Obesity puts you at higher health risks

SALT LAKE CITY -- The more obese you are, the more health problems you are bound to have. That's what the Utah Department of Health has discovered in its research.

This is the first time the "obese" weight category has been divided into different classes. Obese means you have a body mass index of more than 30.

But now we are learning the higher your BMI gets, you will be even more at risk for disease.

As you lose weight, your risk for chronic diseases decrease too. Epidemiologists like Michael Friedrichs with the Utah Department of Health have known that obese people are at risk of health problems, but now they know even more.

"We have never looked at the higher classes of obesity to find out if you become more obese, does your risk increase further? That is indeed the case," he says.

So now obesity has been divided into three separate weight classes.

If you have a BMI, which is calculated with your height and weight, of 30 to 35, you fall in the first obese class.

The second class includes those who fall into the 35 to 40 range.

And 40 and over is the third and potentially most dangerous class for risk of diabetes, asthma, hyper-tension and more.

BMI Categories
Categories	Score range
Ideal	18.5-24.9
Overweight	25.0-29.9
Class I Obese	30-34.9
Class II Obese	35-39.9
Class III Obese	BMI >40

"If you are overweight or obese, do what you can to lose weight," Friedrichs says. "If you can't lose weight, do what you can to maintain your weight status and not become more obese because your risk increases dramatically." 

Until Tomorrow!
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♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