Overweight due to fat accumulation in the body.
The principal indicator of obesity is the body mass index (BMI).
BMI is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters (BMI = kg/m2).
The accepted definitions of fat level according to BMI are:
BMI less than 18.5 – underweight
BMI between 18.5 – 24.9 – normal weight
BMI between 25.0 – 29.9 – mild overweight
BMI between 30.0 – 39.9 – substantial overweight
BMI more than 40.0 – severe/morbid obesity
An additional index evaluating the obesity status is the waist to hip ratio (WHR).
Many recent medical studies confirmed the association between obesity and the development of Hypertension, Diabetes, cardiac diseases and certain kinds of cancer.
