- Health A to Z
Treatment of Obesity
Weight loss in obese persons improves health. Weight losses of ten to twenty pounds have been shown to lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose (in persons with type 2 diabetes), and to improve other health problems. An obese person does not have to lose fifty or a hundred pounds to realize health benefits, however, for even modest losses of weight can lead to major health benefits.
The Cost of Obesity
American spend more than $33 billion annually on weight loss, including low-calorie foods and fees at weight-loss clinics. A study estimated the health care cost of overweight and obesity to be $120 billion. This includes direct costs, such as doctor visits and medication, and indirect costs, such as wages lost by people too ill to work and the value of future earnings cut short by premature death. There are 63 million doctor visits per year related to obesity, and approximately 40 million workdays are lost.
—Paula Kepos
Diets
Reducing calories is one requirement for weight loss. Cutting only 100 extra calories a day from one's diet will lead to a weight loss of 10 pounds in a year, while cutting 500 calories a day will lead to a loss of 50 pounds in a year. Most health organizations recommend a specific distribution of calories.
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Author Info: John P. Foreyt, The Gale Group Inc., Macmillan Reference USA, New York, Gale Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 2004 |
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