Weight control

According to a study published in Revista Española de Cardiología, performed by researchers at Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas (IMIM) and doctors at Hospital del Mar in Spain, 24 million cases of excess weight were reported in 2016. This is equivalent to 70% of male and 50% of female adults.

The primary cause is an imbalance in the body’s metabolism. Energy balance is the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. If these two parameters are equal, then the balance is neutral. When there is an imbalance, a positive balance between the energy that enters the body and what is spent, part of that energy is stored in white adipose tissue in the form of triglycerides. If the imbalance continues over a long period of time, it leads to adipocyte hypertrophy and progressive weight gain that could ultimately result in obesity.

We often hear of miracle diets, but with these types of diets, we gain back the weight lost in a very short period of time, and depending on the diet, it could have a negative impact on the body.

It is important to lead a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat a healthy diet: reduce the amount of total fat ingested and replace saturated fats with unsaturated ones. Increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole-grain foods and nuts. Decrease the amount of sugar, salt and similar items ingested.
• Drink at least 1.5 L of water daily since this is essential for a healthy diet.
• Perform physical activity (at least 30 minutes each day).

Dietary supplements can form part of a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.