ABSTRACT
Obesity may be defined as excess of body fat such that health is endangered. Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. It is also an important component of the insulin resistance syndrome as discussed in Chapter 8. There has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity in many developed countries in recent decades. This trend has been observed in men, women and children. The increased prevalence in children is a particular cause for concern because obese children are more likely than non-obese children to become obese adults. The estimated financial cost of obesity in the UK is £2.5 billion a year. Of this sum, £0.5 billion is spent on treatment costs within the National Health Service (NHS) and £2 billion or more a year is lost due to the impact on the economy (National Audit Office 2001).
