What is Obesity
Obesity, also known as “Fatness”, refers to a medical condition in which excess body fat accumulates to an extent that may have a negative effect on health. Excessive accumulation of body fat is usually caused by the consumption of more calories than the body can use. Excessive calories are then stored as fat or adipose tissue. A simple measure commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults is Body Index Mass(BMI). BMI is defined as a person’s weight in kilogram divided by the square of its height in meters (Ktg/m2)
Internationally, a BMI over 25 kg/m2 is considered overweight. Due to genetic tendency of Indians and Asians towards abdominal obesity and its associated risks of related lifestyle diseases like Diabetes & Heart Diseases. A BMI over 25 kg/m2 is considered obese. Normal BMI is 18.0-22.9 kg/m2 and Overweight: 23.0-24.9 kg/m2.
Obesity is generally measured by Body Mass Index (BMI):
Why I am Obese?
The causes might vary from person to person.
- Genetics: Obesity may run in families, it is likely that obese parents may have obese kids
- Lifestyle: Lack of physical exercise & sedentary lifestyle is a major cause of obesity these days
- Dietary Habits: If a person is consuming more calories than he is using, that person is more likely to store those extra calories as fat and will get obese. More of sweets, junk food & carbonated drinks do add a lot of calories to our diet & certainly the Obesity
- Diseases such as Hypothyroidism, PCOS, Cushing’s Syndrome, Insulin Resistance also cause Obesity
- Medications: Lot of anti-depressants, steroids, oral hypoglycemic drugs, antihistaminic drugs contribute to obesity in some or the other way
- Psychological Factors: In psychological conditions like Depression, Anger, Emotional stress, people tend to eat more, that leads to Obesity
When I would be called Morbid Obese?
As soon as your BMI touches 32.5 with associated illnesses like Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) or Hypertension (HTN) etc or BMI 37.5 whithout these medical problems, then it is called Morbid Obesity. Morbid Obesity is a state of severe obesity that predisposes your body to develop several other diseases like high blood pressure, Diabetes, Heart Diseases, Osteoarthritis, GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Diseases), Sleep Apnea, Gall Bladder Stones, Depression and many other Psychological Disorders
Morbid Obesity & Cancer: Breast, Prostate, Colon, Uterus & Ovary Cancers are predominantly higher in morbid obese population
Morbid Obesity and Psychological Diseases: Morbidly obese people usually are victims of public ridicule that leads to fall in self esteem, Marital disharmony and body image consciousness at social & work places
