Understand Your Risk
Being overweight or obese is not about vanity—it's about your health . It means you're at an increased risk for developing many health problems and diseases, such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and many more, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
If you're here, you've already taken the most important step – knowing your weight status. You're now empowered to take charge of your health, which can begin now by making small changes in behavior to manage your weight and, ultimately, your health risk.
This section provides information on obesity-related health problems and diseases, in addition to other knowledgeable websites. While informative, it is not intended to take place of a conversation with your doctor.
For more comprehensive information on obesity-related health conditions and diseases visit your doctor, WebMD or the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The terms "overweight" and "obesity" refer to a person's overall body weight and whether it's too high. Overweight is having extra body weight from muscle, bone, fat, and/or water. Obesity is having a high amount of extra body fat. Source Fuente National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, part of the National Institutes for Health and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
The most common way to find out whether you're overweight or obese is to figure out your body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of body fat, and it's a good gauge of your risk for diseases that occur with more body fat. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk of disease. Source Fuente National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, part of the National Institutes for Health and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Being overweight is among the top three preventable factors for early death in the U.S. Source Source Harvard School of Public Health. “Press Release: Smoking, High Blood Pressure and Being Overweight Top Three Preventable Causes of Death in U.S.,” April 27, 2009. March 24, 2011.
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