Obesity is a condition where the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals is increased to the point where it may impair health. Obesity in wild animals is relatively rare, but it is common in domestic animals like pigs and household pets who may be overfed and underexercised. In humans it is generally considered to be a leading cause of health problems. Excessive body weight has been shown to predispose to various forms of disease, particularly cardiovascular disease. Interventions, such as weigh ...

Including:

• Obesity - Definition
• Obesity - Etymology
• Obesity - Cultural and social significance
• Obesity - Culture and obesity
• Obesity - Popular culture
• Obesity - Causes
• Obesity - Causative factors
• Obesity - Evolutionary aspects
• Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms
• Obesity - Societal causes
• Obesity - Poverty link
• Obesity - Complications
• Obesity - Therapy
• Obesity - Controversies
• Obesity - Medicalization of obesity
• Obesity - Health effects of obesity
• Obesity - Medical responses to obesity
• Obesity - Prevalence and public interest
• Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia - Obesity

There is continuous debate over obesity, at several levels. While scientific evidence for particular risks and treatments is fairly firm, the evidence informing debates on exact causation, social impact and necessary policy responses is much less clear-cut. In the area of policy and public debate, statistics demonstrating correlations are typically misinterpreted as demonstrating causation, a fallacy known as the spurious relationship. As much of the data is open to interpretation, there have been many "experts" taking positions, as well as policy pressure groups, influencing the debate from various angles. Ob ...

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Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence of obesity in American children

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Controversies

There is continuous debate over obesity, at several levels. While scientific evidence for particular risks and treatments is fairly firm, the evidence informing debates on exact causation, social impact and necessary policy responses is much less clear-cut. In the area of policy and public debate, statistics demonstrating correlations are typically misinterpreted as demonstrating causation, a fallacy known as the spurious relationship. As much of the data is open to interpretation, there have been many "experts" taking positions, as well as policy pressure groups, influencing the debate from various angles. Ob ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Controversies

Obesity - Causative factors. When energy intake exceeds energy expenditure, fat cells (and to a lesser extent muscle and liver cells) throughout the body take in the energy and store it as fat. In its simplest conception, therefore, obesity is only made possible when the lifetime energy intake exceeds lifetime energy expenditure by more than it does for individuals of "normal weight." In all individuals, the excess energy utilized to generate fat reserves is minute relative to the total number of calories ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence of obesity in American children

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Causes

Obesity - Causative factors. Obesity is believed to be caused by excessive caloric intake accompanied with insufficient caloric expenditure. Factors that may contribute to this imbalance include: Limited exercise and sedentary lifestyle Genetic predisposition A high glycemic diet (i.e. a diet that consists of meals that give high postprandial blood sugar) Weight cycling, caused by repeated attempts to lose weight by dieting Underlying illness (e.g. hypothyroidism)< ...

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Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Causes

Obesity, especially central obesity (male-type or waist-predomimant obesity), is an important risk factor for the "metabolic syndrome" ("syndrome X"), the clustering of a number of diseases and risk factors that heavily predispose for cardiovascular disease. These are diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels (combined hyperlipidemia). An inflammatory state is present, which — together with the above — has been implicated in the high prevalence of atherosclerosis (fatty lumps in the arterial wall), and a prothrombotic stat ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence of obesity in American children

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Complications

The mainstay of treatment for obesity is an energy-limited diet and increased exercise. In studies, diet and exercise programs have consistently produced an average weight loss of approximately 8% of total body mass on average (excluding study drop-outs). While not all dieters will be satisfied with this outcome, studies have shown that a loss of as little as 5% of body mass can create enormous health benefits. A more intractable therapeutic problem appears to be weight loss maintenance. Of dieters who manage to lose 10% or more of th ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence of obesity in American children

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Therapy

Obesity is a concept that is being continually redefined. In humans, the most common statistical estimate of obesity is the body mass index (BMI), calculated by dividing the weight by the height squared; its unit is therefore kg/m2, although no actual surface is implied. The BMI was created in the 19th century by the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet. Interpretation of the BMI: A person with a BMI over 25.0 kg/m2 is considered overweight. A BMI over 30.0 kg/m2 de ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Definition

Obesity is a concept that is being continually redefined. In humans, the most common statistical estimate of excess fat mass is the body mass index (BMI), calculated by dividing the weight by the height squared; its unit is therefore kg/m2, although no actual surface is implied. The BMI was created in the 19th century by the Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet. Interpretation of the BMI: A BMI over 25.0 kg/m2 is categorized as overweight. A BMI over 30.0 kg/m2 is c ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence of obesity in American children

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Definition

Obesity, especially central obesity (male-type or waist-predomimant obesity), is an important risk factor for the "metabolic syndrome" ("syndrome X"), the clustering of a number of diseases and risk factors that heavily predispose for cardiovascular disease. These are diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels (combined hyperlipidemia). An inflammatory state is present, which — together with the above — has been implicated in the high prevalence of atherosclerosis (fatty lumps in the arterial wall), and a prothrombotic stat ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Complications

The mainstay of treatment for obesity is an energy-limited diet and increased exercise. Although adherence to this regimen can cure obesity, many patients are unable to make the required sacrifices. In fact there are no studies showing that an energy restricted diet can lead to long term weight loss. It appears that the homeostatic mechanisms regulating body weight are very robust, thus impeding weight loss when attempted using calorie restriction. Recent scientific research has cast some doubt over whether or not dieting actually improves h ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Therapy

Obesity - Culture and obesity. In several human cultures, obesity is associated with attractiveness, strength, and fertility. Some of the earliest known cultural artifacts, known as Venuses, are pocket-sized statuettes representing an obese female figure. Although their cultural significance is unrecorded, their widespread use throughout pre-historic Mediterranean and European cultures suggests a central role for the obese female form in magical rituals, and implies cult ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Cultural and social significance

Obesity - Culture and obesity. In several human cultures, obesity is associated with attractiveness, strength, and fertility. Some of the earliest known cultural artifacts, known as Venuses, are pocket-sized statuettes representing an obese female figure. Although their cultural significance is unrecorded, their widespread use throughout pre-historic Mediterranean and European cultures suggests a central role for the obese female form in magical rituals, and suggests cult ...

See also:

Obesity, Obesity - Definition, Obesity - Etymology, Obesity - Cultural and social significance, Obesity - Culture and obesity, Obesity - Popular culture, Obesity - Causes, Obesity - Causative factors, Obesity - Evolutionary aspects, Obesity - Neurobiological mechanisms, Obesity - Societal causes, Obesity - Poverty link, Obesity - Complications, Obesity - Therapy, Obesity - Controversies, Obesity - Medicalization of obesity, Obesity - Health effects of obesity, Obesity - Medical responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence and public interest, Obesity - Policy responses to obesity, Obesity - Prevalence of obesity in American children

Read more here: » Obesity: Encyclopedia II - Obesity - Cultural and social significance