Obesity

Obesity is the condition of being much too heavy for ones height. People are called obese when the weight is a threat to their health.

To know if a person is overweight, the body mass index (BMI) is calculated, by dividing the weight (in kilograms) by the height of the person in meters, squared . Someone who is 1.75m tall, and has a weight of 80kg, would have a BMI of 80 / 3.0625. This gives a BMI of 26.12.

People with a BMI of 25 or more are considered overweight; with 30 and above, they are considered obese, and with 35 and above, they are considered severely obese (this used to be called morbidly obese).

Obesity is usually helped by diet (being careful about what food to eat) and exercise Some people also use weight loss programs. In severe cases, drugs can be given. In very severe cases, weight-loss surgery can be done. Obesity can occur for many reasons, the main two are over-eating and genetic inheritance.