Medically Verified By: Dr. Ashok Kumar Jhingan, Senior Director - Centre for Diabetes, Thyroid, Obesity & Endocrinology, BLK - Max Super Specialty Hospital
Anti-Obesity Day is celebrated on November 26 every year to spread awareness about the increasing obesity and lifestyle diseases, particularly in countries such as India, where the health problems related to weight become more and more prevalent. National surveys report that almost one out of every four Indian adults is already obese or overweight, and women are at greater risk because of the biological and hormonal influences. Researchers believe that hormonal imbalance is one of the strongest weight gain factors among women that is not widely known. "Obesity in women is commonly associated with lifestyle disorders, but hidden hormonal shifts play a major role in how the body stores fat," explains Dr Ashok Kumar Jhingan.
Hormones are chemical signals that affect the level of appetite, metabolism, fat storage, stress, and energy consumption. A weak imbalance may disturb the manner in which the body digests food, resulting in slow metabolism and the inability to lose excess weight. The hormonal fluctuations are inherently more in women because of menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause. Dr. Jhingan adds, "Hormones like insulin, cortisol, estrogen, leptin, and ghrelin work together to maintain balance. When one is disturbed, weight gain becomes inevitable."
The insulin controls the sugar level in the blood. When the body loses its insulin resistance, it stores sugar in the form of fat rather than absorbing it to generate energy. This results in excessive abdominal fat, hunger and fatigue. Insulin-resistant in women tend to lose weight despite constant attempts.
The stress hormone, Cortisol, increases when one is subjected to emotional or physical stress. With chronic stress, there is always a high amount of cortisol, which stimulates the body to store fat around the abdomen. It is also adding to the desire to consume more sugary and high-calorie food, a problem that makes it even more difficult to maintain weight.
There is a change in the levels of estrogens during the life of a woman. Excessive estrogen may result in fat storage in the hips and thighs, whereas low estrogen, particularly in menopause, decelerates metabolism and results in the accumulation of fat around the abdomen. These hormonal variations render the weight gain among women in the middle ages very prevalent.
Leptin transmits fullness to the brain. Once the leptin resistance is developed, the brain fails to receive the signal that the body is full. Consequently, women can consume a surplus of the diet, develop cravings, and continue adding weight gradually.
Ghrelin is referred to as the hunger hormone. When its levels are disconnected, it causes the intensification of appetite and recurring hunger attacks. This hormone interacts with the hypothalamus of the brain, and its disproportion is one of the main causes of overeating.
Hormonal imbalance is an insidious cause of weight gain in most women, but through appropriate lifestyle decisions, it can be tamed. The idea of this Anti-Obesity Day is that the weight battles are not about the insufficient efforts; sometimes, your hormones require reinforcement as well. The initial step to long-term health is to know your own body.
