Obesity facts and figures

According to some researches, 1/3 of all the adults in the world are overweight and one out of every ten is obese. Just in the United Kingdom, 24.2% of all adults are obese and 66.9% are overweight. Studies claim that more than 400,000 people in Europe die because of some weight problem each year. People who suffer from obesity and extra pounds have a greater chance of succumbing to death because of diabetes, kidney or liver disease. These people have 40% more chance of ending up dead because of some vascular disorder and 20% more chance because of a respiratory disorder. Obese people have a 10% more chance of death caused by some type of cancer. People need to know that they should not lose hope because there is a way to prevent all that from happening. The first step towards the cure is to find out what obesity actually is.

Obesity

Lots of people mistake obesity for just a couple of extra pounds. However, that is not the case. A person whose body mass index or BMI is 30 or higher is considered to be obese. A BMI of 25 or higher means that the person is overweight. In most cases, a person who is classified as overweight will eventually become obese. In order to prevent that from happening a person should make sure that he or she does not become overweight. If a person does become overweight, he or she should immediately seek a way to get rid of those extra pounds. How dangerous obesity is?

Apart from the fact that a person may die prematurely, there are other dangers that come with obesity. A person who is obese will suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes almost certainly. These disorders will not make his or her life any easier. A person with these ailments cannot consume all the food he or she wants or take part in activities that can be damaging for the heart. An obese person will also suffer from gallstones, sleeping disorders, depression and osteoarthritis.

In such a situation a person should immediately start consuming a healthy diet and exercise regularly in order to get rid of the unnecessary weight. A person should include more fruits and vegetables, nuts and grains into the diet. He or she should also exclude fat-calorie consumption and sugars. Once he or she has reached the ideal weight, a person should try to keep it. However, there are people who cannot lose weight that simple and are in need of certain medical aid. Swimming or jogging for half an hour are excellent exercises in these situations.

Medicines available for the treatment of obesity

If a healthy diet and exercises do not bring the wanted results a person can try with some medicines like Xenical orlistat and Reductil sibutramine. However, before using any of these a person should talk to a doctor.