Obesity
Little bit tubby around the midriff? Can't get up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath? Maybe you're a bit overweight....
Being overweight
In simple terms, overweight means you're too heavy for your height. The term obese is used for someone who is very overweight, and grossly/morbidly obese means they are even heavier.
The body mass index (BMI) is a simple formula that takes into account your weight and your height. If you are a healthy weight, your BMI should be between 20 and 25. Any more than this, and you are likely to be overweight. If your BMI is over 30, you should seriously think about changing your diet and increasing the amount you exercise, but see a doctor first.
Why does it happen?
Although many people blame genetics, metabolism, hormones, or their glands, these are in fact very rare reasons for weight gain. It's a simple equation: if you take in more energy (joules/calories) from food and drink than you use up, the body stores the excess as fat. Thin people often have slower metabolisms than fat people, contrary to popular opinion, and it's mainly due to the fact that they have less body tissue using up energy.
The current situation
In the UK at the moment about half of us are overweight, and 17% of men and 21% of women are clinically obese. Around a third of girls are overweight and 10% are clinically obese, compared with boys where 27% are overweight but a larger proportion (20%) are clinically obese. In the next ten years it's been estimated that we will rise to the levels currently seen in the USA, where 55% of adults weigh too much for their height, and one in four are obese.
Long term risks
Extreme obesity carries a risk of premature death. The more obese someone becomes, the more likely they are to suffer from high blood pressure, strokes, heart and arterial disease, diabetes, gallstones, joint pain, reduced mobility and even some forms of cancer. The beer-belly pattern of obesity (mostly seen in men) is thought to be worse for health than the pear-shaped pattern of obesity (commoner in women), possibly because it affects the pattern of fats in the blood more strongly.
What can be done?
The mainstay of tackling obesity is a change of lifestyle. That means having a healthier diet and taking more exercise. In addition to these measures some people will need medical treatment, such as therapy for compulsive eating patterns or sometimes drugs and surgery.
Print this page Email this page to a friend Add to favourites
