Obesity is Associated with Serious Health Consequences
Obesity represents a state of excess storage of body fat and has recently been declared a disease by the American Medical Association. Although several classifications and definitions for degrees of obesity are accepted, the most widely accepted classifications are those from the World Health Organization (WHO), based on Body Mass Indix (BMI).
The WHO designations include the following:
- Grade 1 overweight (commonly and simply called overweight) - BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m2
- Grade 2 overweight (commonly called obesity) - BMI of 30-39.9 kg/m2
- Grade 3 overweight (commonly called severe or morbid obesity) - BMI greater than or equal to 40 kg/m2