About Obesity

Symptoms | Risk Factors | Diagnosis | Treatment

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Weight may come from muscle, bone, fat and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person’s weight is greater than what’s considered healthy for his or her height.

Symptoms

Weight gain usually happens over time when individuals eat more calories than they use. Most people know when they’ve gained weight. Some of the signs of overweight or obesity include:

• Clothes feeling tight and needing a larger size
• The scale showing that you’ve gained weight
• Having extra fat around the waist
• A higher than normal body mass index and waist circumference

Factors that might tip the balance include:

• Genetic makeup
• Overeating
• Eating high-fat foods
• Not being physically active

Many other underlying factors have been linked to an increase in obesity, including increased portion sizes, eating out more often, increased television watching, and electronic gaming time.

For an obese person, losing even 5 -10 percent of weight can delay or prevent some chronic diseases.

Risk Factors

Who is at risk? Overweight and obesity affect Americans of all ages, sexes, racial/ethnic groups, and educational levels. This serious health problem has been growing over the years. In fact, overweight and obesity in adults have doubled since 1980, and overweight in children and teens has tripled.

What is at risk? Good health. Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for many diseases and conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, breathing problems, and certain cancers.

Diagnosis

The most common way to determine obesity is to figure out body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of body fat and a good gauge of risk for diseases that occur with more body fat. The higher the BMI, the higher the risk of disease. BMI is calculated from height and weight. For adults, a BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity.

A waist measurement helps to screen for the possible health risks that come with overweight and obesity in adults. In abdominal obesity, most of the fat is around the waist rather than at the hips. This type of fat distribution indicates a higher risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men.

Treatment

For people who are considered obese (BMI 30 or greater) or those who are overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and have two or more risk factors, the guidelines recommend weight loss.

Successful treatments for weight loss include setting goals and making lifestyle changes, such as eating fewer calories and being more physically active. Creating an environment that supports these behaviors is essential to addressing obesity.