On the morning of December 23, the State Council Information Office briefed on the "China Nutrition and Chronic Disease Report (2020)." Monitoring results revealed that over 50% of Chinese adults are overweight or obese, nearly 20% of children and adolescents aged 6-17 fall into this category, and 10% of children under 6 are overweight or obese.Therefore, the current obesity situation can be characterized by a rapid rise in overweight and obesity rates, high prevalence levels, and widespread impact across all population groups.
Obesity not only affects appearance but also leads to a series of related chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, stroke, respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and cancer. This severely reduces patients' quality of life and impacts their lifespan.
Obesity is a disease that cannot be ignored.
1. What causes obesity and overweight?
The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calorie intake and calorie expenditure.Globally:
Continuously increasing consumption of high-fat, high-energy foods;
Growing prevalence of sedentary work patterns, changes in transportation modes, and accelerated urbanization, all contributing to increased physical inactivity.
These shifts in dietary and physical activity patterns are typically driven by development-related environmental and societal changes, coupled with a lack of supportive policies across sectors including health, agriculture, transportation, urban planning, environment, food processing, supply, marketing, and education.
2. What are the risks of being overweight or obese?
Increased cancer susceptibility
Obese women face significantly higher risks of endometrial and breast cancer, while obese men have substantially elevated prostate cancer rates. This demonstrates obesity's role in increasing cancer susceptibility.
Cardiovascular Disease
This is relatively straightforward: obese individuals carry excessive body fat, leading to fatty deposits in blood vessels. Once these vessels become blocked, cardiovascular issues inevitably arise, sometimes posing life-threatening risks.
Inducing Diabetes
Fat and sugar can convert between each other. Obese individuals face a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes, with the likelihood increasing as obesity becomes more severe.
Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders
The heavier an obese person is, the greater the pressure on their bones and joints, making them prone to musculoskeletal diseases.
Abnormal Blood Lipids
Excess fat in obese individuals naturally leads to abnormal blood lipids. Elevated lipid levels pose significant risks, potentially clogging blood vessels and causing conditions like cerebral infarction.
Increased cardiac load
Obesity also increases the workload on the heart, significantly raising the risk of angina and sudden cardiac death. Statistics indicate this risk increases fourfold.
Causes Bone and Joint Diseases
Obesity can trigger three types of bone and joint disorders: osteoarthritis, diabetic osteoarthropathy, and gouty osteoarthropathy.
Impedes Nutrient Absorption
Obesity also affects the body's ability to absorb nutrients, leading to malnutrition and a host of related issues.
3. How to Determine Obesity Using BMI
Obesity results from increased body fat volume or fat cell count, typically assessed via BMI.
BMI formula: Weight/Height² (kg/m²).
Calculation results:
18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 23 kg/m²: Normal range;
24 ≤ BMI ≤ 29.9 kg/m²: Overweight;
BMI > 30 kg/m²: Obese.
3. Why Over Half of China's Population Is Obese
Obesity often results from a combination of genetic predisposition, physical inactivity, and excessive energy intake.
Excessive energy intake primarily manifests as overeating, while reduced physical activity means less energy expenditure. This imbalance between energy intake and expenditure leads to surplus energy being stored as fat in the body, causing obesity.
Many obese individuals exhibit familial genetic predisposition. Children with one or both obese parents face significantly higher obesity risk than others, with approximately one-third of obese adults linked to parental obesity.
While obese individuals often cite parental weight or childhood obesity, genetic influence remains limited. The primary drivers are poor dietary habits and unhealthy lifestyles.
In essence, it boils down to laziness and gluttony.
4. How to Prevent Weight Gain
Strictly limit food intake and cultivate the habit of eating until 70-80% full.
Minimize or avoid foods high in starch and sugar, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes,lotus root starch, jams, honey, candies, preserved fruits, malted milk powder, and sweetened juices. Also limit foods high in fat like peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, various animal fats, butter, and fried foods. Opt for lean meats, fish, eggs, soy products, and vegetables and fruits with lower sugar content as side dishes.
Plan Meals Wisely
For breakfast, stick to high-fiber cereal and low-fat milk. This aids digestion while providing essential nutrients. Reserve meat and seafood for lunch. Opt for light dinners dominated by vegetables.
Soup Before Meals
Most people habitually eat first and drink soup afterward, but this is actually the biggest taboo in weight loss—it can lead to weight gain. The correct approach is to drink soup before eating. Soup helps you feel full quickly before the main meal, warms the stomach, and encourages blood flow to aid digestion. However, it's best to choose clear soups and sip them slowly in small mouthfuls.This approach supports weight loss.
Avoid fruit after dinner
Eating fruit at dinner time can easily lead to excessive sugar intake, causing water retention. High-calorie melons should be especially avoided. The best time to eat fruit is as a morning or afternoon snack. This boosts satiety, helps you eat less at dinner, and allows better absorption of the fruit's nutrients.
Avoid eating within three hours of bedtime
Sugars consumed late at night convert into fat and linger in the body. Therefore, aim to eat dinner as early as possible.
Practice moderation after exercise
Replenish fluids and energy promptly post-workout, but exercise restraint to avoid excessive calorie intake. Avoid sugary beverages; if experiencing significant dehydration from intense exercise, opt for sports drinks. For food, choose filling yet low-calorie options like fruits, vegetables, or yogurt.
5. How to Lose Weight Healthily
Healthy weight loss must follow these core principles:
1. Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
2. Develop sound eating habits.
3. Life thrives on movement—moderate exercise is essential for healthy weight loss.