Obesity (a body mass index of 30 or higher)

The term obesity is used to describe the health condition of anyone significantly above his or her ideal healthy weight. Don’t be discouraged by the term. It simply means you are 20% or more above your ideal weight and you are not alone. Between 60 and 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese. Being obese puts you at a higher risk for health problems such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and more.

Obesity Statistics

• About 12 million (16.9%) of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 are obese.
• Nearly one in three (31.7%) U.S. children (23,500,000) ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese.
• Over one-third (33.7%) of U.S. adults are obese (nearly 75 million adults).

Your healthiest weight

Everyone needs a goal and we need positive reasons to achieve those goals. Even taking off a few pounds can provide you with cardiovascular benefits, so every step in the right direction is a step toward healthier living. Consider these reasons to work toward maintaining a healthy weight.

When your weight is in a healthy range:

• Your body more effectively circulates blood
• Your fluid levels are more easily managed
• You are less likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and sleep apnea.

Obesity is defined simply as too much body fat. Your body is made up of water, fat, protein, carbohydrate and various vitamins and minerals. If you have too much fat — especially around your waist — you're at higher risk for health problems, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

• raises blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• lowers HDL "good" cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is linked with lower heart disease and stroke risk, so reducing it tends to raise the risk.
• raises blood pressure levels.
• can induce diabetes. In some people, diabetes makes these other risk factors much worse. The danger of heart attack is especially high for these people.

Even when there are no adverse effects on the known risk factors, obesity by itself increases risk of heart disease. It also harms more than just the heart and blood vessel system. It's a major cause of gallstones and can worsen degenerative joint disease.

Obesity is mainly caused by taking in more calories than are used up in physical activity and daily life. When people eat too many calories, or too much saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, their blood cholesterol levels often rise. That raises their risk of heart disease.