Obesity treatment could significantly lower a person's risk of heart complications.
The British Heart Foundation has said that a person's body mass index (BMI) is
a good indicator of their risk of developing heart disease, with a gradual
increase of 4kg/m2 over a lifetime enough to make an individual 50 per cent
more likely to develop the condition.
BMI is used by doctors to assess a person's weight in comparison with their
height. A reading of less than 18.5-25 kg/m2 represents normal weight, BMI of
25-30 kg/m2 is classified as overweight, while BMI over 30 kg/m2 is obese.
Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the BHF, said that obesity has such a
bearing on heart disease risk as it also increases the likelihood of secondary
factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
"As well as taking responsibility for our own diet and levels of physical
activity, we also need politicians and the food industry to make it easy for us
to make healthy choices," Ms Taylor added.
© Adfero Ltd
Obesity surgery news : 7 May 2012
