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Severe, or morbid, obesity affects more than one
million American's and over 14 Million people
worldwide. It is the most serious health hazard
known; a recent study by the Rand Corporation
revealed that morbid obesity is more damaging to
health than smoking, excessive alcohol drinking
and poverty.
Obesity is increasing worldwide, with the
fastest growth being in the Asia-Pacific region
and developing nations in general.
Various tools are used to measure obesity. The
most common right now is the Body Mass Index or
BMI. This is an imperfect tool and especially
underestimates obesity in Asians.
An individual is considered obese if the BMI is
greater than 30 and severely obese if it is over
35. A common way to estimate severe obesity is
75 to 100 pounds over ideal body weight.
Genetic, psychological, environmental and other
factors may play a role in obesity.
Morbid obesity can lead to serious health
problems as it often affects the heart, lungs,
muscles and bones which are major components of
the body. Studies show that there are
significant health conditions associated with
morbid obesity including: |
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Heart
Failure |
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High
Cholesterol |
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Asthma |
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Diabetes |
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Sleep Apnea |
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Hypertension |
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Esophageal
Reflux |
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Degenerative Joint
Disease |
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Also, obesity is a cause of increased risk of
death in Diabetics (Click
for article).
Conservative
therapies have been unsuccessful, with failure
rates over 95%. Gastric Bypass Surgery has
proven more than 90% successful long term and is
now universally accepted as the "Gold
Standard" treatment for morbid obesity.
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