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Obesity VS Overweight: How to Understand the Difference and Which Doctor to See
25.01.2024 16:30
The problem of excess weight and obesity is becoming increasingly urgent: according to WHO estimates, in the mid-90s there were 200 million people suffering from obesity; by the beginning of the 21st century, this number exceeded 300 million.
Overall, there are about one and a half billion overweight people worldwide, and the number continues to grow steadily.
In most European countries, approximately 20% of the population has been diagnosed with obesity: 21.7% of Russians suffer from the disease, and 40.3% are overweight; in Belarus, in 2017, obesity was recorded in 25.4%, and 60.6% of the population is overweight.
The figures and growth dynamics indicate that the problem of obesity has become an integral part of our society and requires serious and immediate measures.
For example, in Russia alone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 11 million people need bariatric surgery.
What is the fundamental difference?
Before we discuss methods to combat the problem, let's understand the difference between being overweight and being obese.
After all, for most people these terms are often used as synonyms, although in reality they have a significant difference, says Maxim Burikov .
According to WHO, a person is overweight if their BMI (body mass index) is greater than or equal to 25. The diagnosis of obesity in adults is made if the BMI is greater than or equal to 30.
The fundamental difference is that obesity is a medical problem, while overweight is a condition in which a person has a few extra pounds above their normal weight.
But the transition from a problem to a diagnosis occurs gradually, people do not fully realize the threat. Therefore, it should be said that excess weight, even without obesity, already poses a health hazard.
Excess weight
Excess weight does not appear instantly. Its appearance in most cases is associated with the diet, hypodynamia - a sedentary lifestyle.
Bad habits such as alcohol or smoking, consuming large amounts of sugar, sleep disorders, replacing water with other drinks, etc. also influence the appearance of excess body weight. These habits and unhealthy lifestyles are often considered acceptable in modern society.
Therefore, the transition from normal weight to excess weight, and from there to obesity, can occur almost unnoticeably for a person. Such a gradual emergence of the problem imposes certain obligations on a person who wants to take care of his health. They are extremely simple - this is regular monitoring of BMI.
Sociocultural assessments such as “a big man is a strong man” or “there should be a lot of a good man” can divert a person’s focus of attention from the state of his health to categories associated, for example, with aesthetic norms in a given society.
They have nothing to do with precise medical indications and risk factors for human health. It is the BMI that is the key indicator that determines the presence of a problem and the degree of its depth.
You can calculate BMI (Quetelet index) using the formula: body mass index = kg/m².
WHO recommends interpreting the resulting values as follows:
- BMI up to 18.5 – underweight;
- BMI from 18.5 to 25 is normal weight;
- BMI from 25 to 30 is overweight;
- BMI from 30 to 35 – I degree of obesity;
- BMI from 35 to 40 – II degree of obesity;
- BMI over 40 is stage III obesity.
Excess weight (when the indicators can fluctuate from 25 to 30) is not a diagnosis. A person can determine their BMI at any time, but for help in adjusting it, it is worth contacting doctors - therapists, nutritionists, endocrinologists.
These specialists, having collected information about a person’s lifestyle and having studied his/her tests, can help to create the right diet, correct habits, for example, recommend adding physical activity and quitting smoking.
Obesity
Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excess accumulation of fat tissue in the body. It poses a health threat and is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including cancer.
All vital systems are under attack: cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, gastrointestinal, reproductive, etc.
Here are just some of the obesity-related diseases: arterial hypertension, hypoventilation syndrome, type 2 diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux and cholelithiasis, renal failure, menstrual irregularities (in women), the formation of various tumors, etc. The list is significant.
If excess weight has turned into obesity (a person's BMI is above 30), more serious treatment is needed to combat it. Obesity affects the body systemically. It is worth involving both surgeons and specialists in chronic diseases that have already arisen. Treatment methods are selected individually.
But in most cases they include three important components:
- mandatory lifestyle changes;
- the use of special drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases;
- bariatric surgery.
How to Avoid Going from "Overweight" to "Obesity"
The simplicity of the recommendations is that they seem common knowledge and understandable. But there is a difficulty: in reality, people do not have enough information about the difficult consequences of obesity and the dangers of chronic diseases that arise with it.
As a result, people lack the necessary level of motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
There is still a widespread misconception in society that poor nutrition is a lack of food, and not a violation of the KBZhU.
People mistakenly believe that eating well means eating large, filling portions of food that contain starchy foods, sugar, and animal fat. And they forget about fiber, protein, and healthy plant fats.
To avoid the transition from normal weight to overweight or obesity, follow these guidelines:
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- Maintain a regimen of adequate nutrition, water consumption and sleep;
- get rid of bad habits;
- monitor your psychological state - stress has a detrimental effect on the body;
- Monitor your BMI regularly;
- If your BMI is higher than normal (even slightly), consult a doctor.
Earlier, the expert spoke about how stress affects weight change.
