Obesity means excess fat. Babies come into this world 12% fat. A year later the fat part of their weight more than doubles, reaches about 30%, but then declines by half or more. By year five, boys are roughly 12% fat and by their first decade about 17% fat. At puberty boys and girls begin to diverge: by 16, boys get to about 11% fat and girls to about 24%. A 200 pound, 5ft. 10in. man who is 20% fat has 40 pounds of fat and 160 pounds that’s not.

Obesity is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount of body fat. A certain amount of body fat is necessary for storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions. Women with over 30% body fat and men with over 25% body fat are considered obese.

How common is obesity?

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. One in three Americans is obese. The prevalence of obesity in children has increased markedly, with approximately 20%-25% of children either overweight or obese. Obesity is also increasing rapidly throughout the world, and the incidence of obesity nearly doubled from 1991 to 1998.

Is Obesity Unhealthy?

Many scientists and health care professionals would loudly declare yes. Obesity—the more, the worse—is, they’d say, a disease or very risky in terms of getting a disease. They’ d point out that obesity and overweight are linked to a panoply of physical ills including hypertension and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), hernia, maturity-onset diabetes, toxemias of pregnancy, gallbladder disease, low back pain, osteoarthritis of the hips and knees, dermatological problems, surgical problems, and cancer. But don’t think you’re sick or definitely going to get sick if you’re overweight or obese because not everyone who is gets sick. Ask your physician about you.

Are the dangers of obesity exaggerated?

Absolutely not! There’s a tremendous amount of medical evidence supporting the fact that obesity lowers a person’s life span. Obesity has been linked to a number of disease including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Obesity can also be linked to gall bladder disease, gastro-intestinal disease, sexual dysfunction and cerebral hemorrhage.
Obese women have three to four times the risk of eudiometrical cancer than women with lower BMI. Obesity increases cardiovascular disease risk because of its effect on blood lipid levels. Obesity is a major risk factor for heart attack.

Is there a link between obesity and cancer?

Yes, some cancers are more common for overweight individuals. 

What drugs are approved for long-term treatment of obesity?

Sibutramine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. You should not take this medicine if you have a history of high blood pressure, heart problems, or strokes. Other side effects include dry mouth, headache, constipation, anxiety, and trouble sleeping.

Orlistat may cause diarrhea, cramping, gas, and leakage of oily stool. Eating a low-fat diet can help prevent these side effects. This medicine may also prevent your body from absorbing some vitamins. Talk with your doctor about whether you should take a vitamin supplement.

What are the risks of obesity surgery?

All surgeries come with the possibility of complications, but fortunately their incidence is quite small. There is even a slight risk of death from the complications that may appear after obesity surgery but this is extremely rare.

Hernia – In 10-20% of the cases, abdominal hernia may occur. It can be caused by vomiting or straining after surgery usually before the incision heals. Laparoscopy-assisted surgery greatly reduces hernia risk.

What causes obesity?

Obesity means excess fat. The body stores excess energy in fat and obesity occurs when energy you take in exceeds the amount of energy burned. Obesity is not caused by a lack of willpower but is multifactorial.

There is definitely a genetic component of obesity. Many people work in office settings, children stay inside and play video games and don’t live an active lifestyle. Being active is what burns energy. At the same time, the prevalence of fast food in the US has grown at alarming rates. This combination of the population becoming less active combined with easy access to fast foods with lots of calories and energy has led to an obesity epidemic.

What are some other causes of obesity?

Physiological issues or” How do we view ourselves?” A wrong view of self could be a result of our upbringing or traumatic experiences. For example, if someone was abused as a child, a person may chose to be heavier. The abused person may gain weight to make themselves unattractive to avoid future abuse.

A learned behavior If our parents were not concerned about our diets as children, or if they were obese, the child may be more comfortable being obese as an adult. Another learned behavior is eating everything on our plates as children. Now, once we are full, we still continue to eat.

Is Obesity Predestined?

Numbers of scientists claim that genes for fat cause obesity. One proof offered is that identical twins—twins from one egg(100% of genes in common)—are closer in weight than are fraternal twins (50% of genes in common) even when reared apart. Also, according to a few scientists, grown-up adopted children have weights closer to those of their biologic versus adoptive parents. What’s more, obesity runs in families; fat parents often have fat children. Upon reflection, though, family obesity may have as much to do with family practices—much eating, not much exercising—as it does with genes in common; indeed, fat pet owners are liable to have fat pets. One may well be genetically predisposed to becoming obese, but predisposed isn’t the same thing as predestined: genes may make reducing more difficult, not impossible. Both nature and nurture, genes and environment, play major roles in the story of getting and staying fat.

What is morbid obesity?

Morbid obesity is a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more, which is roughly equal to 100 pounds or more over ideal body weight. The disease of morbid obesity often interferes with basic physical functions such as breathing or walking. Long-term effects of the disease include shorter life expectancy, serious health consequences in the form of weight-related health problems (co-morbid conditions) such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and a lower quality of life with fewer economic and social opportunities.

What can be done about obesity?

The treatment of obesity has to be an ongoing life-long process. A healthier lifestyle can be learned and should be followed. All too often, individuals turn to a rigorous diet to obtain “ideal body weight.” Some amount of weight loss may be accomplished, but the lost weight usually quickly returns. More than 95% of the people who lose weight regain the weight within five years.