Obesity is a disease characterized by excessive body fat. It is defined as a condition where a person has a BMI (body mass index) over 30. A normal BMI is less than 25. Morbid obesity is a BMI greater than 35. As a person’s BMI increases, so does the risk for developing obesity-related conditions and premature death. People who are medically obese usually are affected by behavior, genetic and environmental factors that are difficult to control with dieting. Obesity increases the likelihood of certain diseases and other related health problems such as hypertension, Type II Diabetes, and sleep apnea.
Obesity has become the leading health risk and the most serious disease epidemic in this country. Approximately 70% of Americans are overweight and 16 million are morbidly obese. In 2004, 61 percent of Michigan adults were overweight or obese. Obesity has become the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.