Obesity, which broadly refers to excess body fat, has become an important public health problem. Its prevalence continues to increase worldwide..As the prevalence of obesity increases so does the burden of its associated co-morbidities. Non-communicable diseases and their risk factors including obesity are now becoming a significant problem not only in affluent societies but also in developing countries.
Assessing total body fat accurately requires sophisticated technology which is not readily available for purposes of the epidemiology of the disease.The World Health Organisation (WHO) adopted body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms (Kg) by the square of the height in metres (m), as a surrogate measure of total body fat. BMI correlates well with the percentage body fat in the young and middle aged where obesity is most prevalent.With this index, obesity is defined when the value is equal to or more than 30Kg/m2.
However, not only does the total body fat matter but also the pattern of distribution. Excess visceral fat, also referred to as central obesity, has a stronger association with cardiovascular disease than subcutaneous fat with is deposited mainly around the hips and buttocks. Central obesity produces a characteristic body shape which resembles an apple and thus is also referred to as “apple shaped” obesity as opposed to “pear shaped” obesity in which fat is deposited on the hips and buttocks.This distribution is also reflected in the waist circumference and Waist:Hip ratio (WHR), ie the ratio of the hip circumference to waist circumference.
In this review, data from different studies on complications of obesity are summarized and controversies discussed. Areas of current and future research in obesity and its complications have also been highlighted.