Obesity and Morbid Obesity
Obesity
- Obesity results from the excessive accumulation of fat on the body.
- An increase in 20 percent or more above ideal body weight is the point at which excess weight becomes a health risk.
- Statistically, 65% of the U.S. population exceeds their ideal weight or is obese.*
Morbid Obesity differs from Obesity
- Obesity becomes "morbid" when it reaches the point of increasing the risk of serious diseases that can result in poor health, disability or even death.
- Morbid obesity is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time.
- Morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher.
- According to the National Institutes of Health, morbid obesity is a serious disease and must be treated.
- The most effective treatment for morbid obesity is bariatric surgery.
Use our BMI Calculator to estimate your body mass index 
Learn more about the health risks of obesity 
*From the National Center for Health Statistics
