Is your Weight a Health Risk?
According
to a study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 9
out of every 10 Australian adults are living with at least one risk factor
for cardiovascular disease.
Among these risk factors, obesity ranks very highly among tobacco smoking,
physical inactivity, low fruit consumption, low vegetable consumption,
risky alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol
and diabetes.
This article explores obesity related health risks and
identifies some techniques commonly used to assess them.
Obesity related health risks.
Obesity is a serious medical condition, and in addition to increasing our
risk of cardiovascular disease is also associated with a wide range of chronic
and life-threatening conditions and severe health complications.
In fact, Obesity has been linked with all of the following diseases and
conditions:
- Heart Disease
- Certain cancers (post-menopausal breast, colon and endometrial cancer)
- Type 2 diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Breathlessness
- Gallbladder disease
- Reproductive hormone abnormalities
- Sleep apnoea
- Osteoarthritis (knees)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Insulin resistance
- High uric acid levels and gout
- Impaired fertility
- Low back pain
- Increased anaesthetic risk
- Foetal defects associated with maternal obesity
- Abnormal lipid / body fat profile
Techniques for assessing our weight related health risk.
According to the American National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
the assessment of risk associated with being overweight involves using three
key measures:
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Waist circumference, and
- Risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity.
The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference
measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional
risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases.
What is Your Risk?
1. Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk
of disease and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does
have some limits. These limits include:
- Potentially overestimating the body fat in athletes and those with muscular builds.
- Potentially underestimating body fat in older people and others who have lost muscle mass.
- Not taking into consideration weight gain during pregnancy. Pregnant women should contact a health professional to assure appropriate weight gain during pregnancy.
For your convenience, a BMI calculator is available for you to use free
of charge on this website.
The BMI calculator is very easy to use and there are full instructions listed
on the BMI Calculator page.
To navigate to and use this calculator simply click on this link: BMI Calculator
or go to the main menu and you'll find a direct link to the BMI calculator
under Weight Loss > Tools > BMI Calculator.
2. Waist Circumference
Waist circumference is a good indicator of your abdominal fat which is another
predictor of your risk for developing heart disease and other serious medical
conditions.
To correctly determine your waist circumference, place a measuring tape
snugly around your waist at the level of your belly button.
As a general guide, health risks are said to increases with a waist measurement
of over:
- 102 centimetres or 40 inches in men and
- 88 centimetres or 35 inches in women.
The table below, Risks of Obesity-Associated Diseases by BMI and Waist Circumference, provides you with an idea of whether your BMI combined with your waist circumference increases your risk for developing obesity associated diseases or conditions.
Classification of Overweight
and Obesity by BMI, Waist Circumference,
and Associated Disease Risks |
||||
Disease Risk* Relative to Normal Weight
and Waist Circumference |
||||
BMI |
Obesity Class |
Men < 102
& Women < 88 cm |
Men > 102
&
Women > 88 cm
|
|
Underweight | <18.5 |
- |
- |
- |
Normal | 18.5 - 24.9 |
- |
- |
- |
Overweight | 25.0 - 29.9 |
- |
Increased |
High |
Obesity | 30.0 - 34.9 |
I |
High |
Very High |
35.0 - 39.9 |
II |
Very High |
Very High |
|
Extreme Obesity | 40.0 + |
III |
Extremely High |
Extremely High |
Source: NHLBI.
* Disease risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and CVD.
+ Increased waist circumference can also be a marker for increased risk even in persons of normal weight.
3. Other Risk Factors
Besides being overweight or obese, there are additional risk factors to
consider, namely:
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- high LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)
- low HDL-cholesterol ("good" cholesterol)
- high triglycerides
- high blood glucose (sugar)
- family history of premature heart disease
- physical inactivity
- cigarette smoking
Overall assessment and NHLBI recommendations.
If you fall into the obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) or overweight
categories (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and have two or more of the other risk factors
listed above, the NHLBI recommends weight loss.
Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) can help
to lower your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity.
Overweight people who do not have a high waist measurement, and have less
than 2 risk factors may need to prevent further weight gain rather than lose
weight.
To be sure about your particular situation, talk to your doctor to see if
you are at an increased risk and if you should lose weight.
Conclusion.
According to a new study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare,
9 out of every 10 Australian adults are living with at least one risk factor
for cardiovascular disease.
For a growing number of us, this risk factor is, or includes obesity.
Obesity is a serious medical condition that is associated with a wide range
of chronic and life-threatening conditions and severe health complications.
If you think that your current weight may be putting your health at risk,
you now know how to assess that risk yourself using the information and tools
provided above.
As always though, in addition to conducting an initial self-assessment,
we encourage you to speak with your doctor and get professional advice on
the status of your most valuable asset - your health.
Thanks for visiting weightloss.com.au.
© Copyright Ultimate Weightloss.
This article was written by Scott Haywood.
Scott is the editor of weightloss.com.au. Scott has developed an expertise in fitness and nutrition, and their roles in weight loss, which led him to launch weightloss.com.au in 2005. Today, weightloss.com.au provides weight loss and fitness information, including hundreds of healthy recipes, weight loss tools and tips, articles, and more, to millions of people around the world, helping them to lead happier, healthier, lives.
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