The Global Energy Balance Network ( GEBN ) was a US-based nonprofit organization claiming to fund research into causes of obesity , but was primarily known for promoting the idea that lack of physical exercise , not bad diet , was primarily responsible for the obesity epidemic . It has been characterised as an astroturfing organisation. It received substantial funding from Coca-Cola . It has been criticised by nutrition experts for downplaying the role of junk food in obesity. Critics have also accused the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) of supporting GEBN. The ACSM claims it had no affiliation with GEBN.
29-409: GEBN's view of weight and metabolic health promoted the idea that weight loss can be achieved by taking more exercise while maintaining the same level of consumption - this view "crosses a line by advancing a view that falls outside the scientific consensus", and presents an overly simplistic view of the energy balance equation, with experts noting that "evidence for eating less as a weight-loss strategy
58-448: A BMI between 24 and 31.9 could actually live longer than normal weight or underweight persons. While some negative health outcomes associated with obesity are accepted within the medical community, the health implications of the overweight category are more controversial. A 2016 review estimated that the risk of death increases by seven percent among overweight people with a BMI of 25 to 27.5 and 20 percent among overweight people with
87-403: A BMI of 25 or more as overweight. For Asians, overweight is a BMI between 23 and 29.9 and obesity for all groups is a BMI of 30 or more. BMI, however, does not account extremes of muscle mass, some rare genetic factors, the very young, and a few other individual variations. Thus it is possible for an individual with a BMI of less than 25 to have excess body fat, while others may have a BMI that
116-448: A BMI of 27.5 to 30. Katherine Flegal et al., however, found that the mortality rate for individuals who are classified as overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) may actually be lower than for those with an "ideal" weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9), noting that many studies show that the lowest mortality rate is at a BMI close to 25. The specific conclusions appear to depend on what other factors are controlled for, and Flegal has accordingly alleged that
145-413: A basic and fundamental level, the treatments called for are diet and exercise . More extensive treatment may involve support groups like Overeaters Anonymous and mental health treatment. The degree to which treatment is necessary varies culturally and with a medical assessment of an unhealthy weight, treatment has been facilitated by new effective weightloss drugs like Zepbound . The degree to which
174-496: A minimum amount of fat for proper functioning of the hormonal , reproductive , and immune systems, as thermal insulation , as shock absorption for sensitive areas, and as energy for future use; however, the accumulation of too much storage fat can impair movement, flexibility, and alter the appearance of the body . Some people are naturally heavier and the body positivity movement has worked to reduce body shaming and improve self-confidence amongst heavierset people. At
203-440: A person is overweight is generally described by the body mass index (BMI). Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or more, thus it includes pre-obesity defined as a BMI between 25 and 29.9 and obesity as defined by a BMI of 30 or more. Pre-obese and overweight however are often used interchangeably, thus giving overweight a common definition of a BMI of between 25 and 29.9. There are, however, several other common ways to measure
232-420: A ratio of a person's weight to their height, has traditionally been used to assess the health of a person as it pertains to weight: under the cut-off point at a BMI of 18.5, a person is considered underweight. The calculation is either weight in kilograms divided by height in meters, squared, or weight in pounds times 703, divided by height in inches, squared. Another measure of underweight is through comparison to
261-513: A sufficient volume of sufficiently calorie-dense foods. Body weight may also be increased through the consumption of liquid nutritional supplements. Another way for underweight people to gain weight is by exercising, since muscle hypertrophy increases body mass. Weight lifting exercises are effective in helping to improve muscle tone as well as helping with weight gain. Weight lifting has also been shown to improve bone mineral density, which underweight people are more likely to lack. Exercise
290-737: A symptom of an underlying condition , in which case it is secondary. Unexplained weight loss may require a professional medical diagnosis by a physician. Being underweight can also cause other conditions, in which case it is primary. Severely underweight individuals may have poor physical stamina and a weak immune system , leaving them open to infection . According to Robert E. Black of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH), "Underweight status ... and micronutrient deficiencies also cause decreases in immune and non-immune host defenses, and should be classified as underlying causes of death if followed by infectious diseases that are
319-461: Is catabolic , which results in a brief reduction in mass. However, during recovery, anabolic overcompensation causes the muscles to grow , which results in an overall increase in mass. This can happen through an increase in muscle proteins, or through enhanced storage of glycogen in muscles. Exercise can also help stimulate the appetite of a person who is not inclined to eat. Certain drugs may increase appetite either as their primary effect or as
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#1732797818802348-493: Is diet and physical exercise. Dietitians generally recommend eating several balanced meals dispersed through the day, with a combination of progressive, primarily aerobic, physical exercise. In fact, some research found benefits from physical activity, diet and behaviour changes on BMI in children from 12 to 17 years old. Considering that most of the treatment strategies are directed to change lifestyle-related behaviours of individuals (namely in dietary and physical activity ),
377-493: Is also at risk in the overweight individual due to social discrimination . Being overweight has been shown not to increase mortality in older people: in a study of 70 to 75-year old Australians, mortality was lowest for "overweight" individuals (BMI 25 to 29.9), while a study of Koreans found that, among those initially aged 65 or more, an increase in BMI to above 25 was not associated with increased risk of death. Being overweight
406-415: Is associated with certain medical conditions, including type 1 diabetes , hyperthyroidism , cancer , and tuberculosis . People with gastrointestinal or liver problems may be unable to absorb nutrients adequately. People with certain eating disorders can also be underweight due to one or more nutrient deficiencies or excessive exercise , which exacerbates nutrient deficiencies. A common belief
