Editor: Bolysbek Dana
Author: Inara Akhmetzhanova
Translator: Tursunova Balkadisha
The main cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance. The energy imbalance is caused by an increase in the consumption of foods with high energy density and high fat content, and a decrease in physical activity due to the sedentary nature of many activities and increasing urbanization around the world.
Body mass index (BMI) is a simple ratio of body weight to height, often used to diagnose obesity and overweight in adults.
Do you know your BMI? It is easily calculated with the ratio of body weight in kilograms to the square of height in meters (kg/m2). If the BMI is greater than or equal to 25 — overweighting, if greater than or equal to 30-obese.
According to the World Health Organization(WHO), an increase in BMI is a major factor in the development of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), diabetes mellitus, disorders of the musculoskeletal system (especially osteoarthritis-an extremely disabling degenerative joint disease), some oncological diseases (including cancer of the endometrium, breast, ovary, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney and colon).
A team of scientists from the University of Texas led by Professor Sung Il Park created an implant with the size of a bead. It is attached to the stomach wall and is powered by a radio signal from an external control unit. When the stomach is filled to a certain level, the implant is activated. After receiving the signal, the bead turns on an LED, which stimulates the vagus nerve with its radiation. As a result, the person will eat less.
This mechanism prevents frequent overeating and the occurrence of further complications.
Source: https://www.who.int/ru/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
