Obesity is a chronic medical condition characterized by too much body fat. Obesity is diagnosed by a number called the Body Mass Index (BMI), which calculates the amount of body fat. Your BMI is calculated from your current height and weight. The higher the BMI the more body fat a person has. Both overweight and obesity can make it more likely that you will develop serious diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, gallstones, high cholesterol, gout, most types of cancer, and even early death. Obesity can also make many other medical conditions more difficult to treat. Each year about 300,000 adult Americans die of causes related to their obesity. Obesity is very complex and not just a simple problem of willpower or self-control. In general, it is caused by a combination of eating too much and exercising too little, and genetics. Overweight or obesity occurs when, over time, the body takes in more calories than it burns. However, some people do gain weight more easily than others.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Bessesen et al. (2004) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: