Obesity And Islam

What is obesity?

                              Obesity or being overweight is a condition characterized by excessive storage of fat in the body. When the body’s calorie intake exceeds the amount of calories burned, it leads to the storage of excess calories in the form of body fat. Increased body fat puts a person at risk for many critical conditions such as heart disease, liver damage, diabetes, arthritis and kidney problems.

 Definition

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in meters).

                               A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

                                   Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Once considered a problem only in high income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

Facts about obesity

                                According to the figures of the world health organization (WHO) in 2005 approximately 1.6 billion adults (age 15+) were overweight and at least 400 million adults were obese.

                               WHO projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese and at least 20 million children under the age of 5 years are overweight globally in 2005.  

Causes of obesity

                            The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed on one hand, and calories expended on the other hand. Global increases in overweight and obesity are attributable to a number of factors including a global shift in diet towards increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugars but low in vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients; and a trend towards decreased physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.

                                Excessive weight gain is caused when people consume more calories than the body needs—occurring most commonly due to eating a diet high in fat and calories, being sedentary, or both. This imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned, however, can also be caused by a number of different obesity-related factors such as genetic, hormonal, behavioral, environmental and, to some extent, cultural. There are many other factors causing obesity such as pregnancy, tumors as well as endocrine disorders and medications that include psychotic drugs, estrogens, corticosteroids and insulin.

Classification

     Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health. It is defined by body mass index (BMI) and further evaluated in terms of fat distribution via the waist–hip ratio and total cardiovascular risk factors. BMI is closely related to both percentage body fat and total body fat.

A "super obese" male with a BMI of 47 kg/m²: weight 146 kg (322 lb), height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)

In children, a healthy weight varies with age and sex. Obesity in children and adolescents is defined not as an absolute number but in relation to a historical normal group, such that obesity is a BMI greater than the 95th percentile.The reference data on which these percentiles were based date from 1963 to 1994, and thus have not been affected by the recent increases in weight.

BMI	Classification
< 18.5	underweight
18.5–24.9	normal weight
25.0–29.9	overweight
30.0–34.9	class I obesity
35.0–39.9	class II obesity
≥ 40.0	class III obesity

BMI is defined as the subject's mass divided by the square of their height, expressed kilograms per square meter and calculated as:

	†

^† The conversion factor for UK/US units is more precisely 703.06957964, but that level of precision is not meaningful for this calculation.

The most commonly used definitions, established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997 and published in 2000, provide the values listed in the table at right.

Some modifications to the WHO definitions have been made by particular bodies. The surgical literature breaks down "class III" obesity into further categories whose exact values are still disputed.

• Any BMI ≥ 35 or 40 is severe obesity
• A BMI of ≥ 35 and experiencing obesity-related health conditions or ≥40–44.9 is morbid obesity
• A BMI of ≥ 45 or 50 is super obesity

As Asian populations develop negative health consequences at a lower BMI than Caucasians, some nations have redefined obesity; the Japanese have defined obesity as any BMI greater than 25,while China uses a BMI of greater than 
Symptoms

• Increased body fat
• Breathlessness on exertion
• Lethargy
• Excessive sweating with bad odor
• Fatigue

What are the consequences of obesity?

Overweight and obesity lead to serious health consequences. Risk increases progressively as BMI increases. Raised body mass index is a major risk factor for chronic diseases such as:

·                     Cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke) - already the world's number one cause of death, killing 17 million people each year.

·                     Diabetes – which has rapidly become a global epidemic. WHO projects that diabetes death will increase by more than 50% worldwide in the next 10 years.

·                     Musculoskeletal disorders – especially osteoarthritis.

·                     Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon).

 Obesity is the coming danger

"The rising tide of overweight and obese people is the most significant public and personal health challenge facing our society. With concerted action across government and with wide "says Alan Johnson the British secretary of state for health. He added" With concerted action across government and with wide institutional support aligned to personal responsibility, I am confident we can do what no other country has yet done and reverse the obesity trend."

 Obesity and heart diseases

In a new study it was proved that the percentage of overweight and obese adults in the United States has increased over the past two decades — undermining efforts to reduce heart disease risk factors. Also the rising obesity is associated with the lower likelihood of having optimal blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Another study indicates that weight loss may correct structural heart damage in obese patients.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1988–2006, representing 8,264 adult men and women, 20 to 85 years old. All had complete risk factor profiles of their blood pressure, fasting glucose, low density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad” cholesterol) and smoking status. 

