OBESITY 1

Abstract

According to Anne Beller (1977) obesity was already a fact of life for Paleolithic humans
as stone statuettes having abdominal obesity and pendulous breasts were found that
dated back to the Old Stone Age. Slowly through the years the number of individuals
suffering from obesity had grew to an alarming rate. As a researcher I had also sought
to know the complications, feelings and thoughts of those who suffered from this health
risk myself. I had interviewed a very well-respected man of his experience. The results
were very clear that being obese is not something a person would want to situate
themselves in. It causes a person to have low self-esteem, difficulty in enduring long
hours of work and be at risk of developing illnesses such as high blood pressure and
stroke. A person just has to have self-discipline to allow himself to regulate his food
intake and be active. They may easily slip back to the old routine that can cause them to
gain weight such as lifestyle and other psychological factors but nothing is truly
unachievable with the right mindset. This paper aims then aims to advocate its readers
on the history, cause, dangers and treatment of Obesity.
OBESITY 2

Introduction

The obesity epidemic is an inescapable truth that confronts us on a daily basis

via the latest statistics about the number of people in the United States who are
categorized as obese, advertisements for diet products, or our own observations of the
people around us. There is a great deal of cause for alarm because although it is known
that being obese is generally bad for health, we are at the dawn of the understanding of
how seriously and deeply obesity can impact so many aspects of health and disease
processes (Wollin, 2009).

In fact, according to the National Nutrition Council (NNC) there are 3 out of 10
Filipino adults that are obese with a whooping rise of 14.5 percent from the survey
conducted on 2003. This just shows how people are slowly leaning towards an
unhealthy lifestyle that could potentially ruin their lives in the upcoming years ahead.
Not only will they be suffering from the different health complications of obesity they
may also agonize from discrimination down to negative self-imagery. Thus, the growing
percentage of obesity must be stopped.

There is no quick fix in the issues posed by obesity. Losing weight is never easy
but with the technology and research that the government are providing, losing weight is
still attainable. Ways such as lifestyle modification and diet could hypothetically be ones
solution for weight loss. Other than that there are also medical ways of fighting it of such
as drug therapy and surgery. Alas, these things still would not work if one gives up
easily. According to Wollin (2009), “it takes perseverance, dedication, and a change in
mind-set to achieve successful long-term weight loss” (p. xv).
OBESITY 3

Definition of Terms

A. Adipose – fat under the skin and surrounding major organs, providing stored
energy, insulation, and protection

B. BMI (Body Mass Index) – is a rough measure of body composition that is useful
for classifying the health risks of body weight; based on the concept that a
person’s weight should be proportional to height

C. Body fat – the portion of the human body that consists of fat

D. Fat – the greasy material constituting the largest portion of the cells of adipose
tissue and occurring in other parts of animals and in plants

E. Obese – having a body weight more than 20 percent greater than recommended
for the relevant height and thus at risk from several serious illnesses

F. Weight – the force acting on a body in a gravitational field, equal to the product of
its mass and the acceleration of the body produced by the field
OBESITY 4

Significance of the Study

A. To the concerned (experiencing)

The ones concerned will be able to know the dangers and complications that
obesity may bring upon their lives. It will also give them a couple of solutions to fight off
obesity.

B. To the younger generation

They may be well-versed with obesity and be given proper guidance on keeping
their health and weight be on track to avoid certain complications in life.

C. To the parents

Obesity can be prevented directly from the home. Parents can be familiar with
the common causes of obesity and be able to guide and prevent their kids from ever
experiencing it through proper diet and monitoring.

