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20 Facts On
Obesity
Think about the 20 facts on obesity listed below. They show us that the
food we eat affects many areas of our lives.
Change to a healthy vegan
diet and you can lose weight without dieting. Your life will improve in
dozens of ways.
How we define obesity
- 1. The obesity definition is simple: we have
too much body fat. Men
are obese if fat makes
up more than 25% of their body weight. Women are obese at more than 30%
body fat.
- 2. It is difficult to measure our percent of
body
fat without special equipment. Instead, health
professionals use a formula based on height and weight to estimate body
fat. It is called the body mass index (BMI).
- 3. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is normal weight.
25.0 to 29.9 is overweight.
30.0 to 39.9 is obese.
40.0 and above is extremely obese.
- 4. The waist to hip ratio (WHR) is another
measure of obesity. The ideal WHR for a woman is 0.7 and for a
man, 0.9. Numbers higher than these ideal numbers indicate a health
risk.
Statistics on obesity
- 5. Recent studies show that 34% of
American adults are obese. Another 34% are overweight.
- 6. Even more disturbing, 17% of
American children are obese. Another 15% are overweight.
- 7. In many other countries, obesity rates are
also increasing rapidly.
Obesity and health
problems
- 8. Obesity is linked with high cholesterol,
high blood pressure, and
high triglycerides. These all raise the risk of heart disease.
- 9. Obesity is a major factor in causing type 2
diabetes.
- 10. Obesity increases the risk of many
cancers, inclusing breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.
- 11. Obesity contributes
to osteoarthritis and lower back pain.
- 12. Recent studies show that obesity is linked
with brain atrophy. This increases the risk of dementia as people get
older.
Obesity and emotional health
- 13. Obesity makes life more difficult. It is
harder to tie your shoes, fit in an airplane seat, or find a
mate.
- 14. Obese people are stigmatized by society.
Many normal weight people look down on obese people.
- 15. Employers discriminate against
obese people in hiring, pay increases, and promotions.
- 16. Obesity is a cause of depression
in women.
- 17. Obese children rate their quality of life
as being even lower than do children who have cancer.
Obesity and length of life
- 18. Mortality rates are lowest in people
with BMIs between 22.5 and 25.0.
- 19. A BMI greater than 32 doubles your
mortality rate.
- 20. The life expectancy of obese people is 6 to
7 years shorter than
that of normal weight people.
Help eliminate obesity
There are people in both of our families who are obese, and we love
them dearly. They are smart, competent, and fun to be with. They
handle their obesity with courage and grace. But that doesn't
mean that it is easy for them.
After reading these 20 facts on obesity, think about your own
family, your
friends, and the obese people you encounter every day. Share some
healthy snacks or recipes with them. Tell them about this website. A
vegan weight loss diet may sound radical at first. However, it
is super healthy and most important, it works. |
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