Exogenous Obesity: Everything You Need to Know

‍Exogenous obesity is a common medical condition that occurs due to external lifestyle factors such as consuming excessive food, thus causing obesity. This situation gets triggered when a steady consumption of food goes beyond what the body needs, leading to the storage of extra energy derived from digested food particles as fats. 

Thus, if an individual has a BMI greater equal to 25 then they are considered overweight. However, if the body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above, it means he or she has an obesity disease. Therefore, this read will tell you everything about this kind of obesity so if you or your close ones fall under this category, you must read to know everything about how to deal with and cure it. 

What is Exogenous obesity?

Exogenous obesity is a condition in which a person is not overweight due to malfunctioning of the body system, but instead, as a result of excessive eating of food. Thus, when the body is consuming additional food than he or she uses for daily energy needs or to perform routine activities, the extra energy is stored as fat and therefore, causes obesity.  

What are the symptoms of Exogenous obesity?

The body is a mechanism that gives instant symptoms if something unusual is happening. However, it gets challenging to diagnose certain conditions. In these circumstances, the following  symptoms can be an indicator of obesity: 

• Inability to lose weight even when eating a healthy diet
• In women, menstrual disorders occur with amenorrhoea and sterility(amenorrhea is absence of menstruation, when chronic  will lead to infertility.) 
• Lack of sleep
• Excessive increase in snoring
• Heaviness and regular pain in the lower body
• As different bodies react differently, there may be increased symptoms that doctors will get their hands on when undergoing check-ups.

Thus, the doctor may perform a certain number of diagnostic tests to rule the cause.

How is Exogenous obesity caused?

Although there are genetic, metabolic, and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity also occurs when calorie intake is higher than needed. Therefore, understanding exogenous obesity is easier when there is a fair understanding of how the body processes the energy and calories that you consume. Here are some points to help you understand the cause of this obesity.

• So, a certain number of calories is needed for the body to perform basic functions such as digestion and breathing. 
• Additional calories are needed to perform the routine movement activities.
• Further marginal calories are needed by the body to deal with stressful situations like an intense workout session. 
• There are times when psychological factors also lead to this kind of obesity. This is when the person is eating out or eating more due to boredom, stress, loneliness, to fill a void, work pressure, etc. 
• A person may also face a constant increase in weight due to thyroid conditions  leading to obesity.
• Numerous people's jobs have less physical activity so they don’t tend to burn enough calories when at work. These days regular physical activities also lead to fewer calories burnt due to the numerous conveniences such as remote controls, online shopping, escalators, drive-through banks, etc. 

How is Exogenous obesity diagnosed?

Body mass index (BMI) is used to diagnose exogenous obesity. An early diagnosis can start as early as 2 years of age. 

Diagnosis may include the following:

• Quick lifestyle review and their history for the items consumed. This is based on juices and milk, fast food, exercises, hobbies/activities done, etc. 
• If the person has an elevated BMI, one lifestyle change is a must at every doctor visit for at least 3-4 months tenure to observe required changes in the body.
• If the BMI is more than 40, doctors may consider lipid panel, fasting glucose, regular monitoring of cholesterol, and other parameters based on the patient’s health condition. 

Treatment

Based on the BMI and health condition of the person, the treatment for this type of obesity is to take utmost care for any cardiac damage. It may include:

• Specialized internal medical care,
• Scheduled diagnostic tests and poly physiotherapy
• Sub-caloric diet to lower the nitrogen exchange in the body to maintain the nitrogen equilibrium.
• Increase heat production with the help of exercise, hydrotherapy, and massage that will help in not increasing the protein catabolism. 
• A check for endocrine tumours may also be done. Surgery may be recommended if the operable tumor is the cause. 
• In some cases, anti-obesity drugs are also prescribed as these medicines work in a variety of ways by blocking some hormones that lead to weight gain. 

Conclusion

Thus, whatever the reason for eating extra leads to such obesity, it is a health condition that invites multiple other health conditions that can worsen one’s life to a great extent in the form of heart issues, diabetes, depression, osteoporosis, etc. A healthy diet with a low intake of sugar and carbohydrate combined with some exercise is the first step toward weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Don’t neglect the symptoms your body shows, and take necessary immediate actions to improve your quality of life. 

FAQ

1. What is endogenous obesity?

This type of obesity occurs due to the lowered metabolism of the body resulting in disturbance in endocrine functions such as thyroid, gonads, and pituitary. Thus, a person consumes added food than their activity level warrants, resulting in increased fat storage and obesity.

2. What are the three types of obesity?

Obesity is divided based on the BMI index parameter.

• Class 1 obesity: BMI of 30 to < 35
• Class 2 obesity: BMI of 35 to <40
• Class 3 obesity or severe obesity: BMI of 40 or higher

3. Which type of obesity is most harmful?

Class 3 obesity formerly known as morbid obesity is one of the complex diseases that can lead to countless severe health conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. 

4. What BMI is considered grossly obese?

If your BMI is over 25,  it suggests you are in the overweight range. BMI 30 or higher, it says you are obese. A BMI of 40+ says morbid obesity.