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Do you move a lot, do you eat properly and still gain weight? The cause may lie in disease.
In the past, obesity was a sign of high status in European culture. It is quite the opposite now. And it doesn’t depend on fashion, because being overweight is just a disease. But what if weight gain is rooted in yet another disease? See a doctor to explain this. When the body is getting too much and it’s not caused by overeating, it’s imperative to look for the cause. Certain medical conditions cause secondary obesity. Sometimes it is the result of an illness, sometimes it is a side effect of treatment with certain medications.
Is your weight too heavy?
Keep an eye on how much you weigh, especially if you need to take any medications regularly. Pay attention to the places where fatty tissue grows. Your clothes will tell you the most about it. Blouse buttons do not fasten? The trouser belt has become too tight? Or maybe the collar of your shirt is pressing on the nape of your neck? The answers to these questions may be important. Also check your BMI body mass index. To find it, you need to divide your weight in kg by your height in meters squared. Overweight starts with a result of 25 kg / m2. The measurement of the waist circumference will also be important. This is the worst form of obesity, the so-called visceral. The worst, because it is the greatest health risk, as it affects arterial hypertension and heart disease.
Hypothyroidism
When everything is normal with her, we don’t notice her work. But if that little organ gets sick, then there’s a lot of trouble, especially with the metabolism. The thyroid gland produces less hormones, and this directly translates into metabolic disorders. We eat little and the weight grows anyway. In addition, there are swellings that not only increase the weight of the body, but also change the features of the face. We may feel less psychomotor activity, hoarseness begins to bother us, nails become brittle and hands become numb more and more often. The timbre of the voice may also start to lower. To restore normal metabolism, endocrine treatment is necessary, by supplementing the thyroxine hormone. It supports the breakdown of fats and increases the amount of glucose absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The dose of the drug will be gradually increased by the endocrinologist until the optimal benefit is obtained, which is a time when the fat tissue is not growing.
Cushing’s syndrome
Mood swings happen to everyone, but when they bother us often and we start to gain weight quickly, it can mean problems with the level of cortisol in the body. It is commonly known as the stress hormone. Produced by the cortex of the adrenal glands, it is largely responsible for metabolism. When there is too much of it, adipose tissue grows in enormous amounts, but in characteristic places. This is why people with Cushing’s syndrome are said to have a full moon face and a buffalo neck. However, weight gain bypasses the limbs and they remain in unnatural proportion to the rest of the body. There are also bright red blushes on the face, and wide stretch marks on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, buttocks and breasts. A common cause of this disease is the use of high doses of steroids with long-term treatment of other diseases. The diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome consists in examining the level of cortisol in the blood serum and depending on the cause, pharmacological therapy is used to suppress the production of the hormone, or surgery is performed to remove the adrenal tumor, when it stimulates the production of cortisol.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
In short, this disease is called PCOS or polycystic ovary disease. The treatment is dealt with by a specialist gynecologist and endocrinologist, and the diagnosis is made after a transvaginal ultrasound and examination of the concentration of androgens, i.e. male hormones in the blood. When there are too many of them, the skin becomes excessively oily, acne appears on the face and back, hair on the head falls out, but it begins to grow above the lip, breasts and buttocks. In addition, there is no menstruation or scanty bleeding and microcysts on the ovaries. Disturbed hormonal balance directly affects poor metabolism and gaining weight, especially around the waist. To regulate the menstrual cycle and thus restore fertility, the doctor prescribes hormone pills. Recovery is also associated with weight loss. Laparoscopy is also used in the case of a large number of cysts.
Depression
It is a mental illness. It cannot be measured by laboratory tests. The disease may manifest itself in gaining weight. So do neuroses, which often lead to compulsive behavior and binge eating. In this way, we try to discharge the accumulated voltage. In depression, we become indifferent to the world and people, we feel incapable of any movement, which in itself slows down the metabolism. And it also happens that when we try to “save” ourselves, we eat sadness. And then we have the greatest appetite for sweets. This is not surprising, as sugar is essential for the production of a compound called serotonin. It is a neurotransmitter in the nervous and digestive systems. When we have too little serotonin, we fall into sleeplessness and apathy, we lack energy to live. Then you have to seek help in a psychiatrist’s office. Otherwise, the disease may develop and lead to you withdrawing from the world or attempting suicide. Antidepressants will improve your mood and allow you to be more active. But they can also affect the water retention of the body, which does not translate into weight gain. Some anti-depressants, the older generation ones, can also make us gain weight as metabolism slows down. Then it is worth discussing the change of medication with the doctor and at the same time take care of a less caloric diet, and certainly give up rewarding and consoling yourself with fatty and sweet snacks.
Side effects of treatment
You start taking medication and after a while you notice that you are gaining kilos. Don’t underestimate it and don’t be shy. It is worth going to the doctor and telling about it, maybe you will have to change the drug to a better tolerated one. Also watch if you have an increased appetite. This will be in response to whether your weight is increasing because you are eating more, or if there is something wrong with your body storing fat. On your own, do not stop the treatment, or the disease will return and you will be at the starting point.
Appetite may be increased by steroid drugs used in allergies and asthma. Older generation pills prescribed for migraine, hypertension, bipolar disorder, sarcoidosis, lupus and epilepsy also work like this. Beware of sedatives. They also affect metabolism, because they slow down the work of various organs, which translates into a slower metabolism. With this type of pharmaceuticals, it is worth changing your diet to one that is richer in fiber, which regulates the digestive processes, and is much less fatty – give up roux, sauces, calorie snacks and creamy cookies. Your metabolism will help to improve your eating habits of vegetables and fruits.
Tekst: Anna Augustyniak
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