Obesity : Specialists

What is obesity?

Obesity is a condition in which someone is excessively overweight to the extent that it has an adverse affect on their health. This can lead to a range of health problems such as Type2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis and many forms of cancer.

These conditions are known as ‘co-morbidities’.

A body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 is considered overweight and 30 and over is classed as obese.

What causes obesity?

There are various factors involved in this which include a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, lack of exercise and possibly genetic reasons.

Weight gain occurs when calorie intake exceeds calorie expenditure. Access to a wide choice of food, reliance on cars rather than walking and desk bound jobs have resulted in increasing levels of obesity.

Obesity has become a major issue in the UK and in other parts of the world.

What are the risks of obesity?

Carrying a few extra pounds isn’t necessarily a bad thing but excessive amounts of body fat will lead to a wide range of health problems. Obesity can also shorten life expectancy as well.

What is the treatment for obesity?

Diet and exercise can help but surgery may be required in the more severe cases. Weight loss or ‘bariatric’ surgery involves any of the following:

• Gastric band
• Gastric bypass
• Sleeve gastrectomy
• Gastric balloon

Obesity surgery is usually performed as a last resort on severely obese patients or patients suffering from obesity-related conditions which are potentially life-threatening.