Is it better to be overweight or obese?

Is it better to be overweight or obese?

Both are used to identify people who are at risk for health problems from having too much body fat. However, the term “obese” generally means a much higher amount of body fat than “overweight.” The more body fat you have, the greater your risk for diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and other problems.

Why is being overweight good?

Being overweight is now believed to help protect patients with an increasingly long list of medical problems, including pneumonia, burns, stroke, cancer, hypertension, and heart disease.

Does overweight mean fat?

The terms “overweight” and “obesity” refer to body weight that is greater than what is considered normal or healthy for a certain height. Overweight is generally due to extra body fat. However, overweight may also be due to extra muscle, bone, or water. People who have obesity usually have too much body fat.

What happens if both of your parents are overweight?

One or both of your parents or several other blood relatives are significantly overweight. If both of your parents have obesity, your likelihood of developing obesity is as high as 80\%. You can’t lose weight even when you increase your physical activity and stick to a low-calorie diet for many months.

Can people with a genetic predisposition to obesity lose weight?

In contrast, people with a strong genetic predisposition to obesity may not be able to lose weight with the usual forms of diet and exercise therapy. Even if they lose weight, they are less likely to maintain the weight loss.

What happens when you eat more calories than you expend?

If you consume more energy (calories) than you expend, you will gain weight. Excess calories are stored throughout your body as fat. Your body stores this fat within specialized fat cells (adipose tissue) — either by enlarging fat cells, which are always present in the body, or by creating more of them.