Around 280,000 adult deaths that occur each year in the U.S. are related to obesity.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. That is an astounding 72 million fat Americans. Several serious medical conditions are associated with being overweight. These include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain types of cancers.

Other health problems that are linked to obesity include liver disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout, breathing problems, and reproductive problems. Emotional suffering is probably the most painful aspect of obesity. Our society favors attractive slim people and overweight people are viewed as gluttonous, lazy, and overweight individuals face prejudice and discrimination in the job market, as well as in social situations.

Research supports that there is a direct link between body fat composition and the development of certain health conditions. The latest data confirms that fat loss, not weight loss, can extend human life expectation. To determine obesity, it is recommended that physicians use the Body Mass Index (BMI).

The BMI has become the medical standard for measuring weight. This index is a simple calculation to determine the height to weight ratio and it correlates the person’s physical stature with mortality ratios. BMI uses a mathematical formula and equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (BMI = kg/m2). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) define being overweight as having a BMI of 25 to 30. Obesity is indicated by a BMI equal to or greater than 30.

What Causes Obesity ?

There are many causes of obesity. When a person consumes more calories than he or she burns, it can lead to an imbalance. The first is the genetic link. Since you find that obese parents tend to have obese children, there is a suggested genetic cause. Because families share diet and lifestyle habits, it is difficult to determine how much of a role heredity plays. Environment is another cause that strongly influences weight and body fat percentages.

Most Americans do not get enough physical activity and diets are high in fat content. Research supports that psychological factors influence eating habits, as well. Many people who are bored, sad, or angry may eat in response to their feelings. Finally, there are some illnesses that lead to obesity. These include Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism, depression, and certain neurological problems.

What Does Percentage Mean ?

Your body fat percentage is simply the amount of fat your body contains. If you weigh 150 pounds and 10% of it is fat, this means that your body consists of 15 pounds of fat and 135 pounds of muscle, bone, organ tissue, blood, and everything else. Now, a certain amount of body fat is necessary for essential bodily functions. Fat regulates body temperature and it cushions and insulates the organs and tissues of the body.

The ideal weight and fat-lean ratio varies for men and women but the minimum percentage of body fat that is considered healthy is 5 percent for males and 12% for females. Average adult body fat is 15 to 18% for men and 22 to 25% for women.

The following table represents body fat by percentage and explains what is acceptable and what is classified as obese.

Calculating Body Fat Percentage ?

There are several methods to calculate the body fat percentage. At HealthEnclave we use BMI values to calculate the body fat percentage. This method is as accurate as other methods of calculating the body fat. To calculate your body fat use our body fat calculator which is inbuilt into the bmi calculator.

What are the Types of Body Fat ?

Many people don’t know that there are different types of fat. Fat is used by the body to release hormones that control metabolism and store excess calories. The first type of fat is brown fat which has gotten a lot of attention from scientist recently. It has been discovered that lean people have more brown fat than overweight and obese people. When it is stimulated, it can actually burn calories. The next type of fat is white fat, which is much more plentiful than brown fat. White fat stores energy and produces hormones like insulin and adiponectin.

The third type of body fat is subcutaneous fat and it is found directly under the skin. Subcutaneous fat does not appear to cause the problems that the deeper visceral fat causes. Visceral or “deep” fat is the fourth type of body fat. It wraps around the inner organs and plays a role in insulin resistance, the condition that puts you at risk for diabetes. The fifth type of body fat is belly fat. It has a much deserved bad reputation and is both visceral and subcutaneous. Having abdominal fat puts you at a much higher health risk than if your fat was contained in the hips and thighs.

How is Central Obesity Harmful?

Experts have been discussing “apple” shape versus “pear” shape for years. Researchers believe that having central obesity (also called central adiposity, intra-abdominal fat, or belly fat) puts you at a higher cardiovascular disease risk than if your body fat is otherwise distributed. When determining health risks, the location of the fatty tissue is now thought to be equally important as total body fat.

It has been found that fat stored around the waist is a better predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and is also associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Waist circumference is a general guide to evaluating whether you are apple-shaped or pear-shaped. If you are a man, a healthy waist is less than 40 inches. If you are a female, you should have a measurement less than 35 inches. Any number above this increases your chance of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Researchers with the NIH found that increasing soluble fiber in the diet decreases visceral fat stores. This information was attained during a five-year study of people who ate 10 grams of soluble fiber per day. The belly fat in these persons was reduced by almost 4% over the five-year time frame. The lead investigator, Kristen Hairston, M.D., stated “We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and fatty liver disease and our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big impact.”