The 5 differences between overweight and obesity

"You have to lose weight." Many of the people who read these lines have probably heard these words from their doctor on occasion. The words overweight and obesity are not exactly unknown in our society, being the excess weight, an increasingly serious and relevant problem that can have severe repercussions on our lifetime.

But… What are the differences between being overweight and obese? Let's see it throughout this article.

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A question of health and nutrition

Overweight is understood to be that situation in which a subject weighs more than is considered normative and healthy taking into account his height, age and sex. With regard to obesity, it is a situation (classifiable as a disorder according to some authors) in the one in which the subject in question maintains an accumulation of excessive and generalized body fat throughout the Body.

In both cases, we are facing excess weight and body mass. And although many of the people who diet or exercise

they do it mainly to conform to a canon of beauty In particular, the truth is that this problem goes much further: excess weight is a risk factor that makes it easier for different diseases to appear and can even lead to death from heart problems or respiratory

This excess is often derived from a sedentary life and excessive intake, although there are diseases, alterations or conditions in which obesity appears without the two previous factors (for example, hyperplastic obesity, which is It occurs because the person has an excess of adipose cells (the one that occurs due to excess intake is due to the fact that these cells are larger, not because there are more).

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Main differences between overweight and obesity

Both overweight and obese refer to excess body fat, being closely related concepts and whose main differences are of degree (the person with obesity has a higher proportion of fat than the person who is overweight). What's more, at first glance it is difficult to distinguish the limits between one and the other. But although they are so similar, the truth is that there are a number of differences to take into account when recognizing them.

1. Body Mass Index (BMI)

The Body Mass Index or BMI is a parameter used to assess the level of body fat. It is calculated by looking at the ratio of weight to height squared. In this index we find one of the technical differences between overweight and obesity.

It is considered that a BMI value of less than 18.5 supposes an underweight or weight below what is recommended and healthy, and can cause serious damage to health. Between 18.5 and 25 would be the BMIs that are considered normal weight, with a healthy ratio between weight and height. From values ​​greater than 25 we would already enter to observe unhealthy body masses.

Between 25 and 26.9 we would be between overweight in grade 1, from 27 to 29, 9 in overweight grade 2 (also called pre-obesity), between the BMI of 30 and 34.9 we would be in type 1 obesity and type 2 obesity would be the BMI between 35 and 39.9. Finally, we would find that body masses with a BMI of 40 to 49.9 would be considered morbid obesity (or type 3), and one of more than 50 would be called extreme or type 4 obesity.

In conclusion, one of the differences between obesity and overweight is that, with regard to BMI, between 25 and 30 the person in question would be considered to be overweight and from a BMI of 30 we would be talking about a case of obesity.

2. Risk level

Another of the main differences between overweight and obesity, and actually the most important, is found in the risk of maintaining these levels of body fatfor the health of the person who suffers them.

Obesity has become an important risk factor for the appearance of different pathologies.

The most common and known are heart disease and arteriosclerosis (with the consequent increased risk of vascular and cerebrovascular events such as strokes and strokes). Also high blood pressure, bone problems, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems such as bronchitis, liver and kidney problems, apneas during sleep or low back pain, sexual dysfunctions and even fetal malformations in the case of pregnant women. Also, surgical interventions and the effects of anesthesia are more dangerous, there are more sleep problems and a greater tendency to anxiety and depression.

The risk of death from one of the above problems (especially cardiovascular and respiratory problems) is greatly multiplied compared to the population with normal weight.

Regarding the level of risk, in the case of those people who would be on the call pre-obesity (with a BMI of around 27-29.9) would have a slight risk of suffering from the above problems. However, within obesity we can find that those with a BMI between 30 and 35 have a moderate risk, if they have between 35 and 40 high and if they have more than 40 very high.

3. Interventions carried out

Another difference between the two can be found in the treatment that is carried out to solve it. In being overweight, the main indications are the prescription of physical exercise and adequate nutritional guidelines. This would also be recommended for people with obesity, although depending on the case and the risk of appearance or worsening of other problems in this case may require surgery.

4. Causes

The causes of both problems are multifactorial, being the interaction of various elements that lead us to overweight or obesity. Usually one of the best known is dysregulation of the nutritional balance, by consuming many more calories than we burn. In other words, eating a lot and / or badly and exercising little will counteract it. But it is not the only relevant factor. And there are also genetic causes, metabolic diseases or the consumption of drugs and substances.

The reason why we have added this aspect as a difference is due to the fact that those people who have certain genetic problems and / or developmental and metabolic diseases they tend to evolve (if not controlled) towards obesity. On the contrary, the overweight that does not go away is usually more typical of situational factors (although there is also a certain hereditary tendency).

5. Consideration of illness

Although both concepts are worrisome, the truth is that obesity is already considered a disease or disorderWhile being overweight is a risk factor but it is not properly identified as a disorder but as a condition.