Obesity Explained
Obesity is not simply being ‘a bit overweight’ or even ‘fat’, it is a disease state that affects over 60% of Australians1, causing or aggravating serious health conditions, compromising wellbeing & ultimately reducing the quality of life and even life expectancy. Did you know that ‘morbid obesity’ (having a BMI 40+) can be as bad for you as smoking2?
Being obese can contribute to a range of life-threatening illness3, 4 including:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Sleep apnoea
- Hypertension
- Stroke
- Coronary artery disease
- Respiratory problems
- Gallbladder disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Dislipidaemia
- Some types of cancers
Find out more about obesity:
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Health Survey Summary of Results 2007-2008. Cat No. 4364.0, Australian Government, Canberra, 2009
- Prospective Studies Collaboration. Body-Mass Index and Cause-Specific Mortality in 900,000 Adults: Collaborative Analyses of 57 Prospective Studies. The Lancet, 2009; 373:1083-96
- NHMRC, Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Government, Canberra, 2003.
- McGee DL and The Diverse Populations Collaborations, Body Mass Index and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis Based on Person-Level Data from Twenty Six Observational Studies, Ann Epidemiol, 2005; 15(2):87-97