Obesity is a term used to describe body weight that is much greater than what is considered healthy. There are many ways to determine if a person is obese, but experts believe that a person's
Adults with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese. Adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight. There are exceptions. For example, an athlete may have a higher BMI but not be overweight.
Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. Anyone more than 100 pounds overweight is considered morbidly obese.
Alternative Names
Fat - obese
Considerations
Rates of obesity are climbing. The percentage of children who are overweight has doubled in the last 20 years. The percentage of adolescents who are obese has tripled in the last 20 years.
Consuming more calories than you burn leads to being overweight and, eventually, obesity. The body stores unused calories as fat. Work with your health care provider to determine how many calories you need to consume each day to stay healthy.
Obesity increases a person's risk of illness and death due to
Genetic factors play some part in the development of obesity -- children of obese parents are 10 times more likely to be obese than children with parents of normal weight.
Common Causes
- Consumption of more food than the body can use
- Excess alcohol intake
- Sedentary lifestyle
