Description
Muscle gain or weight gain can occur as a result of exercise or
bodybuilding, in which muscle size is
increased through
strength training.
If enough weight is gained by way of increased body fat deposits, one may become
overweight or fat, generally defined as having more body fat (
adipose tissue) than is optimally
healthy.
Weight gain has a latency period. The effect that eating has on weight gain can vary greatly depending on the following factors:
energy (calorie) density of foods, exercise regimen, amount of water intake, amount of salt contained in the food, time of day eaten, age of individual, individual's country of origin, individual's overall stress level, and amount of water retention in ankles/feet. Typical latency periods vary from three days to two weeks after ingestion.
Being fat is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and
lifestyles are sedentary. As much as 64% of the
United States adult population is considered either overweight or
obese, and this percentage has increased over the last four decades.
[1]
Gaining weight can cause the following effects, dependent on the variable listed above, but are generally limited to:
- Increase in body fat percentage
- Increase in muscle mass
- Increase in body hydration levels
- Increase in breast size
In more extreme cases:
- A noticeably larger stomach
- The abdomen will bulge outward and upward, creating a distended midsection
[edit] Causes
In regards to
adipose tissue increases, a person generally gains fat-related weight by increasing food
consumption, becoming
physically inactive, or both. When energy intake exceeds energy expenditure (when the body is in positive energy balance), the body can store the excess energy in a dense, high-energy form as fat. One pound of fat represents 3,500 calories, so over time, excessive energy intake and/or lack of exercise can contribute to fat gain and
obesity. A study, involving more than 12,000 people tracked over 32 years, found that social networks play a surprisingly powerful role in determining an individual's chances of gaining weight, transmitting an increased risk of becoming obese from wives to husbands, from brothers to brothers and from friends to friends.
[2] [3]
Weight gain is a common side-effect of psychiatric medication.
[4]
[edit] Effects
Excess adipose tissue on a human can lead to medical problems; however, a round or large figure does not of itself imply a medical problem, and is sometimes not primarily caused by adipose tissue. If too much weight is gained, serious health side-effects may follow. A large number of medical conditions have been associated with obesity. Health consequences are categorised as being the result of either increased fat mass (
osteoarthritis,
obstructive sleep apnea, social stigma) or increased number of
fat cells (
diabetes, some forms of
cancer,
cardiovascular disease,
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
[5] [6] There are alterations in the body's response to insulin (
insulin resistance), a
proinflammatory state and an increased tendency to
thrombosis (prothrombotic state).
[6]
[edit] Social perspective
In centuries past, a degree of plumpness has been seen as indicative of personal or family prosperity: "Calories were scarce, physical labor was hard, and most people were as lean as greyhounds."
[7] In particular, a married woman who was thin was pitied, as her shape showed that her husband could not afford to feed her properly; conversely, having a fat wife was a status symbol: there was plenty to eat, and she did not need to work hard.
[8] Only in the early 20th Century did fatness lose this appeal. The connection of fatness with financial well-being persists today in some less-developed countries.
[9] Indeed, it may be on the rise.
[10]
Though excess weight has for some time been seen in contemporary Western society as "unacceptable", it is becoming more socially acceptable as more and more people become
overweight and
obese.
[11]
Obesity among women residing in the
U.S. has become more socially acceptable, likely in part because more than one-third of women ages 20 and older are obese, according to a study published in the July issue of Economic Inquiry,
[12] the
Washington Times reports. For the study, Frank Heiland, an associate professor of
economics at
Florida State University's Center for
Demography and Population Health, and Mary Burke, a senior economist at the
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, analyzed data from
CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers found that the average weight of women between ages 30 and 60 has increased by 20 pounds, or 14%, since 1976. Among women who weigh 300 pounds or more, the increase was 18%, the researchers found. The researchers also found that self-image has changed and that
obesity has become more socially acceptable in the United States. According to the study, the average woman weighed 147 pounds in 1994 but stated that she wanted to weigh 132 pounds. By 2002, the average women weighed 153 pounds but said she wanted to be 135 pounds, the study found. "The fact that even the desired weight of women has increased suggests there is less social pressure to lose weight," the researchers noted.
