Body weight doesn't tell much about health and fitness status. A crucial part of determining how much one should weigh has to do with what makes up that weight - a healthy ratio of muscle, bone, and fat.
Weight management means keeping your body weight at a healthy level. Obesity is a term used to describe body weight that is greater than what is considered healthy. Underweight is a term used to describe body weight that is lower than a healthy weight.
Causes - Obesity
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Genetic factors
- Weight cycling, caused by many attempts to lose weight by crash dieting
- Eating disorders/ Unhealthy eating
- Stress
Causes - Underweight
- Malnutrition
- Anorexia nervosa
- Tuberculosis
- Hyperthyroidism
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Excessive exercising
Risk factors associated with Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia)
- Certain cancers (colon, prostate, breast)
- Osteoarthritis
Risk factors associated with Underweight
- Anemia and nutrient deficiencies
- Bone loss resulting in osteoporosis
- Heart irregularities and blood vessel diseases
- Amenorrhea (absence of menstruation in women)
- Increased vulnerability to infection and disease
Did you know?
Globally, there are more than 300 million obese individuals