The researchers had found that during this time period, the average body mass index (BMI) increased from 26.5 to 28.8 kg/m2, a significant change. In the same period, the number of people with optimal blood pressure decreased from 48 percent in NHANES III, 1988–94, to 43 percent in NHANES in 2005–06, and the number of people with optimal fasting glucose decreased from 67 percent to 58 percent. Both blood pressure and blood glucose are closely linked to obesity and these adverse trends track with the change in body weight.

 Another study was funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation (Las Vegas, Nevada)  demonstrates a stronger association of WHR (waist-to-hip ratio)  with subclinical atherosclerosis as compared with BMI or WC (waist circumference) in a large, population-based cohort.

In analyses adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, WHR remained independently associated with atherosclerosis. Waist-to-hip ratio showed better discrimination of atherosclerosis than either BMI or WC.

These findings support the use of WC and WHR over BMI as clinical measures of obesity and suggest that an increased burden of atherosclerosis may explain in part the excess cardiovascular risk among persons with obesity.

Photo for a sick heart, scientists confirm that obesity increase the probability of infection by Heart disease, people must take care of their bodies and weight.

Obesity and diabetes

Doctors believe that obesity is probably the most important factor in the development of insulin resistance, but science's understanding of the chain of events is still spotty.

Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have filled in the gap and identified the missing link between the two. Their findings, to be published in the June 21, 2009 advance online edition of the journal Nature, explain how obesity sets the stage for diabetes.

The Salk team, led by Marc Montminy, Ph.D., a professor in the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, discovered how a condition known as ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress, which is induced by a high fat diet and is overly activated in obese people, triggers aberrant glucose production in the liver, an important step on the path to insulin resistance.

In healthy people, a "fasting switch" only flips on glucose production when blood glucose levels run low during fasting. "The existence of a second cellular signaling cascade—like an alternate route from A to B—that can modulate glucose production, presents the potential to identify new classes of drugs that might help to lower blood sugar by disrupting this alternative pathway," says Montminy.

It had been well established that obesity promotes insulin resistance through the inappropriate inactivation of a process called gluconeogenesis, where the liver creates glucose for fuel and which ordinarily occurs only in times of fasting. Yet, not all obese people become insulin resistant, and insulin resistance occurs in non-obese individuals, leading Montminy and his colleagues to suspect that fasting-induced glucose production was only half the story.

Overweighting leads to dementia

"Healthy nutrition and periodic fasting activate brain" Says Hanz diteleyv Vasman director of the Department of Neurosurgery at University of Münster hospital. Also he confirms that calories restriction prevent disorders in the brain's functions and reduces the possibility of dementia.      

He added that researches proved that healthy and low calories foods which are full of thefatty acid(omega3 ) increase the efficiency of delivering signals in the brain.

Obesity is a huge risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, scientists say...

"Obesity is a huge risk factor for Alzheimer's disease" says Professor  Clive Ballard director of research at the Alzheimer's Society. He added "People who are obese at 60 are twice as likely to develop dementia by the time they are 75."And he says "If we're not careful, it might be 2m or 2.5m people who have dementia in 50 years. This is a real opportunity to reduce the numbers." And he confirms that the research had shown a regular exercise and a healthy diet could substantially reduce the risk.

The nutrition system and Longevity

A study had been published in nature magazine which confirmed that there is a relation between the nutrition system and Longevity (Muslims don't believe in that otherwise we believe that healthy nutrition is a reason behind longevity).

The said study demonstrated the importance of keeping natural weight to get longevity as the protein (IRS2) affects the transmitting of insulin to brain cells.  

Prof/ Maurice White at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute says that a simple way to get longevity is the reducing of insulin in blood by practicing sports and following a healthy nutrition system so that the brain will be less exposed to insulin.

Eating much raise prices

Today, scientists believe that obesity has a bad effect on the global food crisis and the environmental changes as obese people are consuming calories 18% than the natural average.

Researchers say that consuming much food means more fuel consuming to produce more foods, also obese people needs transportation methods to move which needs more fuel and money. Phil Edwards one of those researchers say that the only way to reduce pollution and fuel consumption is to make people walk and move by riding bicycles also by reducing the use of cars.  

Treatment from the Qur'an and Sunnah

as usual Allah almighty in His holy book preceded all scientists and researchers in solving different humanity's problems as He says: (and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)) (Sûrat Al-A‘râf-verse31), here Allah almighty tells us that extravagance in foods and drink is a sin that should be avoided by us.

