Obesity and Weight Management Trends with Dr. Hanid Audish
A growing epidemic in the United States is the rising rate of obesity, specifically among children and adolescents. Recent studies demonstrate that the obesity rate among youth aged 2 to 19 is currently 18.5%, meaning that childhood obesity has tripled since the 1980s. Similarly, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 39% of adults aged 20 and over are categorized as obese with roughly 32% being overweight.
Dr. Hanid Audish a researcher at Encompass Clinical Research in Spring Valley, California notes that losing just 5% of one’s body weight can significantly improve health outcomes while helping to decrease other health related complications such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. Dr. Hanid Audish knows it is important for both physical and mental wellbeing to lose weight and looks through various weight management treatments and protocols.
Obesity
Obesity is a condition that encompasses when a patient has excess weight or increased amounts of body fat, that may lead to negative health repercussions. One of the easiest ways to diagnose obesity is through calculating an individual’s body mass index (BMI), which factors in height, weight, and sometimes age and gender. The calculations will provide a number that is helpful in determining an individual’s total body mass.
A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is considered to be in the normal range, while those 25–29.9 are considered overweight, with above 30 being obese. Dr. Hanid Audish explains that unfortunately, this calculation does not always hold true, especially for weightlifting athletes, who may have a significant amount of muscle mass contributing to their weight. In these cases, a waist-to-height ratio may be taken into consideration, along with the general appearance of fat distribution.
Weight Management
Lifestyle: One of the simplest forms of weight management that continues to be one of the best treatment options, is lifestyle changes. Alterations in one’s diet, sleeping habits, and physical activity can help to reduce excess amounts of fat that may lead to long-term health complications. Dr. Hanid Audish recommends avoiding complex carbs and processed foods as they are easily stored as fat and increase one’s chance of being diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol. Additionally, ensuring an adequate amount of sleep, and exercising can also help to improve one’s physical and mental health. Exercise helps to burn off excess calories and stored fat in the body. Dr. Hanid Audish explaining that losing 3,500 calories is equal to losing one pound of fat.
Medications: Many patients that have been unsuccessful with lifestyle changes may opt to try medications or supplements that are targeted for weight loss. Some options include Orlastat, a fat absorption inhibitor that works on in the intestines to stop the uptake of fat from digested foods.
The general trend in weight-loss supplements has been growing increasingly in the past decade. Many supplements work to suppress one’s appetite, leading to a decreased calorie intake throughout the day.
Other popular trends and treatments include the use of apple cider vinegar, considered by many in the healthcare field to be a fad as no solid scientific evidence has been found to support these claims.
Surgical: For those patients who have tried to lose weight and decrease their body fat for years, their healthcare provider may suggest undergoing one of a few types of surgeries to assist in weight loss. Both gastric sleeve and gastric bypass have been proven effective methods that are targeted at decreasing the volume of food that the patient ingests.
The gastric sleeve removes a portion of the stomach, making it much smaller, allowing for decreased amount of food and calories to be taken in. While the gastric bypass removes either the full stomach, or a part of it, along with the beginning portion of the intestine, helping to reduce the amount of food that is absorbed by the body.
These surgeries are generally reserved for patients with BMI of 40 and above, as many times there are risks associated with each. Dr. Hanid Audish claims that regardless of which weight loss method one opts for, it is imperative that they perform the necessary research to avoid any long-term health complications.
To learn more about how a clinical trial can help this condition visit Encompass Clinical Research at www.encompassresearch.com
