Psoriasis, Obesity and Heart Disease
People living with psoriasis tend to be overweight or obese. This weight gain usually occurs after the onset of psoriasis; however, researchers do not know if there is a genetic link between psoriasis and obesity. A recent study conducted in Utah found that obesity does not appear to trigger the onset of psoriasis. However, being overweight or obese can increase severity and reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Read more
The Dangers of Smoking and Obesity
Obesity is an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue — tissue that contains fat cells — in relation to lean body mass, or muscles. Doctors measure obesity using Body Mass Index, a mathematical formula in which an individual’s body weight is divided by the square of his or her height. Read more
Understanding and Dealing with Childhood Obesity
According to statistics, more and more children in the UK are becoming overweight and it starts early – with one in ten six-year-olds already identified as obese. If the problem continues into a child’s teens, they are more likely to be obese as adults too. As well as the emotional problems and low self-esteem that affect many overweight children, there are serious health implications. Read more
Weight Loss - What Causes Obesity?
“Obesity” specifically refers to an excessive amount of body fat. “Overweight” refers to an excessive amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. As a rule, women have more body fat than men. Most health care professionals agree that men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are obese. These numbers should not be confused with the body mass index (BMI), however, which is more commonly used by health care professionals to determine the effect of body weight on the risk for some diseases. Read more
Obesity and Nutrition
Obesity is a term used to describe body weight that is much greater than what is considered healthy. There are many ways to determine if a person is obese, but experts believe that a person’s body mass index (BMI) is the most accurate measurement of body fat for children and adults. Adults with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese. Adults with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight. Read more
Obesity and Heart Failure
Severe obesity damages the body by its mechanical, metabolic and physiological adverse effects on normal bodily function. These “co-morbidities” affect nearly every organ in the body in some way, and produce serious secondary illnesses, which may also be life-threatening. The cumulative effect of these co-morbidities can interfere with a normal and productive life and can seriously shorten life, as well. The risk of developing these medical problems is proportional to the degree of obesity. Read more
Reduce Abdominal Fat
A larger girth (due to abdominal fat) has been shown to be linked to increased risk of developing insulin resistance, diabetes, and atherosclerosis (see the first link below). Indeed, waist size is one of the factors considered in establishing the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome, which is becoming gradually more recognized as a ‘marker’ for increased mortality. Read more
Mild Obesity
Paradoxically, even though mild obesity is a disease caused by excess body fat (not excess weight), the standard BMI weight assessment method takes no account of body fat percentage. Thus athletes with a high proportion of muscle mass may be mildly obese even though they are in excellent physical health. Also, BMI is most applicable to the physique of Westerners, and may therefore under-state the health risks of peoples in the Far East who typically weigh less and have a lighter body frame. Read more
Health Dangers of Gastric Bypass
Gastric bypass surgery is rapidly gaining in popularity, and it’s marketed to customers as an effortless solution to losing weight. The idea is seductive: after the surgery, you’ll automatically lose weight, without even trying. But in reality, gastric bypass surgery is a house of horrors. Read more
Abdominal Obesity
If you have metabolic syndrome, you are probably carrying extra weight around your mid-section. That’s because one of the hallmark signs of metabolic syndrome — insulin resistance — causes fat to be stored in dangerous areas, such as deep in the abdomen or around the liver, muscle, heart tissues and beta cells of the pancreas. This type of fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Thankfully, there are things you can do to reverse your risk. Read more
