Recently, Vladimir Zhirinovsky proposed to introduce standards for the maximum permissible weight of Russians. An ordinary person, in his opinion, should not weigh more than 80 kilograms. "Vechernyaya Moskva" asked an expert what obesity really is and why it is dangerous.
The idea of weight standards is more like a joke, says nutritionist Elena Solomatina.
“Well, that's impossible,” she said, holding back her laughter. - Well, imagine: a man was born and grew up as some kind of two-meter hero, healthy, wide, large. If he still starts to play sports, then his muscle mass alone will weigh a lot. What is the general weight limit? And what is the distinction between ordinary people and officials? This is some kind of discrimination towards those who go in for sports.
According to the expert, the problem of obesity should be taken seriously. A person's weight is determined by many factors, from personal physiological characteristics (physique, height, age) to many other aspects, says Solomatina.
- Obesity can be measured using the average formula for calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI). We take the weight and divide it by the height squared. We substitute the resulting value into the BMI table. For example, if the index is from 19 to 24, then this is a normal weight. From 25 to 30 - already overweight, and from 30 to 35 obesity of the first degree. Then we add a five - obesity of the second degree, etc., - she explained.
"Catching up with America": what is the trend in overweight in Russia?
According to the interlocutor of "VM", in Russia at the moment the tendency to overweight dominates. The expert urged not to confuse excess weight with obesity: there are indeed many Russians with excess kilograms (40-50 percent of the country's population), but there are fewer people with obesity (disease) than, for example, in the United States.
- However, we are catching up with America. At the same time, more mature people suffer mainly from obesity. Childhood obesity is also spreading. This is due, in particular, to the fact that there is more unnecessary in people's lives: if before the child received candy only for a holiday, now it is enough for him to open the refrigerator at any time, - noted Solomatina.
What is the real threat of obesity?
A couple of extra pounds will not do any harm to the fair sex, the nutritionist says. According to her, for women before and after menopause 2-3 kilograms of fat in the thighs is not terrible. On the contrary, “they live on it longer,” since these kilograms take on the role of an endocrine organ, the expert said.
- In men, this role is taken over by the tummy, which begins to produce, in fact, analogs of female sex hormones (estrogens - approx. "VM"). As a result, testosterone falls, and in men it is responsible for a number of important things, including the preservation of physical parameters and muscles, - said Solomatina.
She clarified that at first, excess weight and a drop in testosterone, most likely, will not make itself felt at all. Then the first difficulties will gradually begin to appear: diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, problems with blood vessels and pressure will develop, but these ailments will not immediately manifest themselves.
- All this will accumulate like a snowball. In addition, when testosterone actually runs out, the man's body literally writes it off as unnecessary to nature, unable to perform a reproductive function. There, the heart begins to fail, and the whole system is falling apart,”the nutritionist warned.
She called the worst situation when a still quite young man is overtaken by a stroke. All this time, before the blow, a man can breathe deeply, have a bunch of plans and look outwardly completely healthy. However, the expert says, all this collapses due to an unreasonable attitude to food and your body.
- Men often have this when they say: “Wow, he walked so healthy! And then bam - suddenly fell and died. " Now we have more than ever cases when bam - fell and a stroke, as a result of which part of the brain and its functions die off. So, a person becomes feeble-minded, and life immediately throws him 20-30 years ahead. He - young and all so active - jumps into the body of a 90-year-old grandfather with insanity. He understands this, but he cannot do anything. Life falls off from him in pieces. The sofa, on which this man used to sit with pleasure, has now become a torture chamber for him, - said the interlocutor of "VM".
According to Solomatina, junk food such as fast food can still occupy a certain niche in a person's life. There is no need to become an ascetic, but it is necessary to maintain your sanity at all stages of life.
- You can eat a donut, and skip a glass of beer, and get enough sleep somewhere, but everything should be reasonable. A person should look for new sources of joy as he grows up, finding them not only in food. It is necessary to shift the emphasis from food to other pleasures, - the expert concluded.
