OBESITY, AN INCREASINGLY COMMON HEALTH PROBLEM

HC Marbella

Despite being the country of the Mediterranean diet, data shows a yearly increase in the overweight or obese population, with between 39% and 42% of the Spanish population presenting some degree of overweight or obesity. These figures are of great concern to the medical community, especially when much of this increase is related to children.

Lifestyle changes over the past decade have led to this increase. We eat badly and quickly, abusing processed and high-calorie foods. This, accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle, has led to an increase in obesity at a noticeably young age.

When should we start to act?

The different degrees of overweight and obesity are assessed by BMI (Body Mass Index). Body mass index is a ratio of the person’s weight to height. This number serves as a guide to plan the appropriate treatment for each patient. A person with a healthy weight has a BMI of between 22 and 24, when this number is above 29, they are considered to be overweight but changes in diet and exercise should be enough to reduce this. When BMI exceeds 30, we are faced with the problem of obesity. From a medical point of view treatment will be necessary as obesity causes health problems and other measures are required in addition to dietary changes and exercise to help lose a greaterl amount of weight.

What problems does obesity involve and when do you need to see a specialist doctor?

Although being overweight has been normalised within our society, it leads to many problems. On the one hand, excess weight is a serious health problem, being a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, joint problems and even being associated with the development of many types of tumours.

On the other hand, there is a stigma attached to being obese which often leads to depression or a lowering of mood and self-esteem, directly influencing a person’s quality of life.

If you are struggling to lose weight, the help of a specialist is therefore essential at the onset of weight gain and when starting a diet. At this point solutions are more straight forward, making it less likely that you will reach a stage when surgery is required.

To achieve this patients require the support of a specialist psychologist and endocrinologist, to ensure that the change in habits is real, thatb patients are motivated, and the treatment is effective.

There is also a wide range of treatments to help reduce weight when diet alone is not enough. These treatments range from gastric balloons, indicated when there is initial obesity, to endoscopic gastric reduction (Apollo method). In the most severe cases, when BMI goes above 40 bariatric surgery (Gastric bypass) is required.

Currently, endoscopic gastric reduction treatments are much less invasive, they offer results similar to more severe surgery but with a much lower risk, fewer complications and a quicker recovery.

If you or someone in your family is overweight, don’t hesitate to contact us. at HC Marbella we are here to support you so that obesity does not affect your quality of life. We have a multidisciplinary team consisting of gastroenterologists, psychologists, endocrinologists and nutritionists at your disposal who will accompany you throughout the process.

Weight is also a health matter

Treatment of overweight and obesity

#Nutritional Intervention #Gastric balloon #Apollo Method #POSE Technique #Bariatric Surgery #Endoscopic Surgery