Obesity

For the health professional, it is important obesity is recognised, understood, and managed appropriately, due to its high correlation with an increased incidence of a number of diseases. Obesity can be measured with highly sophisticated equipment, but a more practical evaluation in general clinical use is body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing a weight in kilograms by their height in metres squared. A BMI of 20 to 25 is normal, with greater than 30 being defined as obese (Cotran, 1999).

The effects of obesity are related not only to the amount of fat but to the distribution. Central or visceral obesity, where fat accumulates around the trunk and in the abdominal cavity, is considered to be of higher risk than diffusely distributed subcutaneous fat (Cotran, 1999).

Obesity increases the risk of several conditions including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, coronary artery disease (Cotran, 1999). The pathomechanics of these relationships is complex, and they are probably interrelated. It is known that obesity is associated with insulin resistance, an important factor in type 2 diabetes (Payne, 2000; Cotran, 1999). It is proposed that hyperinsulinaemia is also involved in sodium retention and hence hypertension.

Obese people typically have high low-density lipoprotein levels, decreased high-density lipoprotein values, increasing the risk of coronary artery disease (Bowker et al, 2001; Cotran, 1999).

Content Approved by: Head of Department
Page maintained by: Podiatry Webmaster
Last Updated: October 24th, 2001