Excessive accumulation of body fat.
A body mass index above 30 is considered to be obesity (and above 40 gross obesity).
The desirable range of BMI for optimum life expectancy is 20-25; between 25 and 30 is considered to be overweight rather than obesity.
Marijuana smokers are thinner and less likely to be obese as compared to non-smokers, revealrd by French researches in a recent study published. Researchers found that people who smoke marijuana regularly are less likely to be obese than non-pot smokers. Researchers analyzed data from two large national surveys of the American population, which together included
The potato’s stereotype as a fattening food for health-conscious folks to avoid is getting another revision today as scientists report that just a couple servings of spuds a day reduces high blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain. High blood pressure is a medical condition. Scientists reported on the research, done
Obesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals—molecules tied to aging and tissue damage—are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity. The image shows
The rising prevalence of obesity around the globe places an increasing burden on the health of populations, on healthcare systems and on overall economies.
A major challenge for researchers is to quantify the effect of these burdens to inform public policies.
The number of people who are obese and suffer one or more of its associated health problems (including type 2 diabetes) is escalating dramatically. Researchers are seeking to identify new targets for therapeutics that could limit appetite and thereby obesity. A team of researchers, led by Scott Waldman, at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, has now
Obese individuals often perform poorly in reasoning and planning tasks and, likewise, those with poor cognitive function are more vulnerable to excessive weight gain. The controversial findings, published in the international journal Obesity Reviews, suggests that obesity should be treated, at least in part, as a brain condition, similar to anorexia nervosa. This could mean
The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma is increasing partly because of a link between asthma and obesity. Several factors lead to asthma-like symptoms in obese patients, including the mechanical effect of increased body mass index on lung volumes, which increases the work required for breathing. Researchers from the Countess of Chester Hospital and the University of
University of Adelaide research has shown for the first time that obesity directly causes electrical abnormalities of the heart. Cardiologist and PhD candidate Dr Hany Abed says there is growing evidence that obesity changes the structure and size of the heart muscle and the way it works and contracts, as well as its electrical function.
A new tool — the Edmonton obesity staging system (EOSS) — improves on current methods to predict the risk of death in overweight and obese people, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Body mass index (BMI) is the most common tool in measuring excess fat, although it is an indirect measure
Why is stress one of the underlying contributors to obesity? A recent discovery, published this week in the journal Neuron, could provide important insight into its mechanism. Researchers in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine have uncovered a mechanism by which stress increases food drive in rats. Normally,