D. To the teachers

Education and awareness of obesity should not end at home but be continued at
school. Further talk with teachers towards the students can help in spreading the right
information to the mind of the youngsters.
OBESITY 5

Obesity

A. History of Obesity

1. Early Human History

Human obesity is clearly depicted in Stone Age artifacts, notably numerous

figurines that have been found within a 2000-kilometre band crossing Europe from
South-Western France to Southern Asia. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) statuettes,
produces some 23 000 – 25 000 years ago, were made of ivory, limestone or terracotta.
Most famous is the ‘Venus of Willendorf’, an 11-centimetre figurine found in Austria.
Typical of many such figurines, the Venus shows marked abdominal obesity and and
pendulous breasts. Anne Scott Beller (1977) has suggested that ‘obesity was already a
fact of life’ for Paleolithic humans, although one can only speculate about the purpose
or significance of these artifacts.

The New Stone Age (Neolithic) period, spanning the interval between 8 000 and
5 500 B.C., saw the introduction of agriculture and the establishment of human
settlements. This era also yielded numerous statuettes depicting obesity, notably the
‘Mother Goddess’ artifacts found especially in Anatolia (modern Turkey). Similar figures
from this period have been found in many other sites in Europe and other continents.
Anthropological studies indicate that hunter-gatherers are typically lean and that overt
overweight is unusual (Prentice, Rayco-Solon and Moore, 2005) – although the
enhanced ability to store energy as fat would have clear representations of severe
obesity all the more striking.

Obesity and its sequelae have long figured in the medical traditions of many
diverse cultures. Ancient Egyptian stone reliefs show occasional obese people, such as
cook in Ankj-ma-Hor’s tomb and a fat man enjoying food presented to him by his lean
servant, in Mereruka’s tomb. Studies of the reconstructed skin folds of royal mummies
suggest that some were fat, including Queen Inhapy, Hatshepsut and King Rameses III
(Reeves, 1992). Overall, it appears that stout people were not uncommon in ancient
OBESITY 6

Egypt, at least among the higher classes; interestingly, Darby et al. (1977) were led to
conclude that obesity ‘was regarded as objectionable.’

Elsewhere in the world, corpulent human figures are depicted on artifacts

from the ancient Mesopotamian civilization in the basin of the Rivers Tigris and
Euphrates, and from the Meso-American cultures of the Incans, Mayans and Aztecs.

The health hazards associated with obesity were well known to the Ancient
Greek physician Hippocrates, who stated that ‘sudden death is more common in those
who are naturally fat than in the lean’ (Littre, 1839). Greek physicians also noted that
obesity was a cause of infrequent menses and infertility in women.

Some 500 years after Hippocrates, the leading Roman physician Galen
distinguished ‘moderate’ and ‘immoderate’ forms of obesity, the latter perhaps
anticipating the ‘morbid’ category of current classifications.

Obesity was also familiar to Abu Ali Ibn Sina, one of the most prominent figures
of the Arabic medical tradition. Avicenna was a prolific and influential author who
published over 40 medical works and 145 treaties on philosophy, logic and theology. In
his medical encyclopedia, written in the early twelfth century, Avicenna described the
sweet taste of diabetic urine, and also referred to obesity and its dangers to health.

The Hindu physicians, Sushrut and Charak are credited with very early
recognition of the sugary taste of diabetic urine, and also observed that the disease
often affected indolent, overweight people who ate excessively, especially sweet and
fatty foods.

The seventeenth century Tibetan medical treatise entitled The Blue Beryl
recognized obesity as a condition that required treatment through weight loss. The
author, Sangye Gyamtso, noted scholar and Regent of Tibet, also wrote that ‘overeating
… can cause illness and shortens lifespan.’ He made two suggestions for treating
obesity, namely the vigorous massage of the body with pea flour, and eating the gullet,
hair and flesh of a wolf.
OBESITY 7

2. History of the Biology of Obesity

Vesalius laid the foundations of modern anatomy with his famous treatise, De
humani corporis fabrica (1543), which was based on his own dissections of specifically
obese individuals are attributed to Bonetus (1679), followed in the eighteenth century by
descriptions from Morgagni and from Haller, and in the early nineteenth century by the
notable monograph, Comments on Copulency, Lineaments of Lenness, of Wadd
(1829). Wadd presented 12 cases, two of whom had been extensive accumulations of
fat.

