Obesity in adults

**Definition:** Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30.00 kg/m². There are three levels of severity in recognition of different management options.

**Long definition:** Overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and insulin resistance. Risks of coronary heart disease, ischaemic stroke and type 2 diabetes mellitus increase steadily with increasing body mass index (BMI). Raised BMI also increases the risk of cancer of the breast, colon/rectum, endometrium, kidney, esophagus and pancreas. Mortality rates increase with increasing degrees of overweight, as measured by BMI. To achieve optimal health, the median BMI for adult populations should be in the range of 21 to 23 kg/m², while the goal for individuals should be to maintain a BMI in the range 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m². There is increased risk of co-morbidities for BMIs in the range of 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m², and moderate to severe and very severe risk of co-morbidities for BMIs greater than 30 kg/m².