Obesity (severe overweight) is one of the most important risk factors for human health and mental well-being in the 21st century. Preventing obesity in children and adolescents is therefore extremely important.

If the body mass index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 kg/m², it is considered overweight. Obesity begins at a BMI of 30.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (as of 2014), two-thirds of men (67%) and half of women (53%) in Germany are overweight. A quarter of adults (23% of men and 24% of women) are even severely overweight (obese).

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Obesity also leads to a variety of secondary diseases:

• Metabolic diseases, for example type 2 diabetes or gout
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system
• Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, e.g. osteoarthritis
• Diseases of organs, for example the kidney, liver, gallbladder
• Male infertility
• Mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders or depression due to exclusion or stigmatization in everyday life due to obesity

Causes

According to conventional medicine, obesity is defined as excess body mass and fat. The most common cause is consuming more calories than the body needs through food, coupled with a lack of exercise. The following causes of overweight and obesity can be distinguished:

• Genetics: Every person has a so-called basal metabolic rate, which they burn at complete rest and which is probably genetically determined.
• Eating disorders: Some people experience a delayed feeling of fullness, even with high calorie intake. This may be due to hormonal factors: hormones and nerve impulses signal the fullness of the stomach to the brain, creating a feeling of fullness. If this signal is disrupted, people eat more than necessary.
• Psychological causes: Unhappy people often eat more to feel better.
• Lack of exercise – leads to correspondingly lower energy consumption and digestive disorders.
• Medications: The pill, cortisone and some psychotropic drugs can stimulate appetite and lead to water retention in the body.
• Other underlying diseases of hormone-producing organs (e.g. hypothyroidism) can also lead to obesity.

All cells in the human body contain fat. For example, the cell membrane of a typical blood cell is made up of half saturated and half unsaturated fat. The correct ratio of saturated and unsaturated fat is important to ensure proper cell function. In overweight people, however, the cell membrane contains a degenerated mixture of fat molecules. An excess of saturated fatty acids increases the risk of diabetes by exerting permanent stress on the cells. If the lipid imbalance persists for a longer period, it can even lead to programmed cell death (source: https://www.muk.uni-frankfurt.de/75018797/Wie_Fette_die_Zellmembran_unter_Stress_setzen? ).

Obesity in Ayurveda

As with all health issues, Ayurveda always begins with determining the individual's constitution. In the case of obesity, this initially provides information about the respective "Ideal weight“:

Vata-dominant constitutions tend to be low in body weight. However, they tend to cope with stress with sweets and therefore v.a. with predominantly sedentary work, belly fat is easy to gain.Kapha dominance generally stands for a high degree of body mass and, consequently, high body weight, which, unlike Vata dominance, is not concentrated only in the abdomen but is distributed throughout the entire body. The body shape associated with Pitta dosha is rather athletic and powerful and, in Ayurveda, represents a medium body weight. Pitta constitutions have regular and strong digestion. It is only in combination with Vata or Kapha that weight problems arise – and this v.a. in the hip and thigh area.

It is important to understand that ALL basic constitutions can develop obesity over the course of life.

Obesity was described by the Indian physician and author of classical Ayurvedic texts, Charaka, as one of the eight intractable diseases. When a person has an excessive accumulation of "Meda“ (fat tissue) and “Mom“ (meat), it is called obesity.

According to Ayurvedic understanding, adipose tissue, like Kapha, consists of the elements earth and water. If we eat food that is difficult to digest, cold, fatty, and sweet, and we don't get much exercise, we become overfed.

Obesity is therefore also referred to in Ayurveda as “MedorogaIt is considered a Kapha disorder caused by a disturbed digestive fire (Agni) and, as a result, the formation of Ama (incompletely metabolized food) in the body. Ama blocks microchannels in the body, thus increasing Medhas (adipose tissue).

Since the digestive fire Agni, and therefore the metabolism, weakens with age, plenty of exercise and a dosha-appropriate diet are especially important in the second half of life. However, an excess of Vata, for example, due to excessive stress, also negatively impacts Agni strength.

Ayurveda provides a range of measures to reduce obesity:
Nutrition, lifestyle changes, medicinal plants, massages, yoga and a Panchakarma treatment.

In Ayurvedic understanding, nutrition should v.a. Be Kapha-reducing. Preferred foods therefore have the characteristics of light, bitter, astringent, spicy, clear, and are usually heating. For example, hot spices, hot water, barley grains, or mustard oil. Yeast-containing foods, white flour, frozen foods, and red meat should be avoided.

Crucial in the Food intake In Ayurveda, however, it is not only the “what”, but also the “How”:

• The food should be freshly prepared and eaten calmly and well chewed.
• Regular meal times with lunch as the main meal are important.
• You should not eat anything three hours before going to bed.
• No cold drinks, but hot water or tea with meals (ideal: boiled drinking water with a little cumin and coriander seeds).
• Only eat when you're really hungry. And then two handfuls per meal are enough.

Join in Methods for stress reduction such as yoga and meditation, because no one can lose weight with elevated Vata. Any physical and mental activity also helps stimulate the metabolism. Cleansing enemas with Kapha-reducing herbs are also often part of Panchakarma treatments.

Furthermore, Ayurveda sees special Medicinal plants for fat and ama breakdown. These must be spicy and bitter; therefore, Trikatu is the first choice when it comes to stimulating Agni and activating tissue metabolism.

Obesity in TCM

From the perspective of TCM, obesity is often a weakness in the functional circle “spleen” or in the functional group “stomach” (a so-called “heat” process). Common to both cases is the disruption of the inflow and outflow in the body’s metabolism, resulting in an accumulation of “slag substances" comes.