The adipocyte was recognized as a specific cell-type when the first substantive
text books of microscopic anatomy were published in the 1850s, and the growth and
development of fat cells were descried by Hassall (1849) and by Hoggan (1879). In his
early observations on the development of the 'fa‘ vesicle’, Hassall suggested that certain
types of obesity might result from an increased number of fat cells – the precursor of the
concept of ‘hyperplastic’ obesity that twentieth–century workers such as Bjurulf, Hirsch
and Bjorntorp would later elaborate.

Much work was conducted on digestion during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, leading in the early twentieth century to the seminal and long-lasting theory
that hunger resulted from gastric contractions; this was based on direct measurement of
gastric motility, and its association with hunger by Washburn and Cannon, and
independently by Carlson.
OBESITY 8

B. Causes of Obesity

1. Genetics

Several twin and adoption studies as well as animal models have confirmed that
obesity has a strong genetic component. It is apparent that obesity in humans has a
complex polygenic background; that is, the phenotype is determined by an unknown
number of genes together with environmental factors. However, there may well be
single genes playing a major role within certain families, but the gene may vary from
family to family. Two interesting gene candidates have been found in mouse
experiments, the ob and the db gene, the products of which are probably a satiety
hormone and its receptor, respectively, which regulate food intake. The recent cloning
of the ob gene and its human homologue constitute a major breakthrough in this field.
The 16-kD protein encoded by the ob gene is called leptin, and is well conserved
among vertebrate species. The pig could be a valuable large animal model for human
obesity. A fatness locus has been mapped to pig chromosome 4 and most probably a
similar locus resides on human chromosome 1q. A more precise definition of the pig-
human homology as regards this region is currently being investigated.

2. Lifestyle

Researchers said that the more time people spend sitting, the more fat they
accumulate in the lower half of their bodies, or backside. "We found that fat cells
exposed to sustained, chronic pressure - such as what happens to the buttocks when
you're sitting down - experienced accelerated growth of lipid droplets, which are
molecules that carry fats. Contrary to muscle and bone tissue, which get mechanically
weaker with disuse, fat depots in fat cells expanded when they experienced sustained
loading by as much as 50 per cent," Professor Amit Gefen, from the Department of
Biomedical Engineering, said in a press release. The scientists found that once the cells
accumulated lipid droplets, its structure and mechanism changed dramatically. The cells
became stiffer as they expanded, deforming other surrounding cells. The fat cells'
OBESITY 9

neighbors are therefore pushed to change their shape and composition. "When they
gain mass and change their composition, expanding cells deform neighboring cells,
forcing them to differentiate and expand," said Gefen. "This proves that you're not just
what you eat.

3. Psychological Factors

Individuals who suffer from psychological disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, and
eating disorders) may have more difficulty controlling their consumption of food,
exercising an adequate amount, and maintaining a healthy weight. Food is often used
as a coping mechanism by those with weight problems, particularly when they are sad,
anxious, stressed, lonely, and frustrated. In many obese individuals there appears to be
a perpetual cycle of mood disturbance, overeating, and weight gain. When they feel
distressed, they turn to food to help cope, and though such comfort eating may result in
temporary attenuation of their distressed mood, the weight gain that results may cause
a dysphoric mood due to their inability to control their stress. The resulting guilt may
reactivate the cycle, leading to a continuous pattern of using food to cope with
emotions. This pattern is particularly applicable if there is a genetic predisposition for
obesity or a “toxic” environment in which calorically dense foods are readily available
and physical activity is limited.
OBESITY 10

C. Complications of Obesity

1. Diabetes

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes rises progressively with increasing

adiposity. Data from the NHANES shows that for each kilogram increase in weight of
the population the risk of diabetes increases by 4.5%. More recent examination of
diabetes trends in the United States showed an even steeper increment of diabetes risk
with weight gain, with a 9% increased risk of diabetes for each kilogram of body weight
gain. Where population have changed their lifestyle and become more obese (e.g. Pima
Indians of Arizona, Micronesian Nauruan Islanders) an epidemic of type 2 diabetes has
followed on.

