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Obesity
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What Is Overweight and Obesity? |
Overweight is the excess amount of body weight
that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. Obesity is the excess accumulation of body
fat. One can be overweight without being obese: a body builder who has a lot of muscle,
for example. However, for practical purposes, most people who are overweight are also
obese. |
How Is Obesity Measured? |
Doctors and scientists generally agree that men
with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are obese.
However, it is difficult to measure body fat precisely. The most accepted method has been
to weigh a person underwater. But underwater weighing is a procedure limited to
laboratories with special equipment. Two simpler methods for measuring body fat are skinfold thickness measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Skinfold thicknesses are measures of the thickness of skin and subcutaneous (lying under the skin) fat at targeted sites of a person's body such as the triceps (the back of the upper arm). Measurements of skinfold thickness depend on the skill of the examiner, and may vary widely when measured by different examiners. BIA sends a harmless amount of an electrical current through the body, which estimates total body water. Generally, a higher percent body water indicates a larger amount of muscle and lean tissue. Mathematical equations can translate the percent body water measure into an indirect estimate of body fat and lean body mass. BIA may not be accurate in severely obese individuals, and is not useful for tracking short-term changes in body fat brought about by diet or exercise. In addition to skinfold thickness measures and BIA, doctors also use weight-for-height tables and body mass index measures (BMI) to determine if a person is at a desirable body weight. Doctors and obesity researchers prefer BMI to other measurements. Body mass index is found by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. When a man's BMI is over 27.8, or woman's exceeds 27.3, that person is considered overweight. The degree of obesity associated with a particular BMI ranges from mild obesity at a BMI near 27, moderate obesity at 30, severe obesity at 35, to very severe obesity at 40 or greater.1 An estimated 41 percent of the population has a BMI greater than 25.1 Like weight-for-height tables, BMI does not measure body fat. While limited, these measures nevertheless help doctors, patients, and the public assess a person's desirable body weight. |
The Prevalence of Overweight in the United States |
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Other
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34 percent 4 12 percent 4 3,500 calories 5 33 to 40 percent 6 20 to 24 percent 6 .023 kcal per minute/per kilogram of body weight 7 300,000 deaths 8 |
Economic
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Noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
(NIDDM) Nearly 80 percent of patients with NIDDM are obese.9 Much of the estimated $11.3 billion dollars spent each year to diagnose, treat, and manage NIDDM, including treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic coma, diabetic eye disease, and diabetic kidney disease, stems from obesity. 9 Gallbladder disease The incidence of symptomatic gallstones soars as a person's body mass index (BMI) goes beyond 29.10 Nearly $2.4 billion dollars or 30 percent of the total amount spent annually on gallbladder disease and gallbladder surgery are related to obesity.10 Heart disease Nearly 70 percent of the diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity. Obesity Obesity accounts for $22.2 billion, or 19 percent, of the total cost of heart disease. 10 High blood pressure Obesity more than doubles one's chances of developing high blood pressure, which affects approximately 26 percent of obese American men and women. The annual cost of obesity-related high blood pressure is close to $1.5 billion dollars.10 Breast and colon cancer Almost half of breast cancer cases are diagnosed among obese women; an estimated 42 percent of colon cancer cases are diagnosed among obese individuals. Obesity-related breast cancer and colon cancer account for 2.5 percent of the total costs of cancer, or $1.9 billion dollars, annually.10 Indirect costs: Americans spend an additional $33 billion dollars annually on weight-reduction products and services, including diet foods, products, and programs. 10 |
Sources |
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Research on Obesity |
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is the part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
primarily responsible for obesity and nutrition-related research. NIDDK supports the study
of obesity in its own labs and clinics and at universities, hospitals, and research
centers across the United States. NIDDK-funded research has helped scientists learn more
about the role of genes and metabolism in obesity. Other NIDDK-supported studies have
examined the relationship between obesity and other medical conditions such as breast
cancer. Ongoing NIDDK research efforts include better ways to define and manage obesity
and to understand how the body stores and uses fat. NIDDK also transfers the research knowledge about obesity to health professionals, patients, and the general public through the Weight-control Information Network (WIN). WIN serves as a focus for the collection, production, and effective dissemination of science-based information for the lay public and health professionals about a range of issues related to obesity. WIN responds to requests for information; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and develops communication strategies to encourage individuals to increase awareness of the need to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Publications produced by WIN are reviewed for scientific accuracy, content, and readability. Materials produced by other sources are also reviewed for scientific accuracy and are distributed, along with WIN publications, to answer questions. This e-text provides statistical and basic information about obesity. Companion fact sheets and scientific meeting brochures and statements from other government agencies and peer-reviewed medical journals provide more in-depth information about some issues addressed briefly here, such as very-low calorie diets. |
Weight-control Information Network
The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health, under the U.S. Public Health Service. Authorized by Congress (Public Law 103-43), WIN assembles and disseminates to health professionals and the public information on weight control, obesity, and nutritional disorders. WIN responds to requests for information; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and develops communications strategies to encourage individuals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Publications produced by the clearinghouse are reviewed carefully for scientific accuracy, content, and readability. This e-text is not copyrighted. The clearinghouse encourages users of this e-pub to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired. |
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| Source: National Institutes of Health |
NIH Publication No. 96-4158 July 1996 |
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