The consequences of obesity in adults are devastating. They include the following:

• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea
• Respiratory problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

What BMI really means

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a calulation based on a person’s height and weight. It is a reliable indicator of a person’s level of fat. Even though it does not measure body fat directly, research shows that BMI correlates to methods that do measure fat directly. It short, BMI is an easy method of screen for weight problems that could lead to significant health concerns.

BMI should be used as a preliminary assessment of a potential problem. However, to thoroughly assess the potential risk, other assessments are done including a test to measure the thickness of the skin, a review of family history, and a review of diet and exercise.

The same calculation is used for people of all ages, races, and genders. However, a different scale for results is used for each gender because women at the same BMI tend to have more fat than men.

Other factors that may skew the results of the BMI include age and athletic activity. At the same BMI, older people tend to have more fat than younger people. Also, highly trained athletes may have a lower level of fat than their BMI would indicate because of increased muscularity.

There are two other predictors of potential diseases related to obesity that should be considered along with the BMI. They are the waist circumference and other risk factors (such as high blood pressure or physical inactivity).