Endocrinologist: A specialist to treat endocrine diseases causing obesity?
Are you doing almost everything to lose that extra weight? Obesity may often be the result of eating too much and not exercising enough. But the reason behind this could be a medical condition.
What is obesity?
Obesity is the excess amount of fat in the body. This public health and the medical problem is increasing day by day. Which results in reduced quality of lifespan and health. According to endocrinologists, there are many causes of obesity, including some endocrine alterations.
Causes of obesity
Obesity is a condition that develops when the number of calories we eat is more than the number of calories our body burns. In such cases, unused energy or extra calories are stored in the body as fat. Many factors contribute to the imbalance between calories intake and calories output and usually, the combination of these factors leads to obesity.
These factors include the following:
Genetic makeup
Research shows that obesity run in families and genes play a key role in it. The amount and type of food we eat, the energy required by our bodies, and the distribution of fat are affected by genes.
Environmental conditions
It is observed that environmental factors are also important. The environment itself has a great influence on people who tend to gain weight in a particular environment.
Dietary habits
The energy in our bodies is directly related to the type of food and the size of a portion of food that we eat. By eating a large amount of processed food increase the chances of obesity.
Inactive lifestyle
Due to a sedentary lifestyle, we are burning fewer calories. These extra calories are storing in our bodies in the form of fat.
Medical problems
There are some endocrine diseases causing obesity.
Some of these are:
- Hormonal issues (Hypothyroidism)
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Reduces sex hormones (Menopause)
- Rare genetic disorders (Prader-Willi syndrome)
- Drugs related issues (Contraceptives, steroids, antipsychotic drugs, diabetes medicines, and medicines for epilepsy)
Obesity due to hormonal changes
Obesity is a disorder caused by many genetic factors and lifestyle factors but in some cases, it is due to hormonal imbalance. Hormones produced by fat cells, the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain are important and determine how much the body produces energy and how much it uses energy. The conditions of hormone imbalance can be treated with medicines and help in losing weight.
Causes of hormonal obesity
Hormonal weight can be caused by:
- Thyroid hormone deficiency
- Estrogen imbalance
- Androgen issues
- Resistance to insulin
- Metabolic syndrome
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Deficiency of growth hormone
- Excess of cortisol
- Resistance to leptin
- Excess of prolactin
- Pituitary insufficiency
Which doctor help in losing weight?
An endocrinologist specializes in hormones and metabolism. They have the tool and techniques to help understand the cause of obesity. They support patients to make healthy and long-term changes in their lifestyles.
An endocrinologist treats any hormonal imbalance that leads to obesity, screen for and treats any other complications. In this way, endocrine diseases causing obesity are treated.
How to diagnose obesity?
Dietary programs
The most important way of achieving weight loss is by reducing calories intake. By reducing the amount of energy produced when we eat, our bodies will need another source of energy to meet the requirements of energy. For this, the body will use the energy already stored which will reduce the amount of excess fat in the body.
Keto diet
The diet low in carbs and high in fat is known as the keto diet. The reduction in carbohydrates puts the body in ketosis, where the body uses ketone bodies out of fat to produce energy instead of carbohydrates. A keto diet plan helps in reducing weight quickly because it reduces the body’s stores of glycogen and water.
Exercise
Exercise is important for a weight loss program. Because it helps in building muscles, increasing metabolic activity, and an improvement in general health.
Treating endocrine diseases causing obesity
An endocrinologist must be consulted if you are effacing issues in reducing weight because there could be some hormonal issues that lead to endocrine diseases causing obesity.
Surgical care
Surgery for obesity or Bariatric Surgery is an effective and efficient way of treating obesity. It results in a significant and sustained reduction in weight within a short period.
The individuals with the following indications may be considered for bariatric surgery:
BMI >40 kg/ m2
BMI >35 kg/ m2 with complications related to obesity
BMI >30 kg/ m2 with complications related to obesity
These procedures reduce the size of the stomach and allow fewer nutrients to be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract.
Obesity is a chronic medical disease that can be genetic or can be due to an unhealthy lifestyle. But it can also be due to underlying hormonal problems. Endocrinologists are specialists of issues relates to metabolism and hormones. They can solve the obesity problem if it’s related to hormones.
