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Obesity Causes and Diagnosis

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Obesity

According to the 2003-2004 National Center for Health Statistics survey, almost one-third of American adults are considered obese. If the patterns of the past 20 years continue, that percentage will continue to grow. Obesity is a difficult condition to deal with, but it can be curbed or even prevented with lifestyle changes, especially where diet and physical activity are concerned. The Internet has many resources to help you research, understand, and eventually prevent or control obesity. For a Spanish-language version of the Guide, click here.

What Is Obesity?

Any amount of extra fat that your body has to carry can be harmful to your health, but your health ... read more »

Obesity Causes and Diagnosis

Obesity can be caused by a number of environmental and physical factors, but diagnosing obesity is somewhat more straightforward. It is best to work with your doctor to determine how much, if any, weight you need to lose but, because obesity is mainly determined by how much body fat you carry around, you can get a rough idea of where you stand weight-wise by using a few online tools.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • If you are obese, the Internet can give you plenty of information but your physician can look at your specific medical records to determine your specific cause and help you decide on a plan of action to help improve your health.
  • BMI refers to your Body Mass Index; it is a measure of the relationship between your height and weight and can help determine if you are at a healthy weight for your height.
  • Some Web sites offer BMI charts or calculators to help you determine if you are at a healthy weight; use these tools merely as a rough guide, but talk to you doctor to help you understand what your body mass index means (your health is not as straightforward as a simple math calculation).

Dulcinea's Picks

For the causes of obesity ... 
eMedicineHealth explains some potential causes for obesity, which include genetics, environment, age, sex, and even some medical conditions that may make you more likely to become obese.
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To help you determine if you are overweight or obese ... 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers separate BMI calculators for adults and youth, as well as a helpful discussion of BMI and other health measures.
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National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provides tools, reports, and other information to help diagnose obesity. This institute also created an Obesity Initiative Web site that has a free BMI calculator along with information about the health consequences of overweight and obesity.
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Video Reference

This video highlights the major symptoms and warning signs of obesity.
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Health Effects of Obesity

Some health conditions that can result from obesity are more apparent than others, and those who ... read more »

Preventing and Treating Obesity

For some, preventing or treating obesity will be more difficult than for others. But no matter who ... read more »

Obesity News and Research

If you still want to find more information about obesity in any facet, you'll find almost ... read more »

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