Most of us like to justify our imperfections. This is also the case with excess weight. The blame for gaining weight is hormonal disorders, genetic conditions, and constantly taking medications. What is the truth in saying that certain he alth problems cause weight gain? Are there any diseases that contribute to gaining weight?
There is no unequivocal answer to the question of whether choroby causes you to gain weight . Most often, the excess kilograms are caused not by the disease itself or the treatment used, but by the patient's attitude towards he alth problems that plague him. Usually, it is accompanied by severe stress, which we try to relieve by pampering ourselves at the table.
We improve our mood with fattening delicacies and we don't have to wait long for the results. However, there are situations where there is a clear link between being overweight and the disease. There are also drugs that have "weight gain" written in their side effects.
Allergy people like to eat
The claim that an allergy is responsible for excess kilos is quite an abuse, but people struggling with the disease believe that their antihistamines are the cause of weight gain.
Indeed, drugs that reduce the effects of histamine secretion (this substance is secreted in the body during an allergic reaction) slightly affect the functioning of the central nervous system and hypothalamus, and the appetite center. By taking them, we have a greater appetite and if we do not tame it - we will gain kilos.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome makes the waist fatter
In women with PCOS, adipose tissue is mainly stored in the waist. In addition to gaining weight, there is also severe acne, excessive hair on the face, thighs and buttocks. It is not difficult for a gynecologist to diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome. After making the diagnosis, he selects the appropriate therapy for the patient.
Among the recommendations a woman hears is also about being overweight. You have to get rid of it, although it is difficult, because adipose tissue, even in small amounts, produces hormones (including androgens) that promote weight gain. You should also give up smoking, because nicotine stimulates the body to produce androgens.
In general, treatment for PCOS focuses on restoring the hormonal balance in the body. The doctor usually prescribes the hormonal preparations they haveregulate a woman's menstrual cycle. They reduce the concentration of androgens and the LH luteinizing hormone in the body. But here's a note: too low LH levels can cause hypothyroidism, which slows down the metabolic processes and, as a result, increases the risk of weight gain.
Thyroid diseases and weight gain
Weight gain usually causes hypothyroidism, with hyperthyroidism you lose weight. Since the thyroid gland does not usually cause troublesome symptoms, we rarely associate these facts with each other.
If the disease is properly treated, it is not the disease that makes us fat, but the excess of food.
The treatment of hypothyroidism is based on the intake of thyroxine, a hormone that speeds up the metabolism, so you lose weight. Maintaining a he althy body weight is easy with compensated hypothyroidism and proper treatment. If you are overweight, there is usually one reason - food is too caloric in relation to the needs.
It turns out, however, that the problem of overweight also appears in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Why? After all, then the metabolism is very fast, which promotes weight loss. However, after administering a drug that is to control the disease, i.e. also restore the metabolism to normal - weight gain begins.
One of the reasons is getting used to - before starting treatment you could eat as much as you want, because the excess food did not accumulate in the form of extra pounds. However, when the drug stabilizes metabolism, which is a blessing for the cardiovascular or osteoarticular system, and meals are still plentiful, weight gain is a natural consequence of our behavior.
Steroid therapies
Bronchial asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and sarcoidosis are treated with steroids, sometimes in high doses. These drugs fight inflammation, but they are also the cause of weight gain in a very characteristic way. Fat tissue accumulates mainly around the abdomen, neck and face. The limbs, on the other hand, are getting thinner because the muscles are atrophied.
Properly selected dose of steroid drugs usually does not cause weight gain. But when medication improves significantly, because the pain or shortness of breath subsides, the appetite returns and we eat more than we should. The result is weight gain, which is not a complication of the treatment, and the result of providing too many calories in relation to the needs. In addition, diseases treated with steroids often reduce our physical performance - we move less, which further reduces the consumption of excess calories.
Cushing's syndrome - too much cortisol
ElevatedSerum levels of cortisol - a glycosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex - is characteristic of a condition called Cushing's syndrome. This complex disease may be the result of long-term use of steroid-containing drugs, for example due to asthma or rheumatoid arthritis. Another cause could be a pituitary tumor or a tumor of the adrenal gland.
One of the common symptoms of Cushing's syndrome is unnatural weight gain. Central obesity, i.e. the accumulation of fat on the face, is characteristic for patients. The next place is the torso and the neck (often called the buffalo neck). Fat tissue also accumulates above the collarbones, forming the characteristic fat pads.
Problems with insulin in type 2 diabetes
For people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, maintaining a proper weight is an important part of treating the underlying disease. The greater the body weight, the greater the body's need for insulin, and the greater the risk of the disease being out of control. In addition, it is worth remembering that insulin itself makes you fat.
In the initial stage of type 2 diabetes, the body has very high levels of insulin, but it does not work properly. Medicines that the patient receives may either increase insulin secretion (this is how sulfonylureas work) or improve its action (these are biguanides). The use of drugs that increase insulin secretion promotes weight gain and therefore is not beneficial at the beginning of treatment. A similar reaction of the body occurs when a patient treated with insulin increases its dose. Taking drugs from the biguanide group causes weight loss. Therefore, in the modern treatment of diabetes, the therapy begins with the administration of metformin, which has an additional effect on weight loss.
Eating depression, insomnia, stress
Does depression cause weight gain? Most drugs currently used to treat depression do not increase the appetite. There are even those that significantly reduce it. An example is the famous (no longer used) drug Meridia, which was developed for the treatment of depression and turned out to be an effective appetite suppressant and therefore was used in the fight against overweight and obesity. It is true, however, that there are patients who gain weight during episodes of depression because they have an increased appetite. Colloquially it is said that they eat stress. Conversely, during an attack of sadness, all food is thrown away and weight is quickly lost. If they are given antidepressants that increase their appetite, they will return to their normal weight, which is good for their body. So in the case ofantidepressant treatment, it is not the drug itself that affects weight gain, but rather changes in mood and the resulting need to relieve sadness with food.
The same is with insomnia. Insomnia itself does not make you fat. However - research proves - when we do not sleep or sleep poorly, we consume over 500 kcal more per day than people who do not have problems with sleep.
The same is true for addiction or just alcohol abuse. Alcohol is empty calories that must be deposited somewhere. In men, they accumulate around the abdomen, and in women, around the thighs and hips. However, this only happens in the first phase of heavy drinking. When alcohol begins to destroy the body, significant weight loss can be observed.
Living under constant stress leads to the increased production of cortisol by the body, which naturally increases our appetite, especially for high-calorie snacks. So again, it is not stress itself but increased appetite that causes weight gain. If we learn to relieve stress without snacking, the problem of excess weight will cease to exist.
"Zdrowie" monthly