Women are more likely than men to be obese in all age groups.
Babies born to obese mothers have an increased risk of asthma.
Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and certain types of cancer.
According to some facts, obesity increases the chances of developing osteoarthritis. This is because excess weight puts more pressure on the articular cartilage.
Obesity in children and adolescents is also associated with an increased risk of emotional problems. Adolescents with weight problems tend to have low self-esteem.
A normal person has between 25 and 35 billion fat cells, but this number can increase in times of excessive weight gain, with a maximum of 100 to 150 billion cells.
According to some facts, Mexican-American children between the ages of 6 and 11 are more likely to be overweight (22 percent) than black children (20 percent) and Caucasian children (14 percent).
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century with rising rates in developed and developing countries. Obesity rates in Canadian children have increased from 11% in 1980 to more than 30% in the 1990s, while during this same period rates of increase were from 4% to 14% in Brazilian children.
Obesity may be common in the same family, but this is not necessarily genetic and may result from the adoption of similar eating habits and lack of exercise.
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