In Islam Allah almighty ordered us to make a balances in all things even in food and drink as He almighty says about believers and the slaves of God: (And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes).)(Sûrat Al-Furqân-verse67).   

In many verses Allah almighty advice us not to extravagance as He says: (And it is He who produces gardens trellised and untrellised, and date-palms, and crops of different shape and taste (their fruits and their seeds) and olives, and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in taste). Eat of their fruit when they ripen, but pay the due thereof (its Zakât according to Allah's Orders 1/10th or 1/20th) on the day of its harvest, and waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance),*. And of the cattle (are some) for burden (like camels) and (some are) small (unable to carry burden like sheep and goats - for food, meat, milk and wool). Eat of what Allah has provided for you, and follow not the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan). Surely he is to you an open enemy.)(Sûrat Al-An’âm-verse141-142).                  

On the other hand the prophet (peace be upon him) asks us not to eat too much as he says: (A human being has not filled any vessel which is worse than a belly. Enough for the son of Adam are some mouthfuls which can keep his back straight: but if there is no escape he should fill it a third with food, a third with drink, and leave a third empty)[Narrated by At-Tirmidhi].

this prophetic rule is considered to be one of the basics of modern medicine which demonstrates the sincerity of our Prophet and that all what he says is by inspiration from Allah not by himself!.  

Treatment by walking to the mosques

Abu Hurayrah may Allah be pleased with him said that Messenger of God peace be upon him said to his companions (do you want to be guided to what will erase your sins and raise your levels with your God, they said yes then the prophet said you have to perform the ritual ablution very well, to be keen to walk to the mosques and to always be awaiting for prayer this is the bond) [Narrated by Muslim].

Ayurvedic View
In Ayurveda, obesity is known as Medarog, which is caused by the aggravation of Kapha. Kapha is an Ayurvedic humor which is dense, heavy, slow, sticky, wet and cold in nature. It governs all structure and lubrication in the mind and body apart from controlling weight and formation of all the seven tissues - nutritive fluids, blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow and reproductive tissues.

In a balanced state, Kapha gives nourishment to these tissues through various micro channels. However, when it is aggravated, Kapha leads to production of toxins in the body. These toxins are heavy and dense in nature and accumulate in weaker channels of the body, causing their blockage. In the case of an obese person, toxins accumulate in Medovahi Srotas (fat channels), thereby leading to an increase in the production of fat tissue (Meda Dhatu). When the body produces more fat tissues, it causes an increase in weight.

The Ayurvedic line of treatment for obesity begins with the pacification of Kapha Dosha. This can be done by eliminating Kapha-aggravating foods from the diet. Next, the treatment also focuses on cleansing of the Medovahi channels through cleansing herbs so that excess weight can be reduced.

Diet & Lifestyle Advice

• Avoid high carbohydrates like polished rice and potato.
• Avoid oily and fried foods, processed foods, fatty foods like butter, purified butter, cheese, whole-milk yogurt, cream, chocolate, etc.
• Have more bitter vegetables like bitter gourd and the bitter variety of drumsticks
• Replace refined flour with whole-wheat flour and rice with brown rice or parboiled rice
• Increase intake of fruits, salads and vegetables.

It is very important to engage in daily exercise in the form of walking, jogging, swimming or any other physical activity that is not competitive. Try to take a walk in the morning and again in the early evening, working up to 30 minutes or more each time. Increase physical activity by doing more physical chores during the day.

Yoga and Pranayam: Naukachalanasan and Kapalbhati Pranayam.

Some Home Remedies

• Take 1 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon each of lime juice and honey and a pinch of black pepper. Have this on an empty stomach twice a day.
• Mix powdered long pepper, black pepper and dried ginger root in equal quantities. Have ½ teaspoon of this twice a day with lukewarm water.
• Boil 7-8 mint leaves in 1 cup of water for 20-30 minutes, and let it cool. Add 1 teaspoon honey to and a pinch of black pepper to the cooled mint water. Have this 2-3 times a day.

Obesity costs America 147 billion Dollars

American researchers said that spent money on obesity related diseases comprises 10% of the total medical expenses in the US, which is equal to 147 billion Dollars a year. According to a study published in the Health Avenue Magazine, the total expenditure on obesity related issues had doubled in less than 10 years.

Dr. Thomas Freden, the director of the US centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that it is very important to have effective actions immediately to decrease the enormous burden on the country resulting from obesity. More than 26% of Americans are considered obese meaning that they have Body Mass Index 30 or more (Body Mass Index BMI is measured by weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters). 