435-452: Is generally caused by the intake of more calories (by eating) than are expended by the body (by exercise and everyday activity). Factors that may contribute to this imbalance include: People who have insulin dependent diabetes and chronically overdose insulin may gain weight, while people who already are overweight may develop insulin tolerance, and in the long run develop type II diabetes . The usual treatments for overweight individuals
464-442: Is much, much stronger than the evidence for moving more". Coca-Cola was given a 2015 Shonky Award by Australian consumer organisation Choice , due to its funding of GEBN, which amounted to at least $ 1.5m in 2015. On November 30, 2015, the group announced on its website that it would discontinue operations immediately. Shortly before this, the chief public scientist at Coca-Cola announced her retirement. Coca-Cola did not replace
493-441: Is significantly higher without falling into this category. Some of the above methods for determining body fat are more accurate than BMI but are less convenient to measure. If an individual is overweight and has excess body fat it can create or lead to health risks. Reports are surfacing, however, that being mildly overweight to slightly obese – BMI being between 24 and 31.9 – may be actually beneficial and that people with
522-471: Is that healthy underweight individuals can ‘eat what they want’ and then burn it off either by high levels of activity or elevated metabolism. It has been shown, however, that individuals with BMI < 18.5 eat about 12% less calories than individuals with normal BMI (21.5 to 25) and they are 23% less physically active (by accelerometry). Underweight people tend to have low appetites and typically eat little, sporadically or infrequently. Being underweight can be
551-465: Is too low. Malnourishment can also cause anemia and hair loss. Being underweight is an established risk factor for osteoporosis , even for young people. This is seen in individuals suffering from relative energy deficiency in sport , formerly known as female athlete triad: when disordered eating or excessive exercise cause amenorrhea, hormone changes during ovulation leads to loss of bone mineral density. After this low bone mineral density causes
580-970: The transtheoretical model (TTM) has been used as a framework to design weight management interventions. A systematic review assessed the effectiveness of dietary and physical activity interventions based on the TTM in producing sustainable (one year or longer) weight loss in overweight and obese adults. The included studies did not allow to produce conclusive evidence about the impact of the use of this model combined with these interventions on sustainable weight loss. Nevertheless, very low quality scientific evidence suggests that this approach may lead to improvements in physical activity and dietary habits, namely increased in both exercise duration and frequency, and fruits and vegetables consumption, along with reduced dietary fat intake. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that nearly 2 billion adults worldwide, aged 18 years and older, were overweight in 2016. According to
609-558: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an estimated 71.6% of the United States' adult population aged 20 and over is considered either overweight or obese, and this percentage has increased over the last four decades. Underweight An underweight person is a person whose body weight is considered too low to be healthy. A person who is underweight is malnourished . The body mass index ,
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#1732797818802638-576: The amount of adiposity or fat present in an individual's body. The most common method for discussing this subject and the one used primarily by researchers and advisory institutions is BMI. Definitions of what is considered overweight vary by ethnicity. The current definition proposed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designates whites, Hispanics and blacks with
667-492: The average weight of a cohort of people of a similar age and height: people who are at least 15% to 20% below the average weight for the group are considered underweight. Body fat percentage has been suggested as another way to assess whether a person is underweight. Unlike the body mass index, which is a proxy measurement , the body fat percentage takes into account the difference in composition between adipose tissue (fat cells) and muscle tissue and their different roles in
696-464: The body. The American Council on Exercise defines the amount of essential fat, below which a person is underweight, as 10–13% for women and 2–5% for men. The greater amount of essential body fat in women supports reproductive function. Using the body mass index as a measure of weight-related health, with data from 2014, age-standardised global prevalence of underweight in women and men were 9.7% and 8.8%, respectively. These values were lower than what
725-443: The findings from the 2016 review are driven by bias toward preconceived opinions. Being overweight has been identified as a risk factor for cancer , and Walter Willett predicts that being overweight will overtake smoking as the primary cause of cancer in developed countries as cases of smoking-related cancer dwindle. Being overweight also increases the risk of oligospermia and azoospermia in men. Psychological well-being
754-507: The first spontaneous fractures, the damage is often irreversible. Although being underweight has been reported to increase mortality at rates comparable to that seen in morbidly obese people, the effect is much less drastic when restricted to non-smokers with no history of disease, suggesting that smoking and disease-related weight loss are the leading causes of the observed effect. Underweight individuals may be advised to gain weight by increasing calorie intake. This can be done by eating
783-870: The position. On August 2, 2016, it was announced Gregory Hand would be forced out as the Founding Dean of the West Virginia University School of Public Health. As of March 2020, a simplified (partly German-language) version of the website is up. Overweight Being overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary . As of 2003 , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults being either overweight or obese . In 2013, this increased to more than 2 billion. Increases have been observed across all age groups. A healthy body requires
812-539: The terminal associated causes." People who are malnourished raise special concerns, as not only gross caloric intake may be inadequate, but also intake and absorption of other vital nutrients, especially essential amino acids and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals . In women, being severely underweight, often as a result of an eating disorder or due to excessive strenuous exercise, can result in amenorrhea (absence of menstruation), infertility or complications during pregnancy if gestational weight gain
841-439: Was reported for 1975 as 14.6% and 13.8%, respectively, indicating a worldwide reduction in the extent of undernutrition. A person may be underweight due to genetics , poor absorption of nutrients, increased metabolic rate or energy expenditure, lack of food (frequently due to poverty ), low appetite , drugs that affect appetite , illness (physical or mental) or the eating disorder anorexia nervosa . Being underweight
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