Weight Gain
Many people struggle with body weight during their lifetime. Because of
the natural tendencies of the prosperous, the majority struggle to lose weight,
so there is a lot of emphasis on weight loss programs. There tends to be less
public attention to people with the opposite issue of being underweight,
however, which may make it difficult to come forward with this problem. Being
underweight is also poses significant health risks that should be taken
seriously.
What is Considered Underweight?
The body mass index (BMI) is a statistical standard through which
doctors consider whether you are at a healthy weight for your height. At the
heart of it, our bodies are designed to carry a certain amount of weight to
promote healthy muscle and organ function, and going too far above or below
this height/weight ratio can put a person at risk for health problems. The
formula for BMI is a person's weight (in pounds) multiplied by 703, and then
divided by the total height squared (as measured in inches). For people with
"normal" weights, the average BMI calculation is 18.5-25. Anything
below this is considered underweight. A BMI measurement less than 16.5 denotes
that a person is severely underweight, posing risks for malnutrition,
starvation, and other health complications.
Risks of Being Underweight
Independent of the underlying causes behind low weight, a very low BMI
can have serious health consequences. People that are underweight tend to be
very tired and prone to exhaustion. The lack of nutrients can also deplete the
immune system, making a person much more susceptible to illnesses and
infections. Low iron intake can lead to anemia, as state where less oxygen is
carried in the blood, furthering their feelings of exhaustion and reducing
organ function. (Please see our article on Anemia for more information.) The
severely underweight may additionally develop hair loss or osteoporosis, even
if they are quite young.
Causes of Being Underweight
Active young people, for example, may find that despite reasonably high
caloric intake, they are able to remain thin. For them, weight gain is a
concentrated effort, perhaps desired to increase physical performance in sports
(through increased muscle mass) or enhance feelings of sensuality (some thin
women wish for curvier bodies, for example). Over training, particularly for
endurance sports (like long distance running) can cause a person to burn far
more energy than put into the body, resulting in low body weight.
Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, severely limit nutrient
uptake by the body, resulting in very low BMI. Each of these conditions is
characterized by low body weight, which is due to the purposeful restriction of
the amount of food eaten or absorbed (by vomiting before digestion). Digestive
disorders or inflammatory bowel diseases (such as Crohn's disease) can also
severely limit nutrient uptake in the gastrointestinal system, causing weight
loss. Cancer, cancer therapies, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS may also lead to
very low body weight.
While type II diabetes is typically associated with obesity, excessive
weight loss might be a sign of type I diabetes. In this form of diabetes
(sometimes called "juvenile" or "childhood" diabetes, given
the early onset), sugar builds up in the blood because there is no insulin from
the pancreas to help bring these nutrients to the cells. As the body tries to
cleanse the sugar from the body through the urine, it also releases a lot of
Hyperthyroidism is a hormonal imbalance caused by an overactive thyroid gland.
The thyroid orchestrates many aspects of the body's metabolism, so can easily
push everything into overdrive if not controlled. People with hyperthyroidism
usually have tremendous appetites, but despite the calories they consume, they
are unable to gain weight.
Conventional Weight Gain Therapies
Conventional therapies for weight gain largely depend on the cause of
the weight loss. Certainly, if some sort of physical illness, such as a thyroid
disorder or diabetes can be identified, treatment of these conditions can help
restore the lost weight. For others, the most direct solution is increase in
calorie intake. To help begin restoring nutrients to very thin people, very high
calorie, vitamin-packed nutritional supplements are often given to revitalize
the body. If there is a psychological disorder behind the weight loss, such as
anorexia or bulimia, addition counseling may also help greatly in the quest to
reach a healthier weight.
