Obesity is indeed a significant concern. Having a little body fat is excellent for the human body, but you must have heard at least once in your life that excess of anything is terrible; Having said that, you can concern of Side effects of fast weight loss. And many online agencies are claiming rapid weight loss with just a few pills. But we are always stuck on whether these pills are safe for quick weight loss or whether there is any side effect of rapid weight loss. Let’s scan through some research data to find out.
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Being overweight is a big concern and is the major silent epidemic of this era. According to current research, obesity causes more chronic diseases, but following some crash diets or taking commercial pills to prevent obesity is more dangerous in the long run.
Before jumping to rapid weight loss’s side effects, we must diagnose the leading cause of obesity.
The major cause of Obesity:
Genetics is a significant cause of obesity, no doubt about it. But some modern facts can’t be ignored to add to the list of overweight causes. According to my research, I found 6 main reasons for obesity these days.
- Genetics
- Medication
- Influencer Advice
- Food Addiction
- Leptin resistance
Genetics:
Genetic or epigenetic (genetic variation due to environment) variations cause obesity by altering the metabolic pathways in the body. Moreover, this alteration may also lead to inflammation, hypertension, ectopic fat, and insulin resistance, which in turn act as markers for obesity [1].
Nonetheless, hereditary obesity is common, and more than 244 genes control the regulation of food intake, gut, and other organs, adipocyte differentiation, fat storage, etc. Rare variation in the coding sequence of these genes accounts for the obese phenotype in 5 to 10% of people [3].
Maternal exposure to toxins like organochlorides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, arsenic, and cigarette smoking are some of the reasons for epigenetic variation [1].
Nutritional disturbance in early childhood, mainly in the case of twins, is also linked to childhood obesity [2].
The medication causes weight gain:
The prescribed medication causes weight gain (8). Yes, it’s true.
We take different medicines for the treatment of various diseases, but the irony is that a pill may or may not cure you, but it may become the reason for the other condition. For example, medications prescribed for diabetes, like insulin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and psychotropic medicines like antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc., can be a reason for your weight gain [4]
One of the most common by-products of this medication is obesity. For instance, insulin dose causes weight because it drops the blood glucose below the renal threshold level but no compensatory reduction in calorie intake [5].
Nevertheless, if the prescription is for chronic disease, then some evidence suggests that chronic illness can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy diet (9).
Influencer Advice:
Writing this section does not mean unfollowing everyone on social media, but precaution is always better than cure. Advertisements of highly processed and artificially flavored foods, which are 99.99% unknown in nutritional value by top influencers (6), can be hazardous to health in the long run. Most influencers do not focus on the importance of nutrients and even mention it during the presentation of their ads but mainly focus on the taste, flavor, and aroma. A portion of processed food is not an instant killer but a slow poison leading to early death (7).
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Food Addiction:
I appreciate your attention to this segment to discover some hidden truths about the industry’s ultra-processed food production and marketing. According to statistics published in NCBI in 2006, more than $1.05 billion was spent on marketing (14) and flavor enhancements that attract children and youth to its flavors and make them addicted for a long time.
Adding to the other factors of how food addiction leads to obesity, let’s ask about our triggers for eating; The sound of food, the sight of food, and the highly defined smell of food are important factors in drawing oneself towards addiction which is also a secondary cause of overeating and end up with heavy body fat [15].
Leptin resistance:
Leptin is a hormone produced by the fat cells, which are responsible for the regulation of appetite and fat storage. Hence an essential player in the regulation of body weight and energy homeostasis.
But an unfortunate event of leptin resistance, mainly through mutation in the gene encoding leptin or leptin receptors in the individual, decreases the tissue sensitivity. This phenomenon is the major cause of the development of obesity and metabolic disorders [10].
What is rapid weight loss?
Losing weight fast can be termed as following any crash diet or advertised diet aiming to lose 1-2 kilos within a week rather than waiting for months and months. But this contains some side effects.
What is the side effect of quick weight loss?
Obesity or being overweight comes with certain diseases, but it doesn’t mean you should go for a rapid weight loss plan.
For instance, according to a study, judo players opt for rapid weight loss in order to gain the upper hand on lighter opponents; after a few days, due to rapid weight loss diets, a feeling of tension, anger, fatigue, and a reduction in vigor [11].
Another risk is in order to achieve rapid weight loss, people follow different low-carbohydrate/high-fat diets, which mostly restrict the intake of fruits and vegetables and increase meat consumption. Therefore the protein consumption is way higher than required, thus the reason for calciuria (presence of calcium in the urine) and affects bones.
In fact, according to studies, it is also seen that a very low-carb diet is associated with an increase in mortality [12].
Other than restriction of carbs, some people go for very low-calorie diets hence completely restricting the calorie intake to less than 800 kcals/day. This restriction causes cholelithiasis, ketosis, and increased serum uric acid levels [13].
Moreover, to restrict calories, they also prohibited certain foods which are rich in micronutrients, or instead of eating fruits to decrease the number of calories, they prefer juice, which is also the reason for micronutrient deficiency and hence the risk of diseases associated with deficiency.
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The main issue with the fast weight loss plan in the long term is the risk of binge eating disorder. Although you may neglect the urge to eat more calories in the long run for the perfect shape, that urge becomes an obsession, and you start binging on foods and emotional eating. And trust me, once you are on this step, it takes a lot of willpower and expert help to get back in shape [16].
Conclusion:
Many online agencies are claiming to reduce weight fast, and of course, chances are very high that you will lose the weight you wanted, but there are other chances that you may gain back plus extra in some weeks or months that you lose. Whether you want a lifelong healthy solution or short-term weight loss is all up to you. The weight that you have gained over years and years can’t be reduced fast without any health issues. Recommendation a certified health coach and guidance and Sobin S. Gupta can be a perfect coach for your desired weight loss and diet plan. She is a nutritionist and health coach based in Goa, India, and is also available online worldwide.
