Obesity Symptoms and Facts

Obesity, mainly caused by food intake is a condition when a person stores fat more than what is considered normal which causes serious problems for the health. The causes of obesity may include genetic problem, lack of physical activity and poor lifestyle. To measure obesity and to define who is obese, a general formula is to compare the amount of weight and height which is called body mass index or BMI.

Symptoms of obesity:

Although fat and overweight are considered main obesity symptoms, but a healthier looking person can be the victim of obesity. Obesity is not only a weight problem rather it is considered as a disease and that is why you need to be aware of the symptoms of obesity. Obesity brings with it some severe complications for your health. It's not only a question mark on your look, it's more than that. Below are the symptoms of obesity.

• Breathing problems

• Large body frame and big belly

• Joint pain and reduced mobility

• Back pain

• High cholesterol

• Heart disease

• High Blood Pressure

• Depression and headache

• Diseases related to liver

Apart from the above mentioned symptoms obesity signs can include lethargy and heavy snoring. The irony with obesity is that by the time you know that you are in the category of obese people, you would already have gained enough weight.

Facts about obesity

Obesity has become an epidemic in recent years. The number of obese people has more than doubled worldwide since 1980.The problem is so acute that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised it as an epidemic.WHO marks obesity or overweight as the fifth global risk of causing deaths worldwide.The problem of obesity is less acute in the age group of 20-60 and the people of over the age of 60 are more affected. Health Organisation (WHO), in its global study of overweight people, in 2008, came up with some severe facts on obesity. Below are some.

• The problem is global and is the reason of at least 2.8 million deaths each year worldwide.

• In United States, some 70% people are affected by obesity which has become a major cause of death also.

• The fun associated with the problem of obesity is that it is also causing some problems for airlines and they have to spend more fuel in order to manage with overweight people.

• Nearly 1.5 billion people of more than the age of 20 are overweight.

• The problem is greater in women. Around 300 million women are overweight in comparison of 200 million men. In 2010, according to WHO, around 43 million children under the age of five were the in the grip of obesity.

The problem is not limited to developed countries. Recently, it has spread to developing countries and even to the underdeveloped countries. The astonishing fact is that moreobese children are living in developing countries in comparison of developed countries.