ABSTRACT
Obesity is generally defined as “a condition characterized by excess of body fat frequently resulting in a significant impairment of health and longevity” [1]. According to guidelines published in 1990 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) [1] and acknowledged later by the World Health Organization [2], a woman is defined as obese if her body mass index (BMI), (employed universally to assess body weight based on height and calculated using the formula weight/height2) is in the range of 30.0–34.9 kg/m2 and morbidly obese if her BMI is ≥35.0 kg/m2. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has further sub-categorized obesity into Classes I, II and III according to the BMI range (30.0–34.9, 35.0–39.9 and ≥40.0 kg/m2, respectively) [3]. Women with a BMI ranging from 20.0 to 24.9 kg/m2 are considered to have a normal weight, whereas those with a BMI <20.0 kg/m2 are under-weight. Being overweight is defined by a BMI higher than the normal range but below the threshold for frank obesity, i.e. in the range of 25.0–29.9 kg/m2.
