Knowra Obesity Obesity Obesity is a chronic condition involving excess body fat that can impair health and increase disease risk. It arises through interacting biological, social, environmental, and economic influences.
Energy balance : The relationship between energy intake, energy expenditure, and changes in stored energy. Long-term energy imbalance contributes to changes in body-fat stores, though it does not explain obesity alone.
Body mass index : A screening measure calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. BMI is widely used to classify obesity, but it does not directly measure body fat.
Obesity medicine : The clinical specialty focused on prevention, assessment, and treatment of obesity and its complications. It organizes the medical approaches used to manage obesity as a chronic condition.
Cardiovascular disease : Diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease and stroke. Obesity can raise cardiovascular risk through pathways including blood pressure and lipid changes.
Thrifty gene hypothesis : A hypothesis that genes favoring efficient energy storage were selected during past periods of food scarcity. It offers an evolutionary explanation for susceptibility, distinct from present-day environmental accounts.
Adipose tissue : Connective tissue that stores energy as fat and also releases hormones and signaling molecules. Its size, distribution, and signaling affect metabolic health in obesity.
Waist circumference : A measurement around the abdomen used to estimate central fat accumulation and related health risk. It can indicate abdominal fat-related risk that BMI may miss.
Behavioral weight management : Structured support for changing eating, activity, and related behaviors to improve health or reduce weight. It is a common treatment approach, often combined with medical care.
Metabolic syndrome : A cluster of abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids, and impaired glucose regulation. The cluster links excess abdominal fat with several cardiometabolic risks.
Obesogenic environment : A setting whose food, built, and social conditions encourage excess energy intake or limit activity. It shifts attention from individual behavior to conditions that make weight gain more likely.
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