Obesity is one of the major health concerns that plague America today. Approximately two-thirds of American adults are considered overweight; while one in three are seriously overweight or obese.

Obesity is defined as having an abnormal amount of body fat; being 20 to 30 percent over the ideal weight for age, sex and height.

Aside from being a major cosmetic concern, obesity is a great risk factor for serious medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney troubles, prostate enlargement, female infertility, uterine fibroids, pregnancy disorders, gallstones, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancer. Excessive body weight also puts great stress on joints increasing the chances of arthritis.

Everyone's metabolism (the rate at which the body burns calories) is different and is influenced by many factors, including genetics. Regularly eating even a few more calories than your body needs can lead to weight gain. By consuming only 100 extra calories a day, for example, you'll gain a pound in approximately a month (a pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories). Some experts think a sedentary lifestyle influences weight gain even more than eating too many calories. Exercise burns calories and builds muscle. And the more muscle mass you have, the greater number of calories your body burns at rest.

Aside from aggressive dieting and exercising, some herbal products may aid in raising metabolism or suppressing the appetite. But at the same time, you should also be wary of their side effects. Always check with your health care provider first.

• Aloe Vera, improves digestion and cleans the digestive tract
• Astralgus, increases energy and improves nutrient absorption
• Bee pollen, stimulates metabolism and quickly satisfy craving for sweets
• Bladderwrack, contains iodine which helps enhance thyroid function
• Brewer’s yeast, reduces various cravings for food and drink
• Cayenne, reduces hunger after meals and increases calorie burning by the body
• Chitosan, slows the absorption of fat in the intestine
• Chromium, helps the body use fat for energy and builds muscles
• Dandelion, flushes out kidneys, boosts metabolism, and off-sets cravings for sweets
• Ephedra, also known as ma huang, suppresses appetite
• Fennel, suppresses appetite and removes mucus and fat from the intestinal tract
• Garcinia cambogia, quells hunger pangs
• Green tea, increases energy expenditure and enhances the ability of the body to burn fat
• Guaraná, contains caffeine which curbs appetite, increases metabolic rates and has a mild diuretic effect
• Guggul, lowers cholesterol and promotes weight control
• Kelp, boosts metabolism
• Licorice, sustains regulated blood sugar level and reduces cravings for sweets
• Malabar tamarind, helps prevents the production of fat and suppresses appetite
• Siberian ginseng, stabilizes blood sugar and reduces cravings for sweets
• Yohimbine, raises metabolic rates, reduces appetite and increases fat burning

These herbs are not recommended to replace regular diet. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key.

The Epidemic called OBESITY

Obesity has become a global pandemic affecting the lives and health of millions of people, according to the World Health Organization. It is an accelerating social problem in industrialized countries and is also growing in the former colonial world.
Obesity is very often defined as an eating disorder. However, it is not a simple condition of eating too much. Health experts believe that obesity is a serious and chronic disease prevalent in today’s society.

As the “obesity epidemic” increases, so is the number of people that suffers from it. Approximately 300,000 adult deaths in the United States alone each year are directly attributable to unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity or sedentary behavior or obesity. In the United States alone, nearly one third of the adult population is obese. In the Europe, they have a similar encounter of the disease. An astonishing 58 per cent of Britain’s adult population is considered overweight or obese, a report published in England said. The National Audit Office of Britain reported last year that 20 percent of British women and 17 percent of men were as much as 70 pounds heavier than the recommended weight for their size.

Obesity is not just a health issue. It is also considered as a socio-economic problem that utilizes $117 billion per year in the United States alone. In Britain, obesity cost £2.6 billion in NHS bills and indirect losses to the UK economy. At least 18 million sick days a year can be attributed to obesity, it says, and the increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and stroke reduces life expectancy by around nine years.

When it comes to explaining these trends, not only media reports, but many scientific articles disparagingly refer to a combination of fast food, increasing car ownership and a sedentary lifestyle in front of television sets or computer monitors.

In the first place, such generalisations are often backed by little substantiated data. Some studies have found that the prevalence of obesity among children is directly related to the hours of television viewed, for example, but other studies have failed to establish a correlation.

More fundamentally, these observations ignore the economic and social driving forces behind the changes in diet and lifestyle—including the profits generated by the food and entertainment industries—and the intense pressures caused by increasing working hours and declining living standards for the majority of working people.

Obesity can also lower the life expectancy of individuals. In addition to this, obese people are increasing their susceptibility and risks to a number of diseases directly related to obesity. This includes: type 2 (adult onset) diabetes; high blood pressure; stroke; heart attack; heart failure; cancer such as cancer of the colon or rectum; gallstones; gout and gouty arthritis; osteoarthritis; sleep apnea; and pickwickian syndrome.