ABSTRACT
Obesity and being overweight can have a variety of adverse health consequences associated with a high rate of premature death, such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, certain types of cancer, steatohepatitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux, arthritis, polycystic ovary syndrome (pcoss) and infertility. The life expectancy of a severely obese person is reduced by an estimated 5-20 years. An estimated 2.6 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese and the consequences of excess weight will soon rival tobacco as the world’s leading cause of preventable premature deaths.
