Obesity is a major issue around the world, and looks likely to only get worse. It is estimated that one in five man and a quarter of women are obese in the UK. As many as 30,000 people die prematurely every year from obesity related conditions.
A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and one of 30 or above is thought of as obese, those with a BMI of 40 or more are considered morbidly obese. People who have a BMI of 19-22 live longer, then those with indexes 25 or more.
Experts believe that obesity is responsible for more ill health than smoking. Being obese is linked to a wide range of health problems, which include:
A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and one of 30 or above is thought of as obese, those with a BMI of 40 or more are considered morbidly obese. People who have a BMI of 19-22 live longer, then those with indexes 25 or more.
Experts believe that obesity is responsible for more ill health than smoking. Being obese is linked to a wide range of health problems, which include:
· Heart disease
· High blood pressure
· Arthritis
· Diabetes
· Indigestion
· Gallstones
· Some caners (e.g breast, prostate)
· Snoring and sleep apnoea. Stress, anxiety and depression
A study by the national audit office has estimated that obesity costs the NHS at least £500m a year! It costs the wider economy more than £2bn a year in lost productivity. Experts predict that if the current growth continues, three quarters of the population could suffer the ill effects of excess weight within 10 to 15 years.
It is tempting to suggest that more and more people are seriously overweight because they eat too much. However the reality is not as simple as that. A significant factor is that modern life is more sedentary than ever before. This is shown by a recent study that showed housewives in the 1950’s actually ate more calories than their modern counterparts. But were significantly slimmer because their daily lives involved fair more physical activity.
Obesity contains all kinds of 'bad'. It is dangerous to the individual, and costs the health system a large amount of money which could be spent on other things. There is nothing attractive about being obese, your health will be at risk, which will have an impact on your lifestyle.
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