2. High Blood Pressure

The existence of a relationship between hypertension and excess body weight

has long been recognized. This relationship has been demonstrated largely in cross-
sectional studies observing the relation between the blood pressure level and the body
weight measured at that time. Very little prospective data exist, particularly in general
population samples concerning the relation between antecedent body weight and the
subsequent development of hypertension.

3. Heart Disease

In response to the emerging body of scientific, medical, and behavioral data

about the link between excess adiposity and coronary heart disease, the American
Heart Association (AHA) has reclassified obesity as a major, modifiable risk factor for
coronary heart disease.
OBESITY 11

4. Stroke

Abdominal obesity is an independent, potent risk factor for ischemic stroke in all
race-ethnic groups. It is a stronger risk factor than BMI and has a greater effect among
younger persons. Prevention of obesity and weight reduction need greater emphasis in
stroke prevention programs.

5. Cancer

An increase in the risk of cancer is one of the consequences of obesity. The

predominant cancers associated with obesity have a hormonal base and include breast,
prostate, endometrium, colon and gallbladder cancers. As the basis for understanding
the problem of obesity has advanced, a number of new ideas have emerged about the
relationship of obesity to cancer. 

6. Gallbladder problems

This study showed an increased prevalence of gallstones, gallbladder disease,

and pancreatitis in the obese.  Obese subjects had significantly higher prevalence of
cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, cholecystectomies, and pancreatitis as compared with the
reference population. 

7. Breathing Problems

Sleep-disordered breathing assessed with home overnight multichannel

monitoring and SDB was defined based on an apneahypopnea index ⩾ 10 (moderately
affected) or < 5 (unaffected). SDB of moderate level was significantly associated with
obesity (odds ratio, 4.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58 to 13.33) and African-
American race (odds ratio, 3.49; 95% CI, 1.56 to 8.32) but not with sex or age. After
adjusting for obesity, proband sampling, race and familial clustering, sinus problems
and persistent wheeze each independently (of the other) predicted SDB. These data
suggest the importance of upper and lower respiratory problems and obesity as risk
OBESITY 12

factors for SDB in children and adolescents. Increased risk in African Americans
appears to be independent of the effects of obesity or respiratory problems.

8. Discrimination

It has been said that obese persons are the last acceptable targets of
discrimination. Anecdotes abound about overweight individuals being ridiculed by
teachers, physicians, and complete strangers in public settings, such as supermarkets,
restaurants, and shopping areas. Fat jokes and derogatory portrayals of obese people
in popular media are common. Overweight people tell stories of receiving poor grades in
school, being denied jobs and promotions, losing the opportunity to adopt children, and
more. Some who have written on the topic insist that there is a strong and consistent
pattern of discrimination, but no systematic review of the scientific evidence has been
done.

9. Negative self-image

Modern western culture emphasizes thinness, denigrates excess weight, and

stigmatizes obese individuals, making it likely that obese people internalize these
messages and feel badly about the physical presence that brands them. There is clear
evidence that obesity is linked with poor body image, but not all obese persons suffer
from this problem or are equally vulnerable. Risk factors identified thus far are degree of
overweight, being female, and binge eating, with some evidence of risk increasing with
early age of onset of obesity, race, and several additional factors.
OBESITY 13

D. Treatment of Obesity

1. Diet

According to endocrinologist Dr. Rosa Allyn Sy and Philippine Psychiatric

Association (PPA) president Dr. Edgardo Juan Tolentino, maintaining a healthy lifestyle
is the only way to prevent and fight weight gain that may eventually lead to obesity. You
have to eat a well-balanced diet. Low calorie, well-balanced diet. Kapag sinabing well-
balanced, it has to have carbohydrates, fats, protein. Thirsty? Skip the colored drinks
and stick with water. It has no calories, Sy suggested.

