impact on mood, resulting in overeating. The key is to eat less, eating less does not mean eating less often, nor is it a reduction in the volume of food measured by the naked eye, but a reduction in the total number of calories in the food.
Q10 What is the food ingredient list?
Zhang Rui: The law stipulates that the outer packaging of food must be marked with an ingredient list and a nutrition facts list. **Friends should learn to read this nutrition facts list to understand what they eat and how much they eat. Trans fatty acids are listed on the nutrition facts list, so it's best to choose foods that don't contain trans fatty acids. The ingredients in the ingredient list are as short and clean as possible, and it is best to have no other additives that you can't understand the name except for the ingredients themselves and other natural seasonings such as salt, cooking oil, etc.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Zhaohui.