The health risks of being obese
Obesity is a major risk factor in the development of a number of severe medical conditions. A thorough understanding of what obesity is and its related health issues may act as a motivational factor to kick start your diet.
First of all, we need to define exactly what being obese means. A person is classified as being obese if their BMI is 30 or more. A person is classified as being overweight if their BMI lies between 25 and 29.9. However, this measurement is rather simplistic and does not take account of a patient's muscle mass, which may increase their BMI. Severely obese is classified as having a BMI between 35 and 40 and morbidly obese is classified as havin a BMI between 40 and 50. It is worth noting that traditionally the definition of obesity was weighing 20% more than your ideal weight, taking into account your age, height, sex and build.
Being obese makes you more likely to suffer from the following diseases:
- type II diabetes
- sleep apnoea
- high blood pressure
- diseases of the cardiovascular system (eg heart disease, stoke, angina, deep vein thrombosis)
- certain types of cancer, including cancer of the colon, gall bladder, prostate, kidney, breast and lining of the womb (endometrial).
- chronic venus insufficiency
- arthritis of the back and other back problems
- problems with fertility, problems during pregnancy and increased health risks to the foetus.
It is interesting to note that the greatest health risks are associated with excessive fat around the abdomen. So if two people were equally obese, statistically the one with the greatest waist circumference would face the greatest risks to health - so it is healthier to be pear shaped than apple shaped. Women are thought to be in danger if they have a waist measuring 35" or more, and men if they have a waist measurement of 40" or more. The more obese a person is, the greater the risk to their health. Obese people can have two or three times the risk of premature death, compared to people of normal weight.