What is obesity?
How is obesity measured? “Obesity” specifically refers to an excessive amount of body fat. “Overweight” refers to an excessive amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. As a rule, women have more body fat than men. Most health care professionals agree that men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are considered obese. These numbers should not be confused with the body mass index (BMI), however, which is more commonly used by health care professionals to determine the effect of body weight on the risk for some diseases.
Obesity used to be understood in fairly simple terms, excess body weight resulting from eating too much and exercising too little, due in large part to a lack of willpower or self-restraint. Fortunately for the millions of American adults who are overweight, obesity is now regarded as a chronic medical disease with serious health implications caused by a complex set of factors. Recognized since 1985 as a chronic disease, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death, exceeded only by cigarette smoking. Obesity has been established as a major risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and some cancers in both men and women. Obesity affects 58 million people across the nation and its prevalence is increasing. Approximately one-third of adults are estimated to be obese. Obesity results from a complex interaction of genetic, behavioral and environmental factors causing an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. According to the Nation
Obesity used to be understood in fairly simple terms, excess body weight resulting from eating too much and exercising too little, due in large part to a lack of willpower or self-restraint. Fortunately for the millions of American adults who are overweight, obesity is now regarded as a chronic medical disease with serious health implications caused by a complex set of factors. Recognized since 1985 as a chronic disease, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death, exceeded only by cigarette smoking. Obesity has been established as a major risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and some cancers in both men and women. Obesity affects 58 million people across the nation and its prevalence is increasing. Approximately one-third of adults are estimated to be obese. Obesity results from a complex interaction of genetic, behavioural and environmental factors causing an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. According to the Natio
Obesity is a chronic, debilitating and potentially fatal disease that requires treatment by a physician trained in bar iatric medicine. It is marked by an excess accumulation of body fat sufficient to endanger health. The United States is currently suffering an obesity epidemic contributing to the premature death, sickness and suffering of millions of Americans. Obesity results from a complex interaction of genetic, behavioral and environmental factors causing an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. According to the National Institutes of Health, an increase in body weight of 20 percent or more above desirable weight is the point at which excess weight becomes an established health hazard. Lower levels of excess weight can also constitute a health risk, particularly in the presence of other disorders like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