Analogous to the Agni formation in Ayurveda, TCM speaks here of “Tan” educationTan interferes with the supply and disposal of nutrients to the cells, resulting in cellular starvation and overfilled food stores. Therefore, TCM therapy for obesity always aims to eliminate tan.

As with any therapy In TCM, the initial stage is a medical history with pulse and tongue diagnosis, based on which individual prescriptions are prescribed to help the body eliminate tan. This is not a long-term solution to the problem, but it provides short-term relief for changes in food intake and the body's own perception of individual satiety.

In the long term, according to TCM, obesity can only be countered with proper nutrition. For example, excessive meat and dairy products promote tan accumulation. If the cause of obesity is a weakness in the spleen's functional system, its Qi can be strengthened, for example, by eating energetically warm foods with a neutral to sweet flavor, such as grains, beef, lamb, and chicken.

In addition, the metabolism can be specifically stimulated through acupuncture, massages (Tuina) and meditative movement techniques such as Tai Chi or Qi Gong.

Important nutrients for fat metabolism

The Maitake According to studies, it could reduce the storage of fat and glucose in the liver and thus prevent weight gain.

A very recent study from 2020 was the first to examine the effects of a daily dose of 9.2 g of maitake extract over four weeks on type 2 diabetes and obesity in humans. The results showed significant positive health effects through a reduction in triglyceride levels. Furthermore, an animal study on mice showed that maitake contributes to lowering blood sugar and triglyceride levels and breaks down adipose tissue. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32464000/

Choline contributes to normal lipid metabolism.

At Trikatu It's a blend of ginger, long pepper, and black pepper that stimulates the metabolism. In Ayurveda, the digestive fire Agni is central to fat burning, so food should be as spicy and bitter as possible; both of these apply perfectly to Trikatu.

A 2004 animal study on rats postulated that Trikatu may reduce the risk of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis due to its ability to lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol. Therefore, Trikatu could be used as a potent hypolipidemic agent and reduce atherosclerosis associated with a high-fat diet. Human studies are pending. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15742354/

L-carnitine is essential for the energy metabolism of human cells. It plays an important role in lipid metabolism and, as an acceptor molecule (allowing fatty acids to pass through the mitochondrial cell membrane), ensures the uptake of fatty acids into the mitochondria, the so-called "power plants" of the cells, where they are converted into energy. L-carnitine accumulates primarily in heart tissue and skeletal muscle, as it v.a. is needed where there is increased energy demand. The heart muscle, for example.covers up to 80% of its energy needs from the breakdown of fatty acids.

A 2007 dissertation study at the University of Rostock found a significant effect of L-carnitine on orocecal transit time; further studies are needed. Patients requiring dialysis often need to supplement with L-carnitine, as large amounts of L-carnitine are flushed out during dialysis. http://rosdok.uni-rostock.de/file/rosdok_disshab_0000000031/rosdok_derivate_0000003432/Dissertation-Duerr-2008.pdf

The active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia is the calcium salt of hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is found in such high concentrations in hardly any other fruit. Scientific research focuses on the potential inhibition of fat synthesis from proteins and carbohydrates, as well as the possible inhibition of a key enzyme in fat metabolism, which could convert excess carbohydrates into glycogen and thus prevent them from being stored as fat. However, conclusive clinical studies on this topic are pending.

A 2003 study examined the effects of short-term HCA supplementation on endurance exercise performance and fat metabolism in untrained women. In two double-blind crossover tests, six subjects took 250 mg of HCA or a placebo for five days and then participated in a cycle ergometer workout. HCA tended to decrease the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and carbohydrate oxidation during one hour of exercise. In addition, exercise time to exhaustion was significantly increased. These results suggest that HCA increases fat metabolism, which may be associated with a decrease in glycogen utilization during exercise of the same intensity and improved exercise performance. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12953793/

The active ingredient in Bitter orange extract is synephrine, which v.a. is found in their peel and pulp. Synephrine is a phenylethylamine that is v.a. β3-adrenoreceptors activated.

A double-blind study from 2016 supports the hypothesis that synephrine contributes to fat burning if the user exercises after taking it. The study involved 18 young, healthy adults who took 3 mg/kg of synephrine or a placebo one hour before exercising on a stationary bicycle. As long as the subjects were stationary, synephrine did not change their fat and carbohydrate burning. However, at light to moderate exercise intensity, synephrine significantly increased fat burning. The maximum fat oxidation rate increased by ~38%. d.h. translated into weight, that per hour of workout 7g more fat was burned without additional physical exertion. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27038225/

The Coenzyme Q10 Supports the mitochondria in fat burning. The body produces most of our Q10 needs itself; however, this decreases with age.

A 2016 randomized double-blind study was conducted among 60 overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26385228/
Compared to the placebo group, Q10 supplementation of 100 mg daily for 8 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in insulin levels as well as a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) concentrations.

2017 Study Background: The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on adiponectin concentration (a peptide hormone produced in fat cells that regulates hunger and food intake) and glucose metabolism in overweight and obese diabetic patients. Coenzyme Q10 significantly reduced HbA1c levels in overweight and obese patients with diabetes.Furthermore, the possible anti-adipogenic effect of coenzyme Q10 could explain the significant reduction in weight and waist circumference, and thus the decrease in adiponectin. Further studies are needed to evaluate the precise role of coenzyme Q10 on adipose tissue and adiponectins. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27657997/

Legal consumer information

German and European law aims to protect consumers from supposedly misleading claims of effectiveness. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This ancient knowledge, handed down over thousands of years, is based on experience passed down from generation to generation. It is not intended to claim that the products described here have an effect in the sense of Western medicine. All products are dietary supplements; they are not medications and have no medical effect. If you are ill and require medical care, please consult your doctor or pharmacist.