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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Food: Food or lifestyle causes obesity?

Obesity, body condition characterized by storage of excessive amounts of fat in adipose tissue beneath the skin and within other organs, including muscles. All mammals store body fat; in women the normal amount of body weight stored as fat is 25 per cent, in men 15 per cent. Obesity is a result of taking in more energy in food than one uses in activity. Besides excess eating, obesity can also be caused by drastically reduced activity, and this often occurs in those who are sedentary or bedridden. Although intake of food has declined in recent years, this has been accompanied by a substantial decline in physical activity: for example, people in developed countries are more likely to work in sedentary jobs; use domestic labour-saving devices; and travel by car. However, it is now thought that obesity may be caused by a number of factors other than overeating or inactivity. It is still not known why some thin people eat a lot and exercise little, and why some overweight people eat moderate amounts or reduce food intake, often through repeated attempts at dieting, with no appreciable or sustainable weight loss.

 

A person’s level of obesity can be assessed through the body mass index (BMI), which is measured by the following equation:

 

BMI(kg/m²)=     weight (kg)

                                (height(m))²

 

A person’s BMI calculation can be compared with the following ranges: <20 is underweight; 20 to 25 is desirable weight; 25 to 30 is overweight; >30 is obese; and >35 is very obese. Obesity is increasing at a rate of 1 to 3 per cent a year in the United Kingdom, where in 2005 about 20 per cent of all adults were estimated to have a BMI of over 30.

 

*Penemuruai`s comment: Food bioindustry vs end production vs human health.

 

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