Obesity

Obesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that may impair health. According to World Health Organization (WHO), an individual with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 is obese and severe or class III obesity is defined as a BMI equal to or greater than 40 kg/m2; this term is also used for individuals with a BMI between 30 and 39.9 kg/m2 who have significant comorbidities. National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended bariatric surgery for such individuals. The prevalence of severe obesity has increased significantly in the last two to three decades. Mexico and the United States of America have the highest prevalence in the world and the United Kingdom is leading in Europe. BMI is used as a surrogate for adiposity. There are other methods like bioimpedance analysis, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), hydrometry, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and others but for all clinical and interventional purposes, BMI is used as a measure of obesity.