WHAT IS
Obesity?
Today obesity is one of the most alarming public health problems in the world, according to the WHO. A widespread condition all over the world leading to serious health problems for those who experience it.
A peculiarity is obviously the excess weight:
excess body fat compared to lean mass
both in absolute terms and with reference to specific parts of the body, often due to an incorrect diet, rich in fats and carbohydrates and poor in fruit and vegetables, and a sedentary lifestyle.
The clinical classification of the population by weight is done through the body mass index (BMI) and it is calculated dividing the weight of the individual expressed in Kg for the square of the height expressed in cm.
The presence of a high BMI (> 30Kg / m2)
allows to classify patients as obese,
according to tables diversified by sex and age.
IMC
(>30Kg/m2)
Obesity: a physical
and psychological issue
Not only does obesity affect patients physically and upset their lives, it also has psychological consequences, determining estrangement or social isolation either chosen by the patients or enacted by those who surround them. This is particularly true for adults, but also for children, who tend to develop difficult relationships with their peers and trigger a vicious circle that will affect their lives as teenagers first, and then as adults.
Childhood obesity:
a more and more widespread plague
What raises a great concern is the increase of obesity among the youngest (children and teenagers). Besides the psychological consequences described above, an overweight or obese child:
Causes of obesity:
hyperinsulinemia
As we have pointed out, a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet are among the factors detected as causes of obesity, as well as a genetic predisposition that might affect its onset.
Over the past few years however, the attention has been more and more focused on the link between obesity and hyperinsulinemia
OBESITY
HYPERINSULINEMIA
Obesity
hYperinsulinemia
as it has been claimed that whatever the causes of obesity, patients are always characterized by an excess of the level of insulin in blood.
Hyperinsulinemia derives from a peripheral insulin-resistance condition, more specifically there is no entry of glucose molecules into the cells because they do not respond to insulin, so the organism secrete further insulin to lower glycaemia.
A vicious circle in which the two conditions feed one another:
INSULIN
RESISTANCE
HYPERGLYCAEMIA
HYPERINSULINEMIA
INSULIN
RESISTANCE
HYPERGLYCAEMIA
HYPERINSULINEMIA
!
Such condition, however, seems to be reversible for obese patients who significantly lose weight by means of a reduction of calories intake or an increase of physical exercise.
In addition, a significant link between abdominal fat and hyperinsulinemia has been demonstrated. Such condition is more frequent in android obesity compared to gynoid obesity (an excess of fat located in the hips).
D-chiro-inositol: an ally in the treatment of hyperinsulinemia in obese patients
Evidence shows a very close connection between the increase in body mass, with accumulation of visceral fat, and the increase of insulin-resistance. The associated pro-inflammatory state leads to a further reduction of insulin sensitivity, altering carbohydrate metabolism.
Reduced glucose utilization leads to hyperglycaemia, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
DCI, as:
can be a valid aid compared to diet alone in restoring the values of glycaemia and insulin.
In fact, in several studies on overweight / obese women with PCOS, DCI has been shown to reduce not only circulating insulin and androgen levels but also the body mass index of these patients