Obesity

Did you know that obesity is actually classified as a chronic disease?^[1] In the western world, it is currently an epidemic^[2] and affects an individual’s overall health in all aspects including physical and psychosocial spheres.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a calculation used to help assess a person’s risk of developing health disorders associated with being overweight and underweight. BMI’s are only utilized in those over age 18, and are used with caution in those over 65, as otherwise the results can be misleading. Persons with high or low muscle mass and pregnant women are also not suitable subjects for BMI calculations.

The BMI is a ratio of weight-to-height, not a direct measure of body fat. To calculate your BMI, you take your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared (weight (kg) / [height (m)]²⁾, or dividing weight in pounds (lbs) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703 (weight (lb) / [height (in)]² x 703).  Instead of doing the math, there are online calculators that do it for you! This is one from the CDC.

In 2021, around 8.3 million (29%) Canadian adults (aged 18 and over) were considered obese based on their BMI, while the number of adults who were deemed overweight was over ten million (36%). ^[4] This is alarming, as a high BMI is directly correlated with poor health outcomes.

Waist circumference measurements are also tools used to estimate body fat because excess fat found around the waist (“apple” body shape) is associated with greater health risks than fat located more in the hips and thighs (“pear” body shape). This distinguishes between the more dangerous visceral fat, which is characterized by abdominal obesity, versus subcutaneous fat, which is under the skin.

A waist circumference of 102 cm (40 in.) or more for men, and 88 cm (35 in.) or more for women, is associated with an increased risk of developing health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.^[5]

Obesity is associated with numerous other disease conditions as well, including chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions such as osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, some cancers, and mental health disorders such as depression.^[6] In fact, obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of disease and death worldwide.

While many people believe that obese people are just over-nourished, they are in fact MALnourished, and are often lacking vital micronutrients due to a poor diet laden with refined sugars and carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats. Some recent studies suggest that the production of antibodies and multiplication of white blood cells are compromised in obese individuals, leading to increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections.^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

Data shows that our modern western diet that is characterized by overeating and poor dietary choices in the form of refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats are the primary causes of this epidemic, along with an increase in sedentary lifestyles. Research points to overall increases in amounts of food and calories consumed, and specifically to an increase in refined sugar consumption,^[11] which we will discuss in detail in the next chapter.