Obesity Basics

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The medical definition of obesity is based on the amount of body fat a person has. A person can weigh more than what is thought to be healthy without being obese. For example:

• A person may weigh too much because his or her body retains too much water, called edema. Though this is not a healthy situation, the person is not obese.
• Some athletes, such as football players and body builders, may weigh more than what is normally considered a healthy weight, but their excess weight is muscle, not fat.

Belly Fat Raises Risk Of Disease

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Having a little paunch is just no good with a Speedo or bikini. Health-wise, it's none too pretty either. That bulge is the outward sign of a deeper problem: visceral fat, a kind of biological monstrosity that, in excess, wreaks havoc on the body, raising the risk for heart disease, diabetes, possibly even dementia and some types of cancer.