BY JOYCE WONG JIN YI
MAINTAINING your weight is more than how you look or the number you see on the scale. How you feel, and your overall health is so much more important. Excess body fat is associated with an increased risk of most major chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers. Maintaining the right weight for your age, height, and gender is essential.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is the standard tool used to measure identifying overweight and obesity. It is calculated by dividing body weight (kilograms) by height (meters) squared. Overweight and obesity affect at least 50% of the Malaysian population.
Other than extrinsic factors such as diet, exercise, lifestyle, and stress management that influence body weight, many intrinsic factors also influence body weight regulation. These include genetics, epigenetics, appetite regulation pathways, microbiome, insulin sensitivity, circadian rhythms, and hormones.
Let’s dive in to explore a few factors and practical ways to stay at your healthy weight. Many people have less-than-optimal thyroids levels (hypothyroidism) and are prone to weight gain and lack of energy. To maintain healthy metabolic rates, hormones produced in the thyroid gland increase total energy expenditure by targeting cellular metabolism and energy production capacity. Thyroid hormone also contributes to weight control mechanisms through their actions on appetite, adipose tissue signaling, and the brain.
