Obesity - Description

Medical researchers have developed charts showing a person's ideal body weight. Ideal body weight means the weight a person should be in order to maintain good health. Ideal body weight depends primarily on three factors: gender, age, and height.

A person is said to be obese if his or her body weight is at least 20 percent more than his or her ideal weight. A range of 20 percent to 40 percent overweight is regarded as mild obesity; 40 percent to 100 percent overweight is regarded as moderate obesity; and more than 100 percent overweight is regarded as severe obesity. Severe obesity is also called morbid obesity. The term "morbid" is used for conditions that can lead to death. A person more than 100 percent overweight is regarded to have such serious health problems that his or her life is threatened.

Obesity can result in many serious, and potentially deadly, health problems. These problems include hypertension (high blood pressure; see hypertension entry), Type II diabetes mellitus (see diabetes mellitus entry), coronary (heart) disease, infertility, and a higher risk for certain forms of cancer (see cancer entry), such as those that affect the colon, prostate, endometrium, and possibly breasts.

According to some estimates, about one-quarter of the U.S. population can be considered obese. Four million of these people may be classified as morbidly obese. About three hundred thousand deaths each year can be blamed on obesity. Public-health leaders point out that obesity is the second leading cause of preventable deaths (after smoking) in the United States.