Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to your lean body mass. Body mass index (BMI), which measures the relationship of your weight-to-height, is a common method to evaluate obesity. Approximately one in three adults aged 20 years and older — more than 60 million Americans— have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. If your BMI is 30 or higher, you are considered obese, according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If your BMI is 35 or higher, you are considered severely obese.
Individuals with BMIs greater than 30 are considered at risk for premature death and major, life-threatening illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis as a consequence of obesity. In addition, obesity-related physical problems may interfere with employment or activities of daily living, mobility, personal hygiene, family chores or social activities. As obesity increases, these health risks also increase.
|
