View source for Obestiy

Obesity is a term used by medical personnel to describe someone who is [[Overweight|overweight]] and has a large amount of [[Fat|fat]] content<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>.

Obesity can be measured by a person’s [[Body mass index|body mass index]] (BMI) which takes into consideration a person’s weight and height&nbsp;<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>. A BMI between 30 and 40 would mean that that person would be considered as obese<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>. A healthy BMI is between 18 and 24. Above and below this range is considered to be unhealthy due to lack or overindulgence in food.

Obesity is a huge burden on health services as obesity increases the chances of a person developing other [[Disease|diseases]] such as [[Type II diabetes|Type II diabetes]], [[Heart disease|heart disease]] and types of [[Cancer|cancer]]&nbsp;<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>.<br>Obesity is mainly caused by a person ‘input’ being more than their ‘output’ i.e. they eat more calories than what they burn off<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>. Hence, some calories are unused and the body stores this as [[Fat|fat]]&nbsp;<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>. Lifestyle factors contribute greatly to obesity. A [[Diet|diet highly]] processed, high in fat, sugar and salt is more likely to cause obesity than a balanced and healthy diet.

Weight gain can also be triggered by a variety of conditions such as [[Polycystic ovary syndrome|polycystic ovary syndrome]]&nbsp;<ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref><ref>National Health Service (NHS), Obesity conditions profile. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/pages/introduction.aspx (last accessed 30.11.2012)</ref>.&nbsp; 

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