Global girths are on the rise—with some 1.5 billion adults now overweight and more than one in 10 adults obese worldwide. U.S. figures are even starker: more than half of the population weighs too much and more than one third are obese.

The causes of these conditions have turned out to be much more diverse than too much junk food and couch time. Research has now implicated factors as far-ranging as stress and the lack of quality sleep as complicit forces in the epidemic.

Using some of the latest scientific data, theVisualMD has created a collection of illustrations that elucidate the complex causes and biological ramifications of obesity.


Visualization is courtesy of TheVisualMD.com

Good fat, bad fat
Not all fat is created equal—and our bodies do need some fat to function. Fat is crucial for the brain, for making hormones, keeping cell membranes healthy, and for providing energy and temperature regulation.

Too much of it, of course, can be deadly. Subcutaneous fat is the layer underneath the skin. Visceral fat, located within the abdomen, around vital organs, can get to be so excessive that it starts squeezing out blood and air supplies.


Visualization is courtesy of TheVisualMD.com

The price of excess pounds
Overweight and obesity have been linked to ailments ranging from coronary artery disease to some types of cancer. And excess pounds put a great strain on medical costs—both for the health care system as a whole and the individual.

The annual cost of obesity in the U.S. has been estimated at about $147 billion, which includes time and productivity lost as well as extra medical care. And on average, people who are obese pay some 42 percent more for health care than healthy-weight individuals.


Visualization is courtesy of TheVisualMD.com


To learn more about the science of obesity, visit theVisualMD's obesity site and explore our In-Depth Report on obesity.

7 Comments

1. 1. gail ra 05:48 PM 9/23/11

   please view this video about what is causing the world wide problem of obesity before passing judgment.
   
   It is the proverbial smoking gun. We have obese babies all around the world; they are obese at 6 months old and have NOT had time to develop bad eating habits. When babies are hungry, they eat; when tired they sleep. They satisfy their urge to eat by eating a normal amount of food, and no more, and they sleep as long as they need to sleep, and no more. THIS ALONE tells us there is something ELSE wrong - there is something else completely out of whack. Find out what it is, and do something about the problem.
   
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
   
   there is strength in numbers.

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2. 2. ASHIK 10:19 PM 9/23/11

   Some women get fat after giving birth to a child.I think problems occuring from it might have been included in above discussion.It is a natural phenomenon you know.Obesity must be treated as disease.There are a number of medical treatments available for obesity these days.Estmated cost of $147b is on obesity is huge number.

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3. 3. Tortoise77 09:31 PM 9/25/11

   Obesity is more common on formula fed babies. Mothers who formula feed tend to over feed their babies. It all begins at birth. No, babies don't have the time to create bad eating habits but the parents do. Parents who formula feed usually feed their babies or "comfort" their babies with a bottle of milk. Every cry they hear, a bottle goes in their mouth to shut them up. Babies cry for other reasons not just because they are hungry. Also, parents tend to have a strict feeding schedule. often times parents expect their babies to finish their bottle. When a baby eats every 3 or 4 hours 8-10 oz of milk everyday then solids ( which most parents start at a very early age like 3 months) expect them to be obese by six months.
   
   

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4. 4. gail ra in reply to Tortoise77 11:57 PM 9/25/11

   Tortoise77, did you view the video? Please look at the video.
   
   
   
   

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5. 5. sunnystrobe 07:43 AM 9/27/11

   Suffer the little children- from practically force-feeding them with artificial food concentrates,and thereby depriving the future generation of their own mothers' milk, which is optimally designed through evolution,as our human species-specific nutritional starter capital.
   How much more child-abusive can we get?

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6. 6. Daniel35 04:18 PM 9/27/11

   Please define "obesity", other than "too fat", especially when talking about percentages of people. There are a lot of words that we use as categories, when they're really only gradations on continuums. Where's there a clear line?
   
   I think a lot of it is due to more energy-intense lifestyles of our parents in a world where living is easy. And I'd have a healthier weight if someone else bought and prepared my food.

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7. 7. uniquestar.7 in reply to gail ra 12:44 AM 10/5/11

   Yes, something is wrong. Women with a higher percentage of body fat give birth to overweight babies. That's where it starts. And Tortoise77 is entirely correct. Bottle-fed babies end up fatter for exactly the reasons he mentioned. Studies prove it.

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