Obese people always feel hungry, are sensitive to both heat and cold, and experience significant side effects from alcohol.

Why do obese people always feel hungry?

Many obese people share a common feeling: they always feel like they're not full, often feeling hungry again right after eating. What's the reason for this?

It turns out that the speed of gastrointestinal motility is related to each person's lifestyle and eating habits. Let's assume someone normally consumes 150 grams per meal; their intestinal motility is "arranged" according to this 150-gram volume. If they reduce their food intake by 50 grams per meal, but the gastrointestinal tract still moves at the 150-gram rhythm, the food empties from the stomach and intestines one-third faster, resulting in an immediate feeling of not being full.

Obese individuals generally consume significantly more food than those of normal weight, resulting in stronger gastrointestinal function and higher secretion of digestive enzymes. Consequently, their gastric emptying rate is much faster than that of people of normal weight. To adapt to this slower emptying rate, obese individuals tend to increase both the amount and frequency of their food intake, leading to a vicious cycle of wanting to eat more and feeling hungrier. To reverse this, experts recommend that obese individuals gradually reduce their food intake, avoiding drastic reductions that could be counterproductive.

Why are obese people both sensitive to heat and cold?

There's an old saying among ordinary people that "fat people are more afraid of heat than cold." They believe that obese people have a thicker layer of fat, like wearing a big fur coat, making them more resistant to the cold than thinner people. Although this saying is widespread, the truth is that fat people are more afraid of the cold than anyone else. Often, in winter, they are wrapped up tightly from head to toe and still complain about the cold.

Yes, it's understandable that overweight people feel hotter, because the fat on their bodies acts like a protective layer.

A warm cotton-padded coat, combined with the fact that fat contains less water and has less blood flow, makes it difficult for obese people to dissipate heat, making them particularly sensitive to heat. However, it's harder to understand why obese people are more sensitive to cold; does the same "warm cotton-padded coat" suddenly become ineffective in winter?

The answer isn't complicated. Maintaining normal body temperature is primarily the result of a dynamic balance between heat production and heat dissipation. The body's heat comes from the breakdown and metabolism of food. All the heat-containing components of food are directly converted into body heat during metabolism, while excess energy is stored as fat. Because obese individuals have lower efficiency in heat production during metabolism, they're like a pot of water that, no matter how much you boil, never gets hot. Their body heat doesn't rise, so even thick layers of fat are useless. Conversely, slender individuals have significantly higher heat production efficiency, resulting in higher body heat. Therefore, it's understandable that slender people aren't afraid of the cold. It's believed that obese people, with diligent weight loss, can also become healthy individuals who are neither afraid of heat nor cold.

Why do alcohol have such severe side effects?

Alcohol is a beverage. Alcohol can be addictive. Some people can go a day without food, but feel restless if they don't drink alcohol and can't live without having a drink.

Alcohol consumption has many side effects, and people often focus on alcohol poisoning, while ignoring the side effect of alcohol causing obesity.

First, the main component of alcohol is ethanol. Once ingested, ethanol is quickly absorbed, with 90% of it being oxidized in the body, releasing heat. It's estimated that 1 gram of alcohol produces approximately 7 calories. Because alcohol releases heat so quickly, while other foods undergo digestion and other processes to generate heat-a much slower process-the calories from food are converted into fat and stored in the body. Therefore, frequent alcohol consumption naturally leads to rapid weight gain.

Secondly, besides alcohol itself, alcohol contains a large amount of nutrients such as sugars. The calories produced by these sugars should not be underestimated. For example, a bottle of beer can produce 500 calories, almost equivalent to one-third of the daily calorie intake of a healthy person. At the same time, alcohol stimulates the secretion of gastric juices, thereby increasing appetite, increasing calorie intake, and leading to obesity.

In addition, drinkers always have snacks to accompany their drinks, and these snacks are mainly high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol.

Etiology

Alcoholics, under the triple attack of alcohol, excessive food intake, and a voracious appetite, naturally lose their defenses against obesity, leading to weight gain.

Why can nutritional deficiencies also cause obesity?

It's widely believed that obesity is caused by excessive nutrient intake, leading many to desperately try to lose weight. However, this approach is both right and wrong. It's right because obesity is indeed caused by excessive nutrient intake (primarily fat) and insufficient nutrient expenditure. It's wrong because deficiencies in certain nutrients can also cause obesity, as nutrient intake isn't just about quantity but also balance. Even with a high intake of nutrients, an imbalance in the variety can lead to obesity. For example, deficiencies in vitamins B₁, B₆, and niacin can result in obesity. These nutrients, including vitamins B₁, B₆, and niacin, are essential for converting body fat into energy. The conversion of fat into energy requires these nutrients. For instance, vitamin B₆, also known as thiamine, plays a crucial role in forming cocarboxylases, participating in carbohydrate metabolism, and transforming carbohydrates into carbon dioxide, water, and energy through biochemical reactions. If there is a deficiency of vitamin B₁ in the body, glucose metabolism cannot proceed smoothly, leading to the conversion of sugar into fat and its storage in the body. Therefore, experts advocate for a balanced diet, especially when trying to lose weight, as a variety of nutrients are essential; otherwise, obesity would not be surprising.

78. Why is obesity particularly likely to occur after an abortion?

Some women who are normally in good shape gain a lot of weight after an abortion, to the point that they hardly recognize themselves. So, is there really a connection between abortion and obesity? Yes, abortion is indeed related to obesity. Experts abroad have conducted follow-up studies on women who have had abortions and found that 30%-40% of them gained an average of 5 to 7 kilograms after the procedure. Further research revealed the reasons for this phenomenon. First, abortion and normal childbirth are not significantly different; both cause dysfunction of the hypothalamus, leading to an imbalance in fat metabolism and causing fat accumulation under the skin and throughout the body, resulting in obesity. Second, abnormal hypothalamic function can also affect hormone levels in women.

Changes in hormone secretion, particularly alterations in gonadotropins, can easily lead to obesity. Thirdly, during pregnancy, women naturally gain weight to provide nutrition for the fetus. Even after the pregnancy ends, the body's hormonal regulation process doesn't immediately stop, so this weight gain can persist for some time. It will only stop once hormone levels gradually return to normal.