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Science communication is important in today's technologically advanced society. A good part of the adult community is not science savvy and lacks the background to make sense of rapidly changing technology. My blog attempts to help by publishing articles of general interest in an easy to read and understand format without using mathematics. You can contact me at ektalks@yahoo.co.uk

Tuesday 9 October 2007

Two extra suitcases and going no where...

Morbidly obese is someone with body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 - acceptable is 20 to 25.
A BMI of 30 makes you obese.
BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kg by square of the height in metres.
This is like carrying two 20 kg suitcases everywhere you go - travelling or not. What the extra baggage does to the joints is not difficult to guess. The greatly increased risk of a number of cancers, diabetes and heart problems is well documented. And what about BP (and I do not mean British Petroleum!)

This is the worrying trend found by a study of 12000 people over the past ten years. Number of morbidly obese has doubled - probably not too different than the increase in the number of take aways or the increase in the number of TV channels. The waist size is on average 1.5 inches bigger. It is all very worrying...


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