Obesity is a medical condition where excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative impact on health. Obesity is a major risk factor for a range of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and various types of cancer.
Obesity occurs when a person eats more calories than their body burns, especially from sugary and fatty foods. This extra energy gets stored as fat. It's becoming more common because our lives make it hard to eat healthy and exercise enough.
Some people are more likely to gain weight because of their genetics. Genes can affect how your body uses food and stores fat.
Certain health problems, like an underactive thyroid, can sometimes lead to weight gain, but usually only if they're not well-controlled with medicine. Some medicines, like steroids or those for blood pressure, diabetes, or mental health, can also make it easier to gain weight.
In the UK it's estimated that around 1 in every 4 adults and around 1 in every 5 children aged 10 to 11 are living with obesity.
The rates of obesity vary from country to country, but what can be seen is that the rates of obesity have increased globally over the last 50 years :
How Obesity is Measured
Obesity is most commonly measured using the body mass index (BMI) scale, which is calculated based on a person’s height and weight.
In adults, the WHO defines these categories using the cut-off points:
a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered "overweight"
a BMI greater than 30 is defined as "obese".
Different cut-off points are used for other groups, such as children and pregnant women.
BMI Calculator for Adults - LINK
BMI Calculator for Children - LINK
The Health Effects of Obesity
Obesity affects all of the body organs, causing a wide range of health problems :
Treating Obesity
For people living with obesity, losing enough weight can seem like a huge challenge. However, it's important to remember that losing what seems like a small amount of weight, such as 3% or more of your original body weight, and maintaining this for life, can significantly reduce a person's risk of developing obesity-related complications like diabetes and heart disease.
Ways to treat obesity include :
A reduced calorie diet works for treating obesity by creating a calorie deficit. This means a person consumes fewer calories than their body burns. When they consistently eat fewer calories, their body starts using stored fat for energy, leading to weight loss.
Regular exercise helps manage obesity by burning calories, building muscle mass, improving insulin sensitivity, boosting metabolism, and reducing stress. Building muscle increases your resting calorie burn, while exercise helps your body use insulin effectively, leading to weight loss.
A G.P. may recommend a range of medical interventions to treat obesity. These include receiving support and counselling from a trained healthcare professional to help a person better understand their relationship with food and develop different eating habits or medication to reduce apetite to manage overeating. They can also recommend surgery in some cases.