Definition of overweight
A person is overweight when body mass becomes too high and this increase is caused by an increase in body fat. Being overweight becomes visible because abdominal fat increases. If someone has a BMI of 25 or higher, we speak of overweight. With obesity, a severe form of overweight, the BMI is 30 or higher. Officially, 55% of Dutch women over the age of 50 are overweight; among men, this figure is as high as 64%.
Determining body fat percentage
Abdominal fat is not only visible on the outside. A great deal of abdominal fat is also located beneath the abdominal muscles, around the intestines, inside the body. There are several ways to determine body fat percentage. The most commonly used formula for determining overweight is calculating BMI. With a height of 175 cm (1.75 meters) and a weight of 75 kg, the formula for calculating BMI is: 75 : (1.75)² = 75 : 3.06 = 24.5. If you prefer to use a step-by-step plan to calculate BMI, you could do it as follows:
- Take the body height in meters
- Multiply the body height in meters
- Take the body weight in kilograms and divide it by the number you obtained in step two.
However, calculating BMI is misleading. The ideal weight of the person above would be around 65 kg. According to the BMI standard, with a BMI of 24.5 she would be approximately 10 kg overweight, unless you are a bodybuilder and have no abdominal fat at all. Measuring body fat percentage is a better measure for determining body fat, especially when considered in light of the ratio between hip circumference and waist circumference. In women, waist circumference is divided by hip circumference. At a normal weight, this number is less than 0.75; very slim women have a hip circumference/waist ratio of 0.7. In men, this ratio should be approximately 0.85.
We recommend the following tests:
Symptoms of obesity
Obesity is not merely a cosmetic problem, although people can also be greatly affected by that. Being overweight increases the risk of diseases such as diabetes and brings health problems with it. Abdominal fat produces the inflammatory marker TNF-alpha and damages blood vessels. An increase in abdominal fat is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and fatigue. Most people who are overweight have intestinal complaints. Symptoms of intestinal complaints caused by being overweight include:
- Heartburn, reflux or acid regurgitation
- Flatulence
- Poor digestion
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gallbladder complaints
- Increase in Candida in the intestine or vagina
Being overweight is almost always accompanied by high insulin levels. Starch contains large amounts of glucose; this glucose is absorbed into the blood and subsequently causes insulin levels to rise.
Testing for intestinal complaints caused by being overweight
To determine whether intestinal complaints are caused by overweight, the following tests are available:
- Digestive markers: fat and starch
- Intestinal flora package, sIgA and calprotectin
- Candida test
- Digestion test
- Enterotypes
- Microbiome
- Bile salts
- TNF-alpha
Risk factors for being overweight
Being overweight can be caused by a large number of factors. However, several risk factors can be identified that increase the likelihood of overweight:
- Predisposition to becoming overweight.
- Consumption of foods rich in starch and fat.
- Unhealthy eating habits learned within the family.
- A particular profile of intestinal bacteria; see enterotypes.
- Lack of exercise.
- Exposure to chemicals.
- Pregnancy. Some women gain weight and find it difficult to lose this weight after the baby is born.
- Stopping smoking.
- Lack of sleep or, conversely, getting too much sleep can cause hormonal changes that increase appetite.
- Certain medicines, such as antidepressants, anti-epileptic drugs, antipsychotic medication, steroids and beta blockers.
- Medical factors such as low thyroid activity.
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