Worried about being overweight or obese?
Body mass index (BMI), which is a ratio of weight over height expressed as kg/m2, is a quick and crude way of defining being overweight and or obese.
This simplistic calculation assumes that higher BMI correlates with excess fat.
Complications of being overweight/obese are myriad including
- Metabolic consequences like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and gout
- Mechanical consequences like osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea
- Higher cardiovascular and cancer risk
- Higher mortality
Detailed assessment and evaluation has to be performed to exclude contributors to excess weight and fat gain including hormonal causes like hypothyroidism.
Management of being overweight/obese includes
- Treating specific contributors or causes of obesity
- Healthy eating habits and physical activity
- Judicious use of pharmacotherapy/drugs
- Bariatric surgery/metabolic surgery in selected individuals
Dr Matthew Tan Diabetes and Endocrine Care 