Obesity Is a Disease

Morbid Obesity Is, by Definition, a Disease

According to the National Institute of Health, obesity has reached epidemic proportions. It often can lead to heart disease, diabetes, disability and even death. Barnes Bariatric provides obesity treatment with a compassionate understanding of the physical and emotional traumas that are created by morbid obesity.

What Is Morbid Obesity?

There is a difference between simply being overweight and being morbidly obese. Being morbidly obese means being at risk of death because of excess weight. A morbidly obese person is anywhere from 50 to 100 percent above the weight that is considered average or healthy. Whether an individual qualifies as morbidly obese can be determined by measuring that person’s body mass index (BMI), which examines the ratio of weight to height. A BMI of 35 or higher classifies you as morbidly obese. Of course, BMI can sometimes be misleading (consider the case of a 260-pound bodybuilder full of muscle, not fat, whose BMI is over 35), but BMI is one of the criteria that insurance companies use when considering whether a person qualifies for obesity surgery.

Repercussions of Morbid Obesity

Many people experience painful psychological repercussions as a result of obesity. Individuals who are obese can feel ostracized by society and often suffer from depression. The social and economic discrimination that the morbidly obese are well documented. Even more significant, problems caused by morbid obesity include dangerous, and in some cases life-threatening, health conditions. With this in mind, more people are turning to obesity surgery to begin the process of losing weight and improving their lives.

Causes of Morbid Obesity

There are many contributing factors to morbid obesity. Technically, excess weight results from the body’s ingestion of more calories than it is burning off. Here are some of the most common reasons for such an imbalance:

In addition to the above-mentioned, contributors, a weight problem can be initiated by certain medications, such as some antidepressants and steroids.