El sobrepeso en adultos se define como un índice de masa corporal (IMC) superior o igual a 25. La obesidad en adultos se define como un IMC superior o igual a 30. En los niños, tener sobrepeso u obesidad se basa en estar por encima de los rangos normales de las curvas de crecimiento. El sobrepeso o la obesidad ocurren cuando la cantidad de calorías que se consumen es coherentemente mayor que la cantidad de calorías que se utilizan en las actividades y las funciones corporales básicas.

Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), hay más de 1.400 millones de adultos con sobrepeso y alrededor de 500 millones de adultos obesos en todo el mundo, y se espera que estas cifras aumenten. En los EE. UU., se calcula que un 70% de los adultos tienen sobrepeso o son obesos. Los niños y adolescentes estadounidenses también se ven afectados. En los EE. UU., aproximadamente un 17% de los niños y los adolescentes de 2 a 19 años son obesos.

Complicaciones de la obesidad

Ser obeso puede aumentar el riesgo de muerte precoz y reducir la expectativa de vida.

Las complicaciones de la obesidad no tratada incluyen lo siguiente:

REFERENCES:

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Ultima revisión November 2019 por EBSCO Medical Review Board Daniel A. Ostrovsky, MD Last Updated: 02/05/2021