“You have to lose weight.” Many of the people reading these lines have probably heard these words from their doctor on some occasions. The words overweight and obesity are not exactly unknown in our society, with excess weight being an increasingly serious and relevant problem that can have severe repercussions on our lives.
But… What are the differences between overweight and obesity? Let’s see it throughout this article.
Overweight is understood to be that situation in which a subject weighs more than what is considered normative and healthy taking into account their height, age and sex. With regard to obesity, it represents a situation (classifiable as a disorder according to some authors) in which the subject in question maintains an excessive and generalized accumulation of body fat throughout the body.
In both cases, we are dealing with 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 Specifically, the truth is that this problem goes much further: excess weight is a risk factor that facilitates the appearance of different diseases and can even cause death due to heart or respiratory problems.
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 occurring (for example hyperplastic obesity, which occurs because the person has an excess of adipose cells (which occurs due to excess intake). This is because these cells are larger, not because there are more of them).
Both overweight and obesity refer to excess body fat, being closely related concepts and whose main differences are of degree (the obese person has a greater proportion of fat than the overweight person). 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 series 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 observing the proportion relationship between weight and 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 represents underweight or a weight below what is recommended and healthy, which could cause serious damage to health. Between 18.5 and 25 would be the BMI that is considered normal weight, with a healthy proportion between weight and height. From values greater than 25 we would begin to observe body masses above healthy
Between 25 and 26.9 we would be overweight in grade 1, from 27 to 29, 9 in overweight grade 2 (also called preobesity), between BMIs of 30 and 34.9 we would be in obesity type 1 and obesity type 2 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 over 50 would be called extreme obesity or type 4.
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 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 involved in maintaining these levels of body fat for the health of the person who suffers from them.
Obesity has emerged as an important risk factor for the appearance of different pathologies.
The most common and well-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, respiratory problems such as bronchitis, liver and kidney problems, sleep apnea or low back pain, sexual dysfunctions and even fetal malformations in the case of pregnant women. Likewise, 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 in the so-called pre-obesity (with a BMI of around 27-29.9) they would have a slight risk of suffering from the previous problems. However, within obesity we can find that those with a BMI between 30 and 35 have a moderate risk, if they have a BMI between 35 and 40, it is high, and if they are over 40, it is very high.
Another difference between the two can be found in the treatment that is carried out to solve it. In 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 the appearance or worsening of other problems in this case. may require surgery
4. Causes
The causes of both problems are multifactorial, with the interaction of various elements leading us to overweight or obesity. Generally, one of the best known is dysregulation of nutritional balance, by consuming many more calories than we burn. In other words, eat a lot and/or poorly and do little exercise to 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 because those people who have certain genetic problems and/or developmental and metabolic diseases They tend to evolve (if not controlled) towards obesity. On the other hand, overweight that does not increase is usually more typical of situational factors (although there is also a certain hereditary tendency).
5. Consideration of illness
Although both concepts are worrying, the truth is that Obesity is already considered a disease or disorder while overweight is a risk factor but is not properly identified as a disorder but as a condition.
