OBESITY

WHAT'S OBESITY

Information: obesity & weight loss issues. All of us need and have fat tissue in our bodies. However, when there is too much body fat, the result is obesity. Obesity is a complex multi-factorial chronic disease that develops from an interaction of genotype and the environment.

Obesity develops because of social, behavioral, cultural, physiological, metabolic and genetic factors. Obesity is a serious medical disease that affects over a quarter of adults in the United States, and about 14% of children and adolescents. It is the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking.

Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 kg/m 2 and obesity as a BMI of > 30 kg/m 2. However, overweight and obesity are not mutually exclusive, since obese persons are also overweight.

All overweight and obese adults (age 18 years of age or older) with a BMI of > 25 are considered at risk for developing associated diseases such as hypertension, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and other diseases.

Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with a BMI >30 are considered obese.

Treatment of obesity should focus on producing substantial weight loss over a prolonged period. The presence of co morbidities in obese patients should be considered when deciding on treatment options.

Know obesity Facts

1. Obesity is a chronic disease with a strong familial component.
2. Obesity increases the risk of developing health related risks like high blood pressure, diabetes (type 2), heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease and cancer of the breast, prostate and colon.
3. Health insurance companies rarely pay for obesity treatment despite its serious effects on health.
4. The tendency toward obesity is often due to our environment: lack of physical activity combined with high-calorie, low-cost foods.
5. If maintained, even weight loss as small as 10 percent of body weight can improve one's health.

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