Obesity Information

Explanation of Obesity

Obesity is often defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. In plainer language what this means is that a person is overweight to the point that it could be a major cause of serious health problems.

True Obesity

One way to measure for obesity is using the body mass index (BMI) scale. This is a case in which a person's weight which often is measured in kilograms. This number is divided by the square of his or her height which often is measured in metres.

A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally determined obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.

A person who has a BMI of 27 or more could also be considered obese if they are already experience serious health problems. In any case, both overweight and obese are at major risk factors of suffering a number of chronic diseases.

Obese People

Obesity was at one time considered a problem only in highly-developed countries such as the United States, Canada, France, or Italy. However, times are changing as the world as a whole is more interconnected.

Problems of being overweight or obese now are becoming a far more dramatic problem in underdeveloped and developing nations, particularly in urban settings. What this means is it is not uncommon to hear about obesity on the rise in third-world countries or less-advanced locations.

Examples of third-world obesity such as the following: Mexico, India, China, the Middle East, and other places that originally were thought to be very poor. They are increasingly becoming richer and thus struggling with keeping the weight down.

This of course is the main reason why worldwide health problems continue to become a concern. There still are plenty of starving people and there are still a multitude of very poor cities, but still the trend is shifting in certain industrialized international areas.

Health Problems

One of the most prevalent problems affecting obese people is diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are also on the top of the list of concerns.

Some people who are overweight also might experience one or more of the following conditions or complications: high blood pressure, rise in bad cholesterol levels, fluctuating blood sugar levels, hardening of arteries, heart attacks or heart disease, or poor cardiovascular circulation.

Additional problems resulting from obesity include this list:

• Gallbladder disease
• Stroke
• Osteoarthritis Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)