Calculating your body mass index (BMI) can help you determine if you have a weight problem and if you are at risk for certain health problems. Health care professionals sometimes use body mass index, or BMI, to assess obesity health risks. 

A BMI chart is provided to determine your BMI.

Obesity is defined as an excess of total body fat, a result of imbalance between caloric intake and energy expenditure, according to George Woodman, M.D., of Midsouth Bariatrics. Obesity among adults has doubled since 1980, while the number of overweight adolescents has tripled. National studies have shown that obesity causes more deleterious effects on health than either smoking or problem drinking, and the increase in chronic health conditions caused by obesity is similar to that of 20 years of aging. Reducing 5 to 10 percent of excess body weight is enough to lower the risks for many chronic diseases. 

The National Institutes of Health reports that obesity substantially increases the risk of morbidity and mortality from:

• Heat disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea
• Cancer
• Breathing difficulties
• Joint problems

Among those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, 46 percent are obese. Among those diagnosed with high blood pressure, 38 percent of men and 32 percent of women are obese. Among those diagnosed with high blood cholesterol, 20 percent of men and 25 percent of women are obese. According to the American Obesity Association, obese individuals have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of death compared to individuals of normal weight, with 300,000-587,000 deaths each year. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

Health care costs have grown along with the increase in obesity. The American Obesity Association reports that obesity-related costs exceed $200 billion a year in the U.S. alone.

So for better health, you might consider options for losing that extra weight. 

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