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DIETS, MOLECULES AND OBESITY

© Juan C. Mendible

Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, lipid disorders, stroke, gallbladder disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems and some types of cancer.

According to the data presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its State of the World report, obesity is increasing worldwide. WHO indicates that, globally, there are 1.2 billion people estimated to be overweight.

In the US, obesity is already an epidemic. Look at the following figures: according to a 1995 report by the Institute of Medicine, 59% of the adult population in the US are obese. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 11% of adolescent girls are overweight. And The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute indicates that more the 300.000 men and women die every year by the damaging effects of eating too much and that the total cost attributable to all of the diseases related to obesity approaches $100 billion annually.

If, on one side, we consider the abundance of low-fat, non-fat, and artificially sweetened foods that are now available and, on the other, the number of best-selling books on diets, one has to wonder: what is happening and why do people keep getting fatter?

In my opinion, there is a lot of misinformation and ignorance of some basic facts. As an example of this, we have a report from the University of Texas that found that girls who are dieting are more likely to gain weight over the course of four years than those who were not trying to lose weight. Do they know what they are doing?

Before going into the details of obesity, I would like to point out a few basic metabolic facts that can be found in any biochemistry textbook.

The energy that our body needs comes from the three basic components of our diet: carbohydrates (glucose), tryglicerides (or fats) and proteins. Except when eaten in excess, proteins contribute very little to the energy reserves of the organism. Basically, the metabolism (that is, the processing and storage) of these molecules is controlled by three hormones: insulin, glucagon and epinephrine.

To start with, let me tell you that the most important sugar in your body is called glucose and that, metabolically speaking, your blood glucose level (BGL) is the parameter that defines, as you will see, which way your metabolism goes. Since glucose is the only source of energy for your brain and red blood cells, its blood level must be maintained constant at about 80 mg/100ml (80). You should know that your brain consumes about 60% of the glucose that you eat.

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