Obesity and Its Impact on Health
Not all body fat is harmful; maintaining a certain percentage of fat is healthy and required for our physiology to function normally. However, having too much body fat, a medical condition referred to as obesity, is harmful and can increase the likelihood of serious medical disorders (Hypertension, Diabetes, Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome). In addition, obese individuals have from double to triple the probability of dying prematurely, compared to people with normal weight.
A person is called obese when the Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 30. When the BMI is greater than 40 individuals are classified as having morbid obesity, which implies a serious risk for the person’s health. Your BMI is listed at the top of your most recent discharge information sheet provided to you by Dr. Nemechek during your last visit or click here to calculate your BMI.
An obese person runs the risk of a range of diseases that are linked to obesity and are more probable when the obesity level is higher.
The risk associated with obesity can be greatly reduced with even minimal levels of weight reduction. Recent research has demonstrated that a 10% initial weight loss is enough. It is an easy goal to reach and to maintain and in time is sufficient enough to decrease overall mortality caused by obesity by 20%, decrease mortality linked to the cancer by 40%, and decrease mortality linked to diabetes by 30%.
So a little weight loss can bring great benefits to health. But how can we define the risk index more accurately? How can we know when it is opportune to lose weight?
Weight loss is therefore highly advisable when:
* BMI is greater than 30
* BMI is between 25 & 30 but your mid-abdominal circumference is greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for for men
* There are pathological conditions linked to obesity (sleep apnea, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc) that are already in progress.
In all these cases, lowering your weight by exercising daily and following a diet that in high in protein and vegetables (except potatoes and corn) and low in carbohydrates can result in significant levels of weight reduction that not only help yu feel better, lower your risk of mortality but also lower your dependence on medications for high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and diabetes.