By pH health care professionals
Obesity is on
the rise, not only in the United States but around the world. According to the
Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, more than a third of all adults are now
overweight or obese. But despite how common it is to be overweight or obese,
body weight can be a difficult topic to discuss. It is often discussed in the
context of how you look and feel. Just look at all those magazine articles
about getting a “bikini body,” how to “dress right for your body type,” or “how
to love yourself at any size.” But we would be remiss if we didn’t talk to you
about your quality of life and life expectancy too. We want you to love
yourself and love how you look and feel, but we also want you to enjoy a long
and healthy life. So stay with us here. This information may help you change
your life for the better.
What constitutes
“obesity” anyway?
Obesity is
classified as having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30. BMI
is a ratio of your weight and height. It is measured by calculating your weight
in kilograms over your height in centimeters squared (or you can check a handy
chart like this one below). As an example, someone who is 6-feet tall and
weighs 220 lbs. would have a BMI of 30, and would therefore be considered
obese.
Isn’t BMI
flawed?
At the
individual level, BMI can be just one tool doctors use, and is not infallible.
For example, that 6-foot tall person could be a bodybuilder, with his/her
weight mostly in muscle. But overall, especially when looking at populations,
it is an indicator that shows a trend, and in this case, a trend toward higher
BMIs. For a more complete picture of your health, we recommend
getting a body composition analysis done.
How can you
quickly check your BMI?
Check your BMI
with this chart
What should you
know about obesity and life expectancy?
While all levels
of excess fat carry some health risks, extreme obesity may be robbing years from
your life span. BMIs of 40 and up fall into the category of
extreme obesity, also called morbid obesity. To give you a point of reference,
someone who is 6-feet tall and 300 lbs. would have a BMI of 40.
A recently published analysis
of 20 studies from the U.S., Sweden and Australia on adults aged 19-83 with
extreme obesity (specifically, BMIs of 40-59.9) found that their excess
weight resulted in an estimated loss of 6.5 to 13.7 years of life, compared
with having a normal weight.
After
statistical analyses, the researchers found that risk of all-cause death and
death due to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases, increased
with increasing BMI.
BMI
|
Years of Life
Lost
|
40-44
|
6.5
|
45-49
|
8.9
|
50-54
|
9.8
|
55-59
|
13.7
|
What’s more,
a new review by the
American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund adds
another serious illness to the pile of health risks – stomach cancer. Every
five-unit increase in BMI caused a 23 percent increased risk of cancer in the
upper stomach, researchers found.
How can you get
obesity under control?
- Plan to lose weight at a safe pace. Losing more than
three pounds per week may increase your risk of
gallstones. This includes people who go on low-calorie diets or have weight
loss surgery.
- Avoid quick-fix diets and look for
long-term, sustainable lifestyle
changes.
- Work with a doctor and run some tests to
eliminate roadblocks.
- Get a team behind you. Working with
a personal trainer and
nutritionist can help you get better results than trying to do it on your
own.
- Stay accountable. Set goals and
surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Be patient. It’s the
start of a journey.
Enjoy Your
Healthy Life!
