Obesity Case

Obesity occurs when there is excessive fat in the body which is caused when a person consumes more energy than they expend. Being obese is harmful to health and has an adverse effect on life expectancy (1). The cells in adipose tissue are distended by droplets of fat. Adipose tissue helps to reduce and protect the body. Obese individuals have an extreme amount of adipose tissue. (2) Body Mass Index is a formula for measuring a person's level of overweight or obesity using measurements of height and weight.(3) The health problems that stem from being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, like diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. Obesity can reduce life expectancy by up to nine years .So being overweight can impact a person's entire quality of life.(4)

Most doctors calculate obesity using a formula known as the body mass index (BMI), which is a measure based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women. To calculate your BMI divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.

For example: Julie weighs 80kg and has a height of 1.8 metres and if you divide this it equals 19.67 which is normal.

* 18.5 to 24.9 - normal

* 25 to 29.9 - overweight

* 30 and above - obese

Doctors have recently recognised a new category: those with a BMI above 40 are considered morbidly obese. People with BMIs between 19 and 22 live longest. Death rates are noticeably higher for people with BMIs of 25 and above. (5)