As simple as it gets with BMI...
Obesity, which is defined as the excessive accumulation of fat in certain parts of body, is frequently associated with a low concentration, adverse distribution pattern, and abnormal metabolism of High Density Lipoprotein particles (1,2). Obesity, which leads to various weight-related health problems among children and adolescents, is continuing a growing concern in the United States. This is a highly prevalent chronic state observed in 32% of all adults in the United States (3). Moreover, the Framingham Heart Study (4) and the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (5) have shown a significant increase in lifetime risk of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) with level of obesity, which may be partly attributed to its association with low HDL-cholesterol levels (6). Conversely, an increase in HDL-cholesterol levels has been proven to be cardioprotective (6). Anyway, there is a need for the development of effective prevention, treatment and management strategies to address the health, social and emotional problems associated with overweight, particularly among school going children. An extensive research is already in place to address obesity and find a suitable mechanism to arrest this problem. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that the Body Mass Index (BMI) should be measured on all youth as a part of normal health supervision. BMI, which is easy to measure and correlates with body fat, assesses the weight status of an individual to identify those at risk and provide information for appropriate diet and physical activity.
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References:
1. Robins SJ. Targeting low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for therapy: lessons from the Veterans Affairs Highdensity
Lipoprotein Intervention Trial. Am J Cardiol. 2001; 88:19N-23N.
2. Despres JP, Moorjani S, Lupien PJ, Tremblay A, Nadeau A, Bouchard C. Regional distribution of body fat, plasma lipoproteins, and cardