What Are the Dangers of Being Overweight?

What are the dangers of being overweight? The US National Heart Lung and Blood Institute use a system for working out the health risks associated with obesity and overweight. This is a three part system that will be explained is this article and also the dangers of being overweight.

(1) Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is used as a weight-assessment system which works out a score for you according to your height and weight. The higher your BMI, the higher the risk of developing weight related health problems.

How BMI Classifies Weight:

Under 20 (19 for women) = Underweight
Between 20 and 24.99 = Normal Weight
Between 25 and 29.99 = Overweight
Between 30 and 34.99 = Obese Class 1
Between 35 and 39.99 = Obese Class 2
40 and above = Morbid Obesity

How BMI Classifies Weight-Related Health Risk:

BMI of < 20.00 - Risk = Moderate to Very High
20.00 to 21.99 - Risk = Low
22.00 to 24.99 - Risk = Very Low
25.00 to 29.99 - Risk = Low
30.00 to 34.99 - Risk = Moderate
35.00 to 39.99 - Risk = High
BMI of > 40.00 - Risk = Very High

So what are the dangers of being overweight?

Too much body fat can cause many health problems, these for example:

- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Stroke
- Dyslipidemia
- Insulin Resistance
- Adult-Onset Diabetes (Type 2)
- Sleep Apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Gastro esophageal reflux
- Urinary stress incontinence

The problems with of BMI.

The system has several drawbacks. The weight categories it uses are not universally accepted. Second, it takes no account of muscle-fat ratio. It has a tendancy to overestimate health risks for muscular athletes, while underestimating the risks for older people, which have lost muscle mass. Also there is no allowance made for age or sex in the weight tables.

(2) Waist Circumference

Anyone who has a BMI of 34 or less, the waist circumference provides an independent prediction of risk over and above that of body mass index. Body fat tissue which is stored around in the stomach area and around the abdomen poses a greater health risk than body fat around the lower half of the body.

Some studies have found that abdominal fat plays a huge role in the development of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and heart disease.

What is a Healthy Waist Circumference?

Women

Waist of over 31 inches (about 80cm) - slight health risk.
Waist of over 35 inches (about 90cm) - substantially increased risk.

Men

Waist of over 37 inches (about 94cm) - slight health risk.
Waist of over 40 inches (about 102cm) - substantially increased risk.

(3) More Health Risk Factors

In addition to body mass index and waist measurement, there are more factors to think about when assessing your weight related health. These other factors can include the following:

- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- high LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)
- low HDL-cholesterol ("good" cholesterol)
- high triglycerides
- high blood glucose (sugar)
- family history of premature heart disease
- physical inactivity
- cigarette smoking

As you can see from the three factors above being overeweight can be very dangerous. Please do not panic, you can start on a weight loss program today. Following a weigh loss program that will introduce healthy eating patterns, calorie counting, exercise and motivation is key to you reaching your weight loss goal.

by: Matthew Gendle
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