Fighting obesity

MANILA, Philippines - Obesity is an oft-ignored problem in the country. Since this is usually shrugged off by most Filipinos as a mere vanity issue, the underlying problems of obesity are often overlooked.

In reality, there’s more to obesity than being bigger than the average Juan de la Cruz. Obesity or being overweight is known to lead to serious health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, infertility, and heart disease.

Obesity can be caused by various factors, including genetics, emotional eating, environmental factors, psychological issues, physical inactivity due to injury or illness, and eating disorders such as BED (binge eating disorder).

To beat obesity, one must be mindful of his or her calorie intake since excess calories are converted into fats.

It is also advisable to be more physically active. Instead of decreasing one’s food intake, it’s best to increase the amount of physical exercise. People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time.

People who are obese should also take into consideration taking coenzyme Q or CoQ10 supplements to facilitate weight loss. Clinical studies have shown that regular intake of CoQ10 can speed up the metabolism of fats.

Prof. Hans Larsen, one of the world’s leading experts on CoQ10, explained the benefits of the nutrient in his article published in the International Journal of Complementary Medicine.

He said obesity is associated with deficiency of CoQ10, which facilitates the use of stored fat as fuel.

About half of the people with weight problems lack a sufficient amount of the energy nutrient, which may help explain why obese people are prone to both heart disease and diabetes.

CoQ10’s benefit was seen in a study of overweight people following a low-calorie diet. Those who were deficient to see in the nutrients took a daily 100-mg supplement of CoQ10 while others received no additional nutritional support.

CoQ10 is produced by the body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. However, there are times when the body cannot make enough of this substance.

Levels of CoQ10 can be increased by taking supplement containing the vital nutrient.   

In the Philippines, Trianon CoQ10 has been available as an over-the-counter food supplement at Mercury Drug Stores.