Obesity
What is obesity?
A disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems.
Very common
More than 3 million US cases per year
- Usually self-treatable
- Usually self-diagnosable
- Lab tests or imaging not required
- Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong
- Obesity often results from taking in more calories than are burned by exercise and normal daily activities.
- Obesity occurs when a person’s body mass index is 30 or greater. The main symptom is excessive body fat, which increases the risk of serious health problems.
- The mainstay of treatment is lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.
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