Obesity is a medical condition which sees fat accumulated on one ’ s body to the extent where it has a negative effect in the person ’ s health, reducing their life expectancy and increasing their risk of health problems. People are considered obese if they have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of over 25. A person ’ s BMI can be determined by dividing their weight by the square of their height.
Obesity increases the likelihood of a multitude of diseases, in particular heart conditions, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and osteoarthritis. The most common causes of obesity are from a combination of eating to excess, lack of exercise, genetic susceptibility and they will be cases that are the result of genes, medication, endocrine disorders and psychiatric illness. Strangely enough obese people have greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy that is required to maintain their increased body mass.
The main treatments for obesity are diet and exercise. A person ’ s diet can be improved by reducing the number of calories derived from foods that have a high fat and sugar content and by increasing the amount of fibrethat they consume. Once there is a suitable diet in place, anti – obesity medication can be taken to reduce the person ’ s appetite or lower their fat absorption rate. If diet, medication and increased exercise are not effective there are also a number of surgical procedures that could be considered.
Obesity is one of the largest yet preventable causes of death worldwide with increasing rates year on year. It is thought of by authorities to be the most serious health problem this century. Although obesity is frowned upon there are still parts of the world where it is seen as a symbol of wealth.
As stated above, obesity is defined by the individuals BMI and this is further evaluated by the fat distribution around the waist and hips coupled with cardiovascular risk indicators.
When evaluating children, a healthy weight will be variable and determined by the child ’ s age and sex.
BMI Classification
Under 18.5 Underweight
18.5 – 24.99 Normal Weight
25 – 29.99 Overweight
30 – 34.99 Class 1 Obesity
35 – 39.99 Class 2 Obesity
40 + Class 3 Obesit
Health Effects from obesity
Excessive weight is associated with a variety of diseases and is also found to reduce life expectancy considerably. Research that has been carried out by the American and Europeans proves that the mortality level is at its lowest in individuals that have a BMI of 20 – 25 who are also non smokers. In the USA obesity is estimated to be the cause of up to 365,000 deaths a year, whilst over 7% of deaths in Europe are caused by excessive weight. Average statistics show that obesity reduces life expectancy by up to ten years.
Morbidity Obesity also increases the risk of both mental and physical conditions. Complications are more often than not directly associated with obesity and those sufferers probably have a link such as a poor diet or sedentary lifestyle.
Health consequences can be defined by two broad categories: – Those with effects that are caused by increased fat mass such as osteoarthritis, social stigmatization etc – Those caused by the increased number of fat cells, such as diabetes, cancer and so on When there is an increase in body fat this alters the way the body responds to insulin which can potentially result in insulin resistance.
Whilst the negative health consequences of obesity are well documented there have been cases when an increased BMI actually benefits the individual. It is proven that people tend to lose weight as their illness takes hold and in these cases there has been no conclusive evidence that those obese individuals have any further risks than individuals who are of an optimum weight when their illness took hold.
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