Obesity is a major cause of cancer

A famous scientist warned that the cancer incidence is increasing all over the world in a dangerous way on humanity comparing to the climate change phenomenon.

Professor Michael Marmout, the teacher of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of London, verified that the prevalent obesity disease is a major causing factor of cancer incidence.

The study concentrates on the cases of weight gain and obesity which results in the incidence of about 14 thousand cases of cancer in Britain every year. It is also showed that third of these cancer cases is coming from diet and lack of exercise. Experts advice people to be slim and avoid having too much fast foods, red mead, preserved meat, bacon, gammon in addition to alcohol.

 

Cancer causes seven million people to die all over the world yearly according to the latest estimates of the World Cancer Research Fund, and it is expected to increase to more than ten million by 2020. This crisis requires immediate action as the numbers are threatening all over the world and cancer is considered the second causing factor of Death in Britain after Heart Diseases.

In the other hand, a study in the last issue of "the epidemic of cancer" magazine revealed that obesity doubles the incidence probability of bone marrow and blood cancer in old ladies, this study was conducted by a research team from Minnesota University in the US.  

Obesity affects the structure and the function of the Heart muscle

Australian researchers verified that people suffering from obesity are exposed to changes in the structure of the Heart muscle which affect its proper functioning, even if they did not have any heart disease. These changes might lead to later fall in the heart.

Researchers from the Queens Land faculty of Medicine in Australia measured the speed and strength of the heart muscle stretching using updated version of Ultra Sound waves technology in 142 persons noting that none of them had any of Heart diseases, blood pressure or diabetes. Also none of them suffered from symptoms that prove that there is congestion in the muscle of the heart. The average age of the participants was 44 years old.

The participants were classified into four groups according to their weights. When comparing the heart muscle in people having appropriate weight with the heart muscle in people having morbid obesity it was verified that the blood pumping of the left ventricle of the heart in obese people plus its ability to relax between two pumps were obviously weaker. This complete relaxation allows the ventricle to be completely filled in blood before it pumps the blood to the rest of the body organs.

Dr. Thomas Marwick, who led the research team, said that this study shows the direct relationship between obesity level and the rate of dysfunction of the heart muscle apart from the other causative factors that may affect heart muscle functioning like high or low blood pressure.

 

The results of the participants' heart picturing before being exposed to ultrasound tests showed that the pumping power of the heart muscle in each one of them is normal which means that they do not suffer from heart failure. Nevertheless, the study concluded that the limited or little structural or functional changes caused in the heart muscle by obesity have effective relation to heart failure that can not be ignored.

Obese children live shorter lives than their parents.

Health experts warned that today's children might not live longer than their parents because of obesity. Those experts see that the expected average of age may decrease for the first time since hundreds years if the current situation goes on as expected.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper mentioned that quarter of the 5 years old children and more than third of the 10 years old children suffer from over weight or obesity. It is expected that the numbers of those children would rise sharply in the coming few decades.

 

Dr. Colin Ware, the president of the National Obesity Forum, says that we might be in front of a generation who live shorter life than their parents, which is an annoying probability. The greatest danger is represented in the second type diabetes which we started to see in large numbers of teenagers as we notice levels of incidence of heart diseases started to raise after they remained declined for 30 decades. He also warned that the teenager with type 2 diabetes might have decades not only years subtracted from his expected lifetime.

The Health media estimates that half of the people of Britain will medically suffer from obesity by 2050 and the health problems related to obesity will increase like diabetes, heart diseases, and some types of cancer which will affect the expected age of those people. Doctors emphasize that the younger the obese, the much less is his expected lifetime, and they say that this increment in obesity is the first in hundreds years gone by!

Daily activities, emotional stress and obesity

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in the USA discovered that people who spent more time laying on the bed are more exposed to obesity whether they exercised or not. They also concluded that regular attending of the gym does not determine if the person is obese or slim but the daily normal activities and emotional stresses may play greater role in this matter.

Dr. James Levin, the chairman of the researchers who conducted the study, says: "I think that this study represents a glimmer of hope that if we could raise our daily activity to a level similar to what was before 50 years when obesity was not epidemic in the USA, we would be able to lower the incidence of obesity"

David Jacobs, the teacher at the Minnesota University, said that there is no easy answer about obesity, as there are many factors contribute to this phenomenon like over eating, he added that it is also important to find a way to make the lazy potato eaters, active ones.

