Obesity defined

While the association of cancer to obesity—defined as an abnormally high, unhealthy proportion of body fat—is generally accepted, results from studies attempting to link obesity to cancer have not always been positive. Therefore, it is important to realize that not all types of cancer may show such an association. Those with the highest certainty of a link include breast, colon, prostate, endometrium, cervix, ovary, kidney, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, rectum, and esophagus. " ... 

Overweight, dehned as a body mass index (BMI body weight in kg divided by the square of the height in m) between 25 and 30 kg/m, and obesity, defined as a BMI of 30 kg/m and above, are prevalent conditions in industrialized populations. According to a recent report from the World Health Organization, the prevalenee of both conditions has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, with rates of about 50 to 60% of the adult population in the U.S., Canada, and European countries. The health consequences of obesity are enormous. Obesity is associated with some of the most prevalent diseases of modem societies, including type 2 diabetes, hyper-... 

In order to define the obese state ia a clinical setting, it is necessary to have a means of estimating the amount of adipose (fat) tissue relative to lean body mass. Whereas highly accurate determiaations of body composition require complex laboratory procedures, large clinical studies typically employ measures of skia-fold thickness (11) or more commonly, body mass iadex (BMl) as a quantitative measure of obesity. 

Obesity is defined by the body mass index (BMI), measured as body weight in kilograms divided by the squared height in metres (kg/m2). A BMI of 30 or more is a commonly-used criterion for defining obesity and a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight. 

Insulin resistance has been associated with a number of other cardiovascular risks, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypercoagulation, and hyperinsulinemia. The clustering of these risk factors has been termed metabolic syndrome. It is estimated that 50% of the United States population older than 60 years of age have metabolic syndrome. The most widely used criteria to define metabolic syndrome were established by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines (summarized in Table 40-2). 

Most people believe someone is obese if they look fat. This is not true. Health-care professionals and scientists have developed specific definitions for the words overweight and obese. Overweight and obesity are not determined solely by an individual s weight, but are defined in terms of a person s weight relative to his or her height. Doctors and researchers use a special set of measurements and mathematical formulas to determine whether a person is overweight or obese. 

The 85th percentile, defining those who are at risk for becoming obese. 

The presence of excess fat in the stomach area is also a negative factor to be considered in overweight individuals. People who have fat in the abdomen that is out of proportion to their total body fat have what is called central obesity. A person with central obesity is defined as having a circumference, or distance around the waist, of greater than 40 inches in adult men and greater than 35 inches in adult women. Studies have shown that people with central obesity have a higher risk of weight-related health problems than do people whose body fat is more evenly distributed. The reason for this is not... 

Ovemutrition is difficult to define but is synonymous with excessive intake in the following discussions. Recent emphasis has been directed towards diets that contain excess energy in relation to expenditure, which result in obesity. This is a major problem in developed and increasingly in underdeveloped countries. There is particular concern about the marked increase in obesity in children, which can lead to major health problems in later life and will result in a massive increase in financial expenditure on health provision in the future some obese children are now developing type 2 diabetes as young as 12. The topics obesity and type 2 diabetes are discussed in Appendix 15.4. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines obesity as a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m, where BMI is calculated as weight in kilogram divided by the square of height in metre. Table 7.1 shows the WHO classification in full. BMI is a simple index of obesity and correlates well with total adiposity, morbidity and mortality from many diseases. ... 

Obesity is not exactly a gastrointestinal disease but is a condition characterized by an unusually high percentage of body fat - normally 15-18% in males and 20-26% in young females. Definitions vary but obesity is commonly defined as having more than 30% of total body weight composed of fat. 

The healthy range for the BMI is between 19.5 and 25.0. Individuals with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight, those whose BMI is equal to or greater than 30 are defined as obese. 

---