Related topics: body mass index
Obesity
hideObesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy. Body mass index (BMI), which compares weight and height, is used to define a person as overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2 and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2.
Obesity is associated with many diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive dietary calories, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, though a limited number of cases are due solely to genetics, medical reasons or psychiatric illness.
The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise. If this fails, anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.
Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is stigmatized in the modern Western world, though it has been perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in many parts of Africa.
For more information about Obesity, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with obesity
High-fat low-carb diets could mean significant heart risk
20 hours ago |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
11
New scientific research has shown that low-carbohydrate high-fat diets, made popular by the likes of the Atkins diet, do not achieve more weight loss than low-fat high-carbohydrate diets. Worryingly, the research, lead by ...
Genetic studies reveal new causes of severe obesity in childhood
Dec 06, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that the loss of a key segment of DNA can lead to severe childhood obesity. This is the first study to show that this kind of genetic alteration can cause obesity. The results are published ...
Why a short run is better than a long walk
Dec 02, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (22) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Using the latest technology, researchers are uncovering evidence of exactly how major a role activity plays in the battle to keep obesity at bay. In new report published in the British Me ...
Type 2 diabetes gene predisposes children to obesity
Dec 07, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Pediatric researchers have found that a gene already implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes in adults also raises the risk of being overweight during childhood. The finding sheds light on the genetic origins of ...
Fatty food can weaken the immune system
Dec 08, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Fresh evidence that fatty food is bad for our health has come to light: mice fed a lard-based diet over a long period got worse at fighting bacteria in the blood, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University ...
Getting a 'Head Start' on obesity prevention
Dec 08, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Almost 1 million preschool children from low-income families are enrolled in Head Start, a national program for young children that readies them for school. While the program provides them with educational and social skill ...
Western diets turn on fat genes
Nov 30, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (7) |
1
Those extra helpings of gravy and dessert at the holiday table are even less of a help to your waistline than previously thought. According to a new research report recently appearing online in The FASEB Journal, a diet t ...
Improvements in School Nutrition Have Positive Influence on Youth Eating Behaviors
Dec 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- When schools serve healthier, more nutritious food, students do not compensate by eating more unhealthy food at home, a new Yale University study has found. In addition, the study shows that ...
Ecstasy may be linked to sleep apnea
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 02, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
New research shows that recreational users of the drug known as ecstasy may be at a higher risk for sleep apnea. The study is published in the December 2, 2009, online issue of Neurology.
Obesity will snuff out health benefits gained by smoking declines
Dec 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
If obesity trends continue, the negative effect on the health of the U.S. population will overtake the benefits gained from declining smoking rates, according to a study by U-M and Harvard researchers published today in the ...
Investigators identify successful weight control strategies for adolescents
Dec 01, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Adolescent obesity is a major public health problem that impacts one out of every three children, resulting in 4-5 million overweight youth in the United States. In a study published in the December 2009 issue of the Journal of ...
Good food nation: Researchers think America's obesity epidemic can be reversed via 'foodsheds'
Nov 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the last three decades, childhood obesity in the United States has become a massive public-health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 1980 and 2006 the percentage ...
Mood improves on low-fat, but not low-carb, diet plan
Nov 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
After one year, a low-calorie, low-fat diet appears more beneficial to dieters' mood than a low-carbohydrate plan with the same number of calories, according to a report in the November 9 issue of Archives of Internal Me ...
Late-Night Snacks: Worse Than You Think
Sep 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Eat less, exercise more. Now there is new evidence to support adding another "must" to the weight-loss mantra: eat at the right time of day.
High fructose corn syrup: A recipe for hypertension
Oct 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (9) |
12
A diet high in fructose increases the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San ...
