Both Overweight and Obesity imply a condition of excess weight of a person.
Being overweight means having more body weight than is considered normal or healthy for one’s age or build. While an overweight person will carry excess weight, he may or may not have excess accumulation of fat. On the other hand, a person is considered obese if they are more than 20% over their ideal weight, or more precisely defined by the National Institute of Health (the NIH) as a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 and above.
Obesity is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity, one of the most pressing health problems in the United States, has doubled among adults and more than tripled among children since the 1980s. It can reduce life expectancy by an average of 3 to10 years, depending on how severe.
Overeating is not the only reason someone might be overweight; other causes include a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise, metabolic or eating disorders, or medical conditions like thyroid problems or other types of hormonal imbalance. Disabilities that inhibit exercise and food allergies can also contribute to someone being overweight or even obese.
Obesity is a major risk factor for serious health problems including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Though an overweight person also faces a risk of these medical problems, an obese person is more susceptible to them.
Obese people are at high risk of depression and other social problems. Obesity is an excess of body fat sufficient to shorten one’s life span and make one susceptible to a greater amount of illness than would occur if the body weight were normal. Calorific imbalance that results often develops from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. A combination of an excessive nutrient intake and a sedentary lifestyle are the main cause for the rapid acceleration of obesity.
Obesity can also cause a number of difficulties with daily activities such as breathlessness, increased sweating, snoring, difficulty doing physical activity, low energy, joint and back pain, low confidence, self-esteem and feeling isolated.
