More than 2.5 billion people in the world will be overweight by 2035, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, Brazil has 7 million obese people, according to estimates by the Ministry of Health.
Considered a disease, obesity is the subject of “CNN Vital Signs” this Saturday (16), special Mesacast edition.
To discuss the subject, Dr. Roberto Kalil welcomes endocrinologists Claudia Cozer Kalil member of the Obesity and Eating Disorders Center at Hospital Sírio-Libanês, and Maria Edna de Melo doctor in the Obesity Group at Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo.
The “CNN Sinais Vitais” special Mesacast edition will air this Saturday (16), at 6:30 pm, on CNN Brasil.
What is obesity?
According to the WHO, obesity can be defined as a disease characterized by excess body fat that is harmful to health. To define obesity, experts calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI), dividing weight (in kg) by height squared (in m).
“The normal range varies between 18.5 and 24.9. Between 25 and 29.9, we will have what is classified as overweight. Equal to or above 30, we will have what is classified as obesity”, explains Dr. Maria Edna de Melo.
What causes obesity?
There is no absolute factor for the disease. However, it is known that genetic predisposition plays an essential role in the development of obesity. Furthermore, a poor diet, with the abuse of ultra-processed foods, can trigger the problem.
“These are families that have a gene and that tend to gain weight easily, either through accumulation, through less expenditure, or through ease in storing fat. But the environmental factor is more preponderant than the genetic one”, points out Dr. Claudia Cozer Kalil.
Use of medicines without medical advice
In recent months, a medicine known as Ozempic, originally developed to treat diabetes, has been used by people around the world and classified as a kind of “miracle drug” for weight loss.
However, experts point out the risks of using the medication without medical advice. “This medicine has a high cost and not all patients benefit”, warns Dr. Claudia.
“They [os medicamentos] they have side effects mainly related to the gastrointestinal tract, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea”, adds Dr. Maria Edna.
(Published by Lucas Schroeder, from CNN, in São Paulo)
Source: CNN Brasil
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