Weight Loss
As per the context with respect to health or medicine or physical fitness regime, weight loss could be defined as a decrease in the total body weight of a human being. This decrease in the body weight could be because of body fat, excess adipose tissue, lean mass, mineral deposits in bones, deficiency in tendon, muscle, some other connective tissue, or due to a mean fluid loss.
However, body weight loss could be unintentional also, mainly because of an underlying disease or because of one’s conscious efforts to improve an obese or overweight state of human body.
Unintentional Weight Loss
The scientific explanation of undesirable weight could be explained by the biological segmentation f various organic compounds. If the type 1 diabetes mellitus, which is also referred to as IDDM (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) is not kept under proper control, a larger amount of glucose and a lesser amount of insulin is made available in the bloodstream. Due to this, triglycerides are released from the fat (adipose) tissue, which further leads to catabolic breakdown of amino acids in the human muscle tissue. Both fat and lean mass are decreased because of this phenomenon, thereby leading to a substantial decrease in the body weight of an individual. It should also be noted that untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus generally not results in weight loss, as the patients suffering from this disease generally fall acutely ill before they actually lose weight.
Numerous scientific and biological reasons are applicable to the loss of weight in human body, including nutrition science, behavioral sciences, exercise and physiological sciences, and other sciences as well.
One research area involves the bioenergetics science including the utilization systems and energy production areas of physiological and biochemical arena. This also acts as the frequent evidence of ketone bodies, acetone particles that occur in body fluids, diabetes, and body tissues, which are involved in acidosis, also known as ketosis, which is a bit common in severe diabetes.
Various other illnesses such as diabetes, lack of fluid intake, certain specific medications, and other factors also result in weight loss, in addition to a reduction in lean mass and fat. The fluid loss in human body, in addition to a fat reduction and lean mass reduction, also aggravates the risk for cachexia. Also, various other infections such as HIV alter the metabolic activity of human body, thereby leading to a reduction in the human body weight.
Hyperthyroidism, a case of overactive thyroid, which is a specific case of hormonal disruptions, also results in significant loss of weight.
Desirable Weight Loss
Weight loss through prescription or achieved by an individual, who are obese or overweight, decreases the chances of developing various diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
A state of negative energy balance in an individual is the prime reason of weight loss. When the human body spends more energy or does more physical activity than he/she actually gains by eating food or from nutritional supplements, it complements by using energy from the stored or reserved fat.
Some people, although they have ideal body weight, gain for further loss in weight, for various factors such as improved athletic performance, attractive body image, or meet required weight requirements for participation in a particular sporty. As a result, being underweight is linked with various types of health risks such as osteoporosis, less muscle strength, trouble in body temperature regulation, increased death risk, and difficulty in fighting off the infection of various diseases.
Therapeutic Weight Loss Techniques
Increased and dedicated physical exercises and eating patterns regulation form a comprehensive list of methods that are in vogue, to result in weight loss. Physicians generally ask their over weight patients to decrease their caloric content, along with an increase in their physical activity.
Various medicines and drug supplements, which result in a decrease in appetite, block fat accumulation, and reduce volume of human stomach, are some of the other methods of losing weight. Fucus vesiculosus, drug with herbs, is quite a popular treatment in this category. Ultimately, surgery could also be used in pretty severe cases. For example, bariatric surgery leads to a reduction in the size of the stomach, thereby keeping the intake of food energy under a proper control.
Crash Dieting
Crash diet is the process in which an obese or an overweight individual wishfully restricts himself/herself from all the nourishment, except, water, for more than 12 hours. A substantial reduction in the body weight in a pretty short time is the desired consequence of this crash dieting exercise. However, the concept of crash dieting is different from intermittent fasting, during which the individual does not take food periodically.
Causes of Weight Loss
Various reasons for loss of weight in an individual includes
1. Addison’s Disease
2. Alcoholism
3. Anorexia (the concept of getting leaner)
4. Bulimia
5. Cancer and its risk factors
6. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
7. Disease of connective body tissue
8. Dehydration
9. Dementia
10. Depression of various types
11. Diabetes and Diabetes Insipidus
12. Human Immunodeficiency Virus
13. Hyperthyroidism
14. Obesity of overweight
15. Parkinson’s Disease
16. Physical fitness
17. Stroke
18. Tuberculosis
Some other less common causes of weight loss includes dental problems, malabsorption, parasite infections, and bowel obstruction.
