Obesity Now Considered A Worldwide Epidemic

Obesity is a condition in which there is too much body fat, being overweight is not the same as being obese. Obesity is classified when weight exceeds over 20% of the desired weight. Obese people, especially with upper body or abdominal fat, are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases including diabetes.

• Dehydration
• Total Body Water
• Extracellular Fluid
• Intracellular Fluid
• Fat Free Mass Hydration

A high level of body fat has been shown to be associated with type 2 diabetes. Obesity increases ones chance of becoming hypertensive (high blood pressure) and stroke are twice as likely to occur in obese people than in lean people. Coronary artery disease is more common, particularly in obese men. Persons with abdominal obesity or upper-body obesity tend to deposit excess subcutaneous and visceral fat in the abdominal region and are at risk of developing chronic diseases compared to individuals with lower body fat.

Some characteristic changes on Body Composition during Obesity:

• High Fat Free Body density
• Limited physical activity and exercise
• Low Bone mineral
• Change in Body Composition

The Importance of Looking After Your Body

One cannot expect the body to function optimally and remain healthy if we continue to abuse it or not use it for its intended purpose. The medical implications of obesity are numerous, ranging from coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancers, arthritis and other related illnesses.

Obesity is defined as excess body fat for a given body weight. The cause of obesity is the intake of higher metabolic fuels (excessive intake of food) than is required for energy expenditure. Similarly, a person whose body weight is high incurs a greater energy cost. It is only during the development of obesity that energy intake is greater than expenditure. Unused excess fuel is stored, largely as fat in adipose tissue reserves.

Body Composition is an important indicator which should be assessed regularly to help with weight management.

We also find overweight and obese people whose problem can be attributed to a low rate of energy expenditure despite a reasonable level of physical activity. Some people have a very low BMR and hence a low requirement for food. Despite eating very little compared with those around them, they may still gain weight. Equally, we can expect to find people who have a relatively high BMR who seem to be able to eat a large amount of food without gaining weight. This is a normal biological variation. Some people seem to be able to modify their expenditure to match their food intake.