The study had found out that the obese people who participated in the study were used to set for 150 minutes more than the thin participants which mean that they burn daily 350 Kcal less than their counterparts. The study said that if the obese people do activities in the same way their thin counterparts do, they will lose 15 kgs in a year without need to go to the gym.

Islamic teaching and obesity

Now, after we have reviewed the conclusions of the new western studies and found out the main causative factors of obesity are:

1.                   over eating and drinking

2.                   less exercise and activity

3.                   emotional stresses

These are main factors that cause obesity and consequently cause dangerous disease like heart diseases, diabetes, blood pressure and cancer. But what about the Islamic teachings which was revealed 1400 years ago?

Allah, the Almighty, had specified a golden rule in diet as He said: " and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allâh) likes not Al-Musrifûn (those who waste by extravagance)" (31:Al A'raf.). The most dangerous thing is extravagance and as long as the person is moderate he will be at the safe side, this is what stated by the western scientists!

Even, the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had given us a remarkable rule in diet which explains Allah's saying (but waste not by extravagance), he peace be upon him says: (the son of Adam had filled a bowl not worse than a belly! Enough for the son of Adam are small mouthfuls to stand him up, but if he was beaten by himself then a third for the food, a third for drink and a third for breath) (the right sequence 2265). The prophet alienated his companions from overeating and said (the son of Adam had not filled a bowl worse than a belly) in order to have in front of their sight while eating that this food might be harmful to them if they fill their bellies with it!

And this is a new scientific method to which the psychiatrists gone today. As they alienated people from overeating and connect this to the dangerous diseases like cancer and other diseases as what we have seen in the previous studies. However, the noble prophet used this method of teaching before the western scientists by long centuries, what does this indicate?

Also, the prophet peace be upon him, made the overeating as the disbelievers' habits in order to get the people away from it. He, peace be upon him, said: (the disbeliever eats in seven intestines and the believer eats in one intestine) (Al Bukhari and Muslim). The prophet seemed to guide to lower food intake as much as possible in a hidden way (1: 7 parts). And in deed the avid person can eat food seven folds greater than what his body needs!

The second causative factor of obesity is emotional stresses, this was not overlooked by the prophet of mercy, peace be upon him as he said repeatedly to the Bedouin seeking for advice: "do not get angry..and repeated it many times"(Al Bukhari). Also the prophet considered the good manner as the heaviest thing in the one's balance at the Day of Judgment, he said: "there is nothing heavier in the balance than the good manner" (narrated by Al Tarmithi).

But, what about the daily activity which the scientists said that it a crucial factor in the treatment of obesity? The prophet, peace be upon him was the most active, moving and worshipper to Allah among people. The prophet had summarized this in one golden rule and said: "shall I guide you to doings by which Allah erase sins and raise grades" they said yes prophet of Allah, he said: "do ablution thoroughly on offenses, more footsteps to masjids and waiting for prayer after prayer as that is ArRabat" (narrated by Muslim).

Look with me at these daily practices that the believer can not leave till he meet Allah, the Almighty, the ablution is activity and cleanness, and the more footsteps to the masjid is the walking sport which the scientists consider as one of the best sports, and the prayer beside being a worship to Allah, it is a group of movements that is very beneficial to the spinal cord, heart muscle, belly and back, therefore, the life of the believer is full of activity and laziness never exits.

So, the prophet, peace be upon him, forbade overeating, also forbade anger, hatred, negative thoughts and ordered activity, walking and praying.

And do not forget, my beloved readers, that these teachings were pointed to a group of people who were accustomed to fulfill their bellies with food, moreover they were boasting in overeating as we knew from the life of ignorance era before the prophet delegation. Those people were also extremely angry and feverish for the most trivial reasons; a war that extended for 40 years was because of a camel!! The question here is that if the prophet wanted the power-as what the enemies of Islam claimed-why should he order his people with new habits that they may not response to him!

And what would he gain from these teachings? And why should he order them not to get angry and not to over eat…this has no logic explanation except to believe that the prophet did not give anything of his own desire but it is a revelation from Allah, the apostle, as he is the mercy bestowed upon us, and by Allah that if the Godless people knew the greatness of this merciful prophet and the strength of the teachings he came by, and if they were convinced with these teachings, the science would progress by hundreds years!

The scientists, as we see, watch nights, make experiments, spend money while they are lost and have no base or structure or light to guide them except what they see by their eyes and touch by their hands, and you find them after hard studies which extends for long years reaching the same results which the prophet of mercy had legislated!