Najmul Islam.
Obesity: An epidemic of the 21st century.
J Pak Med Assoc Jan ;55(3):118-22.

Obesity is a chronic condition that predisposes patients to multiple serious health disorders and premature deaths. Body Mass Index is the most widely accepted measure of obesity in adults. BMI though established measure of obesity; waist circumference is gaining importance as it measures central obesity, which is an important risk factor for metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of obesity is steadily increasing across the world particularly in developed countries. This epidemic will continue to plaque our society for many years with all its medical consequences. Although influenced by genetics, the current obesity epidemic appears to be driven principally by environmental factors. Lifestyle factors of high-energy food intake and lack of physical activity are the greatest contributors to the energy imbalance that causes obesity. Treatment of obesity involves dedicated and sustained lifestyle modification assisted by anti-obesity drugs, which has modest effect in loosing weight of 5-10%. Our growing understanding of the complex mechanism of energy balance in our body will allow the development of newer and safe drugs in this field. Bariatric surgery is the only effective modality for long-term weight loss for morbidly obese patients. This is a review article.

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