How Can an Endocrinologist Help You with Obesity.

The prevalence of overweight/obesity has increased dramatically over the last decade and is on a continued rise. This health concern seems to affect children and adults equally, with multiple negative effects on their health and wellbeing. Obesity might be associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. If you're concerned about any of these conditions and want to learn more about how an endocrinologist can help you with achieving a healthier weight, please read on.

What Is Obesity?

Overweight and obesity are chronic (long-term) medical conditions that arise when the body carries excessive body fat. Obesity increases the risk of developing other diseases. Among these are type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, fatty liver and more severe liver disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallstones, high cholesterol, gout, and certain types of cancer.

Obesity results from a complex biological process in which the body holds on to fat that it can no longer metabolize. This result in weight gain or, more specifically, an increase in the amount of fat the body carries. This is still not entirely understood, but some contributing factors include unhealthy diet, inactive lifestyle, excessive screentime, lack of sleep, disruptions in circadian rhythm, and certain medications.

Endocrine Connection

Weight gain can be caused by hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) or Cushing's syndrome (high cortisol levels). However, these are rare causes of obesity.

An endocrinologist can evaluate your weight in light of your medical history, lifestyle, diet, and other habits. They can also pursue additional testing for obesity-related Diseases, such as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and kidney disease.

In children, a very limited number of weight loss medications have been approved for use. Therefore, parents might have to focus on diet and lifestyle changes primarily.

It is important to look for an endocrinologist who can spend time listening to you and your child’s concerns and eventually, come up with a personalized plan that works for the entire family.

Afterall, healthy childhood leads into healthy adulthood.

For personalized weight loss coaching, please visit us at kapendocrine.com or call 615-857-5110 to speak with Dr. Nidhi Gupta.