-
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It's official -- obesity is a major cause of heart
disease, according to the American Heart Association. The organization
has added obesity to its list of major risk factors for heart disease,
which is headed by smoking and also includes high blood cholesterol and
lack of exercise. ``Obesity itself has become a lifelong disease, not a
cosmetic issue, nor a moral judgment, and it is becoming a dangerous epidemic,''
Dr. Robert Eckel, vice-chairman of the AHA's nutrition committee, said
in a statement. ``We want to send a message to both healthcare providers
and the public that the time has come to take obesity seriously.'' The
AHA had until now listed obesity as a ``contributing factor'' to heart
disease. About 53 percent of Americans are overweight according to a standard
measurement known as body mass index (BMI), that compares height to weight.
More than 22 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 to 74 are medically obese.
BMI takes a person's weight in kilograms and divides it by their height
in meters squared. A person who is five feet, seven inches tall and weighs
153 pounds has a BMI of 24, near the high end of normal. That same person
has a BMI of 25, technically overweight, at 159 pounds and is obese, with
a BMI of 30, at 191 pounds. Doctors know it is hard to fight obesity. Behavior
and genetics both act to encourage people to put on weight, and to discourage
losing it. But studies have also shown that a modest weight loss of five
to 10 percent of body weight, just 20 pounds in a 200-pound person, can
reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. ``Healthcare
providers and the public need to accept that obesity is a chronic disease,
just like high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol,'' Eckel said.
``Today, our understanding of obesity and its impact on coronary heart
disease is in its infancy, comparable to our understanding of cholesterol's
role in heart disease in the mid-1970s,'' he said. Obesity is defined as
having too much body fat, but the AHA says that for most purposes being
overweight and being obese are the same thing.
-
- Body Mass Index
-
- A person is obese when his or her body
mass index (BMI) is over 25 -- as measured by their weight in kilograms
divided by height in meters squared. BMI takes into account differing builds.
The following chart shows BMIs for some people as measured in pounds and
inches:
-
- Body Mass
Index (BMI)
-
- 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
-
- Height
Weight
-
- 5 ft 107 112 117 122
127 132 138 143 148 153 158
- 5'1 111 117 122 127
132 138 134 148 154 159 164
- 5'3 119 124 130 135
141 147 152 158 164 169 175
- 5'5 126 132 138 144
150 156 162 168 174 180 186
- 5'7 134 140 147 153
159 166 172 178 185 191 198
- 5'9 142 149 155 162
169 176 182 189 196 203 209
- 5'11 150 157 164 171
179 186 193 200 207 214 221
- 6'1 158 166 174 181
189 196 204 211 219 226 234
- 6'3 167 175 183 191
199 207 215 223 231 239 247
|
Sightings HomePage