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Natural Health News Articles
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| Posted: 7th August 2004 |
| Obesity |
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Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve of a mammal (such as a human), which is stored in fat, is expanded far beyond usual levels to the point where it is believed to pose a health risk. Obesity in wild animals is relatively rare, but it is common in domestic animals like barrows and household pets who may be castrated, spayed, overfed and underexercised.
Definiton of obesity
Obesity is a concept that is being continually redefined. In humans, the current measurement of obesity is the body mass index (BMI).
A person with a BMI over 25 kg/m2 is considered overweight; a BMI over 30 kg/m2 is considered obese. The American Institute for Cancer Research considers a BMI between 18.5 and 25 to be an ideal target for a healthy individual (although several sources consider a person with a BMI of less than 20 to be underweight). The BMI was created in the 19th century by the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet, and remained largely intact until June 1998 when the BMI was revised downward. This had the remarkable effect of changing some people's status from "ideal" weight to "overweight" in one day!
The BMI has been subject to fundamental criticism, as it ignores fat distribution in the body (see central obesity), and the fat/muscle proportion in total body weight. This means that a very fit athete with little fat but highly developed, and therefore heavy, muscles could be classified as obese. For instance according to the BMI system Brad Pitt is overweight while Russell Crowe is obese. Many researchers therefore hold that a high "waist-hip ratio" is the best indicator of metabolic disturbance, as visceral fat is more prone to cause insulin resistance (Janssen I, et al. 2004.)
Causative factors
Obesity is generally a result of a combination of factors:
Genetic predisposition
Energy-rich diet
Environment
Limited exercise
Underlying illness
An eating disorder (such as binge eating disorder)
Stressful mentality (debated)
Eating disorders can lead to obesity, especially binge eating disorder (BED). |
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