OBESITY AND ITS CHANGES IN MENTAL, BIOCHEMICAL AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC HEALTH: MEDICINAL PLANTS AND PHYTOTHERAPY FOR HEALTH PROMOTION

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.15951025110215

• Palavras-chave: Obesity, mental health, biochemistry, phytomedicines.

• Keywords: Obesity, mental health, biochemistry, phytomedicines.

• Abstract:

  This scientific research is a rapid response to tackling obesity in people of different genders, taking into account morbidity in the mental health of the obese and physiological alterations in the biochemical values of the human organism. Its alternative treatment measures include complementary integrative practices, medicinal plants and phytotherapy. Research objectives: To investigate serum biochemical alterations in obese people. Determine the social prevalence of obesity in race/color as white, black, brown, male, female and in the LGBTQIA+ community. To research the main medicinal plants and herbal medicines for the promotion and prevention of obesity. Justification: This scientific research is justified by the increase in obesity among Brazilian people of different socio-demographic characteristics. Methodology: This research is a qualitative, argumentative investigation, with secondary data collected from electronic scientific journals, Google Scholar, Scielos Brazil, university repositories and scientific sites related to obesity, such as the obesity map. The results of the research were analyzed using content analysis. Results: This research shows an increase in obesity among different genders, races and colors, in the following sociodemographic characteristics: black, brown, female and lesbian, and those with a low level of education. Its biochemical alterations include cholesterol, triglycerides, glycemia, body deformation and hormones above physiological limits. As a result, mental illnesses associated with obesity appear, such as anxiety and depression, because these illnesses increase the feeling of hunger, triggering a systemic inflammatory process as a result of the increase in blood glucose caused by excess serum cortisol in obesity. There is infertility, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular problems due to physiological alterations in sex hormones, insulin resistance and excess hypertriglyceremia. Conclusion: The research concludes that phytomedicines and herbal medicines are an intervention measure in the treatment obesity, regardless of gender, biochemical alteration and mental illness. Medicinal plants and phytotherapy show weight loss results over a long period of treatment and their biological effects contribute to weight reduction and normalize the biochemical increase of obesity, being a low-cost health promotion practice.