"The link: obesity and disease
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), two out of three adults in the United States are either overweight with a body/mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 or obese with a BMI of 30 and above.
Now why is there concern over America's weight problem?
Statistics now show that excess body weight raises the risk of chronic, even life-shortening medical conditions such as heart disease, even depression. And lately, the American Cancer Society had produced evidence th show that excess weight and obesity are strongly associated with increased risks for a host of cancers, in some extreme instances by more than 500 percent.
If you are concerned about your weight, ask your doctor for your BMI. If it is 25 or above, find out what you can do to lower it. If generally healthy, you might want to step up your daily exercise to 30 minutes of brisk walking, and adjust your diet to include foods that are rich in nutrients and low in calories. And be sure to keep an eye on the amount of food you eat; many of us routinely consume a couple hundred more calories each day than we expend, which can add up to a few extra pounds each year.
The good news is that adopting a healthier lifestyle doesn't have to mean making drastic changes, just modest and consistent ones."
***All source information from: Healthy Times a publication of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc.
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