What is Morbid Obesity?
Many people are overweight but morbid obesity is clinically severe obesity at which point serious medical conditions occur as a direct result of the obesity. According to the National Institute of Health, Morbid Obesity is defined as:
- 100 lbs or more above ideal body weight or.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 40 or
- BMI of 35 with an associated medical condition related to weight such as hypertension or diabetes.
Body Mass Index or BMI is a formula that takes into account a person’s height and weight and allows us to compare different degrees of obesity.
| Overweight | BMI more than 25 kg/m2 |
| Obese | BMI 30 to 34.9 kg/m2 |
| Severely Obese | BMI 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 |
| Morbidly Obese | BMI more than 40 kg/m2 or BMI 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 with associated medical problems (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc) |
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The underlying causes of severe obesity are not known. There are many factors that contribute to the development of obesity including the genes we inherit. In addition the American diet focuses on “super-sized” meals that are high in carbohydrates and fats. When you combine this with a relatively sedentary lifestyle the result is inevitable weight gain. The good news is that bariatric surgery can dramatically improve if not completely resolve many health conditions.
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions with >300 million obese people worldwide. Obese adults account for >30% of US population. 400,000 Americans die prematurely each year due to obesity-related diseases. This number is increasing so rapidly that it will likely soon replace tobacco and smoking as the number one preventable health problem in the United States.