What Is Obesity?
Obesity results from the excessive accumulation of fat that exceeds the body's
skeletal and physical standards. According to the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), an increase in 20 percent or more above your ideal body weight
is the point at which excess weight becomes a health risk. Today 97 million
Americans, more than one-third of the adult population, are overweight or
obese. An estimated 5 to 10 million
of those are considered morbidly obese.
What Is Morbid Obesity?
Obesity
becomes "morbid" when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the
risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases
(also known as co-morbidities) that result either in significant physical
disability or even death. As you read about morbid obesity you may also see
the term "clinically severe obesity" used. Both are descriptions of the same
condition and can be used interchangeably. Morbid obesity is typically
defined as being 80-100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body
Mass Index of 35 or higher. For someone who is 5'4", this could be as low as
205 lbs. According to the National
Institutes of Health Consensus Report, Center for Disease Control, and U.S.
Surgeon General Warning, morbid obesity is a serious disease that leads to
shortened life span. It is a chronic multi-system disease, meaning that its
symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time involving many organ
systems.
