If you notice that you have recently started to gain weight, although your diet and daily routine has not changed, then you should think about what the reasons are. Let’s look at what diseases can cause excess weight.
1. Hypothyroidism.Hypothyroidism is a disease of the thyroid gland, which is accompanied by a low level of its hormones. When the thyroid gland is active, the metabolism is very active. All the calories that you consume with food are spent by the body and excess fat is not accumulated. And when hypothyroidism occurs, the thyroid gland releases few hormones and, accordingly, the metabolism slows down. This leads to the appearance of excess fat mass, even if you do not eat enough.
In women, hypothyroidism occurs 20 times more often than in men. You should take a hormone test. Symptoms of hypothyroidism: excess weight, weakness, fatigue, drowsiness.
2. Itsenko-Cushing syndrome. The second disease that can lead to weight gain – Itsenko-Cushing’s syndrome-is characterized by increased production of hormones of the adrenal cortex, namely cortisol. Cortisol stimulates the breakdown of amino acids, converting them into glucose. The level of glucose in the blood is very high and as a result, this leads to the fact that the fat mass of the body begins to increase and the person acquires a specific appearance: muscle mass decreases and fat increases.
Hypercorticism syndrome is characterized by typical manifestations:
– the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is disrupted;
– the breakdown of proteins is activated, an excessive amount of free fat is formed in the blood, the amount of glucose in the patient’s blood increases, which can lead to the development of steroid diabetes mellitus.
The earliest sign of the disease is obesity, with a typical deposition of adipose tissue in the face, neck, chest, and abdomen. The face at the same time looks rounded, moon-shaped. A purple flush appears on her cheeks. The characteristic feature is thin legs and arms, but the person expands like a pear in the hips and waist.
Therefore, if you gain weight and at the same time your physique changes, you should contact an endocrinologist and pass tests for adrenal hormones.
3. Kidney failure. In the event that weight gain is accompanied by the appearance of edema and a decrease in the amount of urine, it is necessary to consult a nephrologist.
Kidney failure-a syndrome of violation of all kidney functions, leading to a disorder of water, electrolyte, nitrogenous, etc. types of exchange. Initially, fluid retention may not be accompanied by other symptoms, but in the later stages of the disease, a person’s skin color changes, and bad breath appears. Symptoms of kidney failure: excess weight, gray skin, ammonia smell from the mouth.
4. Menopause. Menopause is a complete stop of menstruation in a woman as a result of the termination of ovarian function. A woman is said to have reached menopause if at least 1 year has passed since her last menstruation. There is a distinction between natural and artificial menopause. Natural menopause is associated with age-related depletion of the supply of follicles in the ovaries. It usually occurs at the age of 45 to 55 years, but can be early (40-50 years) or later (over the age of 55). In the case of menopause before the age of 40, they talk about ovarian depletion syndrome. Artificial menopause can be caused by surgical removal of the ovaries, radiation or drug exposure.
Menopause – with age, the female body ceases to secrete a large amount of estrogen and as a result, the metabolism decreases by 15-20%. Since a person’s eating habits remain the same, he eats the same as before, and the calorie consumption is less and the weight begins to increase.
A lot of women during menopause gain extra pounds.
However, good reasons for excess weight in the form of diseases are found in only 5-7 cases out of 100. And most often these are completely banal reasons, namely:
1. The intensity of metabolism decreases with age. And we don’t change our habits. We eat the same way, but we move less. Therefore, the advice is to move more and watch your diet.
2. Many people talk about a hereditary predisposition to weight gain (my grandmother and mother also got better), however, scientists have proven that a genetic predisposition to excess weight occurs in only 1% of people. And we must remember that we inherit not only genes, but also culinary preferences, so naturally, from childhood it is necessary to instill the habit of proper nutrition.
3. The next reason is stress. Stress also affects our weight. Moreover, both negative and positive stresses affect it. A common case is when a girl gets married, she is doing well in life and she begins to recover. However, negative stresses affect more often. In response to stress, the body produces hormones, which change the metabolism and create a fat layer in the body to protect the body from stress.
4. Pregnancy and breastfeeding. There is an opinion that pregnancy and breastfeeding leads to excess weight. However, this is not the case. At first, the weight increases, but then, with proper pregnancy and feeding, it also smoothly goes away. Moreover, stopping feeding is also a positive stress that leads to weight gain.
5. Lack of sleep also leads to excess weight. However, it is worth noting that the habit of sleeping off on weekends is also stressful for the body. Thus, “thanks” only to sleeping off on weekends for a year, you can gain 6-7 kg.
So good sleep, moderate eating, and physical activity will help you stay in good shape for a long time!