2. Exercise

It has been said over and over again that exercise is good for overall wellness.
But, Tolentino stressed, long-term commitment to exercise is necessary to reap its
benefits. Effects of exercising can be noticeable only after two and a half to four months.
But only when exercises are performed an hour a day for five days a week, as the
experts recommended. Tolentino also suggested that the exercises should be intense
and not repetitive. He also said that all benefits will be gone when you stop.

3. Behavior Modification

The treatment of choice for overweight and obese patients is the combination of

diet, exercise, and behavior modification. Behavioral approaches to obesity are based
on two assumptions: first, that eating and exercise behaviors are related to body weight
and secondly, that behaviors can be modified by changing both the antecedents, or
cues in the environment, that come before the behavior and lead to its occurrence, and
OBESITY 14
the consequences, or reinforces, that come after the behavior and increase its
frequency. Based on these premises, there are three main components to a behavioral

approach, designed to assess the behaviors and to change the antecedents and
consequences controlling the behaviors.

4. Weight Loss Medication

Could losing weight ever be as easy as swallowing a pill? Preliminary research
suggests the answer may very well be yes. The device, called Elipse and manufactured
by Allurion Technologies of Wellesley, Mass., has yet to be tested in American patients
for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Researchers say that under the best of
circumstances, it won't be available in the United States for another two to three years.
However, early research involving 34 patients in the Czech Republic and Greece
suggests that the noninvasive intervention seems safe and effective.

5. Surgery

First and foremost, weight-loss surgery is a last resort. It's meant for obese
people who've repeatedly tried to lose weight through diet, exercise and medications,
but who can't achieve or maintain a healthy weight, putting them at risk for a variety of
serious medical conditions.
OBESITY 15

Interview

I contacted Mr. Andrew Niff Balbon, for a knowledgeable discussion on his

journey towards overcoming obesity. He has successfully lost 19 kg and is maintaining
the weight he is in. Below are the questions and his answers.

1. What are the struggles and complications that you had went through when you had
extra weight?

- I can’t wear the clothes that I like, can’t work on things longer and have low self-
confidence.

2. What do you think are the factors that made you gain weight?

-That would be the lack of self-discipline towards eating and having the wrong
diet.

3. What made you realize it was time to make a change and aim for more desired
weight?

- Me getting older which made me to think about my weight in relation to my

health now and the fact that I’m afraid of getting diseases caused by being overweight.

4. What steps did you take to lose weight?

-All it took was proper diet and exercise plus self-discipline.

6. What are the positive effects of losing weight in your life now?

-It boost my self-confidence, enabled me to wear everything I wanted to wear

and my stamina improved.
OBESITY 16

Conclusion

In order to achieve true understanding of the nature of obesity, it is necessary to

conduct a study on its history, possible causes, complications and treatment. According
to the research I’ve conducted, there is an evident rise in the number of individuals
suffering from obesity throughout the years. Reasons ranging from genetics, lifestyle to
psychological factors have been known to cause the gain in weight but there are still a
lot more causes that haven’t been explored thoroughly. This excessive gain in weight
but of course increases the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease,
stroke and the worse cancer; but these diseases are not the only things that an obese
individual suffers, he/she could also suffer from breathing problems, discrimination, and
negative self-image. That is why it is greatly needed to maintain the right weight in
relation to one’s height. With the right mind set losing weight is unattainable, treatment
such as diet, exercise, weight-loss medication and surgery are now available. Though it
is still important to examine other ways to lose weight and improve one’s way of life.
OBESITY 17

Recommendation

I would like to recommend the following research for future term paper regarding
the topic of obesity:

 Classifications of obesity
 The age group most affected by obesity and their reasons for rapid weight gain
 Food that is not only appetizing but can help stop excessive gain weight
 Other treatments for obesity
OBESITY 18

References

Anderson, L. B. (1996). “Genes and obesity”. Annals of medicine, 28 (1), 5-7

Barnett, T., Kumar, K. (Eds.). (2009). Obesity and Diabetes. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons

Bray, G. “History of Obesity” Obesity: Science to practice, 3-18.

Bray, G. A. (2002). The underlying basis for obesity: relationship to cancer. The Journal
of Nutrition, 132(11), 3451S-3455S.

Collins, J. C., & Bentz J. E. (2009). Behavioral and Psychological Factors in Obesity,
Vol. 4, No. 4

Eekel, R. H., Krauss, R. M., & AHA Nutrition Committee (1998). American Heart
Association call to action: obesity as a major risk factor for coronary heart
disease. Circulation, 97 (21), 2099-2100.

Esposito, l. (2015, December 23). How Weight-Loss Surgery Choices Are Changing.
U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-
news/patient-advice/articles/2015-12-23/how-weight-loss-surgery-choices-are-
changing

KANNEL, W. B., BRAND, N., SKINNER, J. J., DAWBER, T. R., & MCNAMARA, P. M.
(1967). The relation of adiposity to blood pressure and development of
hypertension: the Framingham study. Annals of internal medicine, 67 (1), 48-59

Macas, T. (2014, October 22). Regular exercise, proper diet remain key to fighting
obesity. GMA News Online. Retrieved from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/384669/lifestyle/healthandwellness/regul
ar-exercise-proper-diet-remain-key-to-fighting-obesity
OBESITY 19

Mozes, A. (2015, November 5). ‘Baloon-in-a-pill’ May Be New Weight-Loss Weapon.

WebMd. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/20151105/balloon-in-a-pill-
may-be-new--weight-loss-weapon
Puhl, R., & Brownell, K. D. (2001). Bias, discrimination, and obesity. Obesity
research, 9(12), 788-805.

Ramirez, R. (2015, July 2). Number of Obese, Overweight Pinoys Increasing. The
Philippine Star. Retrieved from
www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/02/1472373/number-of-obese-overweight-
pinoys-increasing

Redline, S., Tishler, P. V., Schluchter, M., Aylor, J., Clark, K., & Graham, G. (1999).
Risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing in children: associations with obesity,
race, and respiratory problems. American journal of respiratory and critical care
medicine, 159(5), 1527-1532.

Schwartz, M. B., & Brownell, K. D. (2004). Obesity and body image. Body image, 1(1),
43-56.

Suk, H. S., Sacco, R. L., Boden-Albala, B., Cheun, J. F., Pittman, J. G., Elkind, M. S., &
Paik, M. C. (2003). Abdominal obesity and risk of ischemic stroke the Northern
manhattan stroke study. Stroke, 34(7), 1586-1592.

Tate, D. F., & Wing, R. R. (2000). Behavior Modification for Obesity.

Torgerson, J. S., Lindroos, A. K., Naslund, I., & Peltonen, M. (2003). Gallstones,
gallbladder disease, and pancreatitis-Cross-Sectional and 2-year data from the
Swedish obese subjects (SOS) and SOS reference studies.The American journal
of gastroenterology, 98(5), 1032-1041.

Unknown (2014, March 22). Scientists Reveal How Sedentary Lifestyle Causes Obesity.
OBESITY 20
University Herald. Retrieved from
www.universityherald.com/articles/8314/20140322/sedentary-lifestyle-causes-
fatter-rounder-buttocks-study.htm

Unknown (2004). Grolier New Webster's Dictionary. Vol. 1-2. United States of America,
USA: Grolier Incorporated

Wollin, K. C., & Patrelli J. M. (2009). Obesity. Santa Barbara CA: Greenwood