Obesity
Introduction Obesity is a growing epidemic , particularly in developed countries, and is largely related to an unhealthy lifestyle. Obesity is generally defined as excessive body fat mass. The medical rationale for weight loss in people with obesity is that obesity is a disease associated with a significant increase in mortality and many health risks including type 2 diabetes mellitus , hypertension , dyslipidaemia, chronic kidney disease , osteoarthritis and coronary heart disease. Body Mass Index (BMI) Body size is typically defined using body mass index (BMI) . Normal weight 18.5-24.00 kg/m 2 Overweight 25-29.99 kg/m 2 Obese class I 30-34.99 kg/m 2 Obese class II 35-39.99 kg/m 2 Obese class III ≥40 kg/m 2 Use caution when applying BMI to individuals with greater muscle mass, women or the elderly. NOTE: Generally, Asians have a higher body fat percentage compared to Caucasians of the same age, sex and BMI. Even below the BMI cut-off of 25 kg/m 2 , a substantial number of Asians d...