What Is Obesity

What is obesity, Obesity is a disease that plagues millions. The definition is relatively simple "the condition of an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass" according to the CDC. Adipose is really just another term for fat. This excessive amount of fat tends to cause other disease and conditions such as hypertension heart disease and diabetes. The standard method of testing for obesity uses the BMI or body mass index. BMI is a ratio of height to width. BMI calculation tools are easy to use just enter you height and weight and you will be given your BMI. The national institutes of health define obesity as a BMI of over 30. BMI is not the most reliable measure of obesity it is however the most convenient and cost effective.

When asking the question what is obesity there are tests other than just BMI . BMI is a flawed in some ways because it does not take lean tissue or type of fat into account. For this reason after BMI is calculated further measurements may be required to alleviate some concerns. One such concern is where the fat is accumulated, some forms of adipose tissue may add to cardiovascular risk. For example central obesity has a very strong correlation with heart disease. Waist to hip ratio or the absolute hip circumference are both accurate ways used to measure for central obesity.

Obesity is an up and coming epidemic around the world. Once we discover what is obesity I think we need to find out more ways to combat obesity. Good luck in the fight.