ADULT OBESITY

If someone is obese, it means they are seriously overweight as a result of having too much body fat. In adults, the exact level of obesity is determined by reference to the Body Mass Index (BMI). A score of 30+ on the BMI indicates mild obesity. Types of severe clinical obesity include morbid obesity (BMI 40+) and malignant or super obesity (BMI 50+)…  read more

CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Obesity (a disease of excessive body fat) in children or adolescents is not measured in the same way as adult obesity. In adults, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is the standard diagnostic tool for measuring mild obesity (BMI 30+), morbid obesity (BMI 40+), and malignant obesity (BMI 50+). However, in order to measure obesity in children or teenagers, a measurement called “percentile of Body Mass Index” is used….  read more

HEALTH RISKS OF OBESITY

The more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to develop health problems. Mild obesity involving a body mass index (BMI) of 30+, is less dangerous to health than morbid obesity (BMI 40+) or malignant obesity (BMI 50+). For example, someone who is 40 percent overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as an average-weight person. This effect is seen after 10 to 30 years of being obese…  read more