Overweight and obesity. Both terms are very often mentioned in dietary articles, press and books on healthy eating. As it turns out, not everyone knows what the difference between them is and mistakenly uses them as synonyms. In the following article, we explain the difference between being overweight and obese. We present the causes of their development and health effects.
Overweight and obesity
Overweight and obesity are separate terms for two different conditions. Unfortunately, due to insufficient knowledge, many people use them interchangeably. Both refer to excessive body fat accumulated in the body. In the case of overweight, there is less weight compared to obesity, but in both states these amounts are higher than considered optimal.
When a person is diagnosed to be overweight, it means that their body weight and body fat amount is higher than normal for their height, age, and gender. In the body of an overweight person, excessive body fat is deposited gradually. If no action is taken at this stage, in the form of changing eating habits and increasing the amount of exercise, there is a high probability of developing obesity.
Obesity is a disease. It is worth emphasizing, because excess weight is not classified in this way. Obesity means that the body fat content is much higher than normal and is a serious burden on the entire body. This affects not only physical health, but also mental health.
What is overweight?
As previously emphasized, being overweight has not been classified as a disease. However, this does not mean that it can be underestimated. Ignoring it and continuing unhealthy eating habits are very likely to lead to the development of obesity, and this condition is very unfavorable for the body.
How to check if our body weight is normal or too high? The simplest method used for the majority of the population is to assess the body mass index, or BMI (Body Mass Index). It is worth noting that BMI is not a perfect indicator. It does not apply to children and adolescents, athletes and people with extensive musculature, as well as pregnant women.
To calculate your BMI, divide your body weight expressed in kilograms by your height expressed in meters and raised to the power of two. A normal BMI value is in the range of 18.5 to 24.99 kg/m2. Overweight is diagnosed when the BMI value is between 25 and 29.99 kg/m2.
What is obesity?
Obesity is a chronic medical condition that occurs with a significant amount of excessive fat accumulated in the body. Obesity puts a serious strain on all body systems – m.in. circulatory, respiratory – and joints. In addition, it is the cause of the development of many metabolic diseases. Obesity shortens the life expectancy. What is more, it can contribute to a deteriorated mental condition and worse functioning in society.
Classification of obesity
As in the case of overweight, obesity is diagnosed, m.in, on the basis of the BMI index. According to the adopted classification, there are three degrees of obesity:
first-degree obesity – when the BMI value is in the range of 30 to 34.99 kg/m2,
obesity of the second degree – when the BMI value is in the range of 35 to 39.99 kg/m2,
obesity of the third degree – when the BMI value is in the range of 40 kg/m2 and above.
Obesity can also be classified depending on the distribution of adipose tissue in the body. Taking this into account, there are three types of obesity:
abdominal obesity – also known as visceral obesity or apple obesity,
femorogluteal obesity – also known as gynoid or pear-shaped obesity,
generalized obesity – when adipose tissue is evenly distributed throughout the body.