Welcome to Obesity Guide
Cost Obesity Surgery Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
What Is Obesity? It’s Simple and Complex.
from:What is obesity? It is simply “increased body weight due to excessive accumulation of fat.” Even knowing that much can help those who are concerned about the condition. But the subject is far more complex than a quick dictionary definition.
If we want to answer the question, “What is obesity?” we may want to ask first: What is fat, the thing we have too much of? Fat, or adipose tissue in animals, is a form of glycerol and fatty acid in a soft, semisolid state. How much fat a person carries on their body is generally determined by how much of the substance is eaten in the food or how much of the food we eat converts to fat. For example, animals eat carbohydrates and this is easily converted to fat. (Carbohydrates are compounds such as sugars and starches). When this process results in an amount of fat that is beyond what doctors consider average, obesity results.
This may lead us to think that we can answer the question, “What is obesity?” by quoting facts based on food intake. In a way, this is true. The word “obesity” comes from the Latin “obesus,” which generally meant stout, fat or plump. If we go back even further, the Latin word comes from “edere,” which means, “to eat.” This connection between eating, stored energy and fat is at the core of medical studies on obesity. Too much eating, especially of the wrong foods, can lead to obesity.
So now, when someone asks, “What is obesity?” we can answer with complete confidence, right? Not necessarily. Medical experts and nutrition experts who have spent a lifetime studying obesity know that there is even more to the picture than meets the eye.
We may come closer to answering the question, “What is obesity?” by asking what causes obesity. The correct answer to that question is, “A lot of things contribute to obesity.” For many people, being overweight or obese comes down to eating too much and exercising too little. However, these are two factors in a long list of items now recognized as legitimate issues in obesity treatment.
These factors include:
• Age – the body does not use up food energy as quickly when we
grow older
• Gender – women tend to be more overweight than men, who burn
more energy when at rest
• Psychological factors – Some people respond to emotional changes
and stress by eating more
• Medication - Certain drugs, such as steroids and some
antidepressants, may cause excessive weight gain.
• Illness - There are some illnesses that can cause obesity
• Genetics – Obesity tends to run in families
So, when someone asks, “What is obesity?” we can start the conversation with the idea that there are many factors that may help answer this question. It gets a bit more complicated after that.
Cost Obesity Surgery News
Health care costs rose faster than inflation despite weak economy - msnbc.com
 89.3 KPCC | Health care costs rose faster than inflation despite weak economy msnbc.com Prices rose at least five times faster than overall inflation for emergency room visits, outpatient surgery and facility-based mental health and substance abuse care from 2009 to 2010, says the report by the Health Care Cost Institute, a nonpartisan ... Study: Healthcare Costs Skyrocketing, Especially for Kids |
Health Calendar, click here - Steuben Courier
Health Calendar, click here Steuben Courier Area residents interested in finding out more about bariatric surgery can attend an information session from noon to 1 pm Friday in the Petrie Conference Center, located on the ground floor at Arnot Ogden Medical Center. Interested individuals can meet ... |
Many weight-loss surgery patients shed Type 2 diabetes along with their pounds - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
 Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette | Many weight-loss surgery patients shed Type 2 diabetes along with their pounds Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette These days, all the 59-year-old Jenvey takes is vitamin supplements recommended for people who have had weight-loss surgery. Her weight remains in a healthy range and she's got a lot more energy, she said. "They won't ever say you're cured of diabetes ... |
Hospitals prepare for a plus-size future - Houston Chronicle
Hospitals prepare for a plus-size future Houston Chronicle The annual cost for obesity-related illnesses is estimated at $190 billion, but that doesn't count the price tag for plus-size furniture and equipment, which can cost 50 percent more than conventional equipment. Economists say those expenses ultimately ... |
Gov. leaves bariatric surgery benefit up to health board - Gainesville Times
Gov. leaves bariatric surgery benefit up to health board Gainesville Times The decision puts into question whether bariatric surgery will be covered in state employees' health plans next year. The benefit was eliminated last year as a cost-saving measure for the Department of Community Health, which faced a deficit reaching ... |
Hefty Memphis is big business - Memphis Commercial Appeal
 WebMD (blog) | Hefty Memphis is big business Memphis Commercial Appeal By Toby Sells Dr. Robert Wegner talks with former patient Kerry Garrick in the office of the St. Francis Center for Surgical Weight Loss. Before her surgery in April 2009, Garrick weighed 387 pounds. Now, thanks to a combination of the surgery, ... Tax Fatty Foods, Stop Junk Food Marketing Difference Engine: Food for thought |
Skip the surgery and get skinny anyway - Fox 4
Skip the surgery and get skinny anyway Fox 4 WFTX - Pop singer Carnie Wilson, of the group Wilson Phillips, recently revealed she's undergone a second form or weight loss surgery. First it was gastric bypass, and more recently it was lap band surgery. As a celebrity, cost was probably the least ... |