What you should know about being overweight
Overweight is defined as excessive body weight due to an increase in body fat. Being overweight is reflected in a visible increase in abdominal fat. Weight can be expressed as Body Mass Index, abbreviated BMI. BMI = body weight : (height x height). A BMI of 25 kg/m2 or higher is considered overweight. In obesity, or severe overweight, the BMI is 30 kg/m2 or higher. Officially, 55% of women over the age of 50 in the Netherlands are overweight. For men, this is 64%.
Determining body fat percentage
Abdominal fat is not only visible externally, but is mainly located around the intestine, inside the body. There are several ways to measure body fat percentage. The most commonly used formula for determining overweight is BMI, expressed in kg/m2. At a height of 1.75 cm and a weight of 75 kg : (1.75)2, the BMI is 75 : 3.06 = 24.5. However, the BMI calculation is misleading because it does not distinguish between the weight of muscle and fat. The ideal weight for this person is 65 kg. In fact, in this case a BMI of 24.5 corresponds to more than 10 kg of excess weight, unless you are a bodybuilder and have no abdominal fat at all.
Measuring body fat percentage is more reliable and provides a better measure of the actual fat content in the ratio between hip circumference and waist circumference. For women, the waist circumference is divided by the hip circumference; at a normal weight this is less than 0.75. Super-slim is 0.7. For men, the ratio is 0.85.
Symptoms of being overweight
Obesity is not merely a cosmetic problem, although people may be troubled by their appearance. Being overweight is almost always associated with high insulin levels. It increases the risk of diseases, health problems and diabetes. Abdominal fat produces the inflammatory marker TNF-alpha and damages blood vessels. An increase in abdominal fat represents an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and fatigue. Most people who are overweight have digestive complaints. Symptoms often associated with being overweight:
- Heartburn, reflux or acid regurgitation
- Flatulence
- Poor digestion
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Gallbladder complaints
- Increase in Candida in the intestine and vagina
Testing for overweight and digestive complaints
For overweight in combination with digestive complaints, stool testing through Darmklachten.nl may help. See our recommended test packages and individual modules below.
+Chronic gastrointestinal complaints (IBS) package
Price range: € 350,00 through € 475,00 meer informatie
Causes of overweight
- Genetic predisposition
- Consumption of starchy and fatty foods
- A high insulin response to bread
- Unhealthy eating habits learned within the family
- A particular profile of gut bacteria; see enterotypes
- Lack of exercise
- Chemical substances
- Pregnancy. Some women gain weight and find it difficult to lose this weight after the baby is born
- Stopping smoking
- Lack of sleep. Not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep can cause changes in the hormones that increase appetite
- Certain medicines; some antidepressants, anti-epileptic drugs, antipsychotic medication, steroids and beta blockers
- Medical factors, such as low thyroid activity.
More information about the tests
- Digestive parameters pH, fat, starch, colour and consistency of the stool – read more…
- Gut flora analysis – Testing part of the gut microbiota – read more…
- Secretory IgA – Protection against infections – read more…
- Yeasts and fungi – Testing for the presence of Candida albicans, among others – read more…
- Microbiome – Testing the complete composition of the gut microbiota – read more…
- Bile acids – Digestion of fat – read more…
- TNF-alpha – Messenger molecules (cytokines) that increase during the acute phase of an infection and help fight the infection by inducing fever, stimulating cell death and suppressing appetite – read more
About Darmklachten.nl
Darmklachten.nl is an initiative of MGlab&Advies, a laboratory specialising in stool testing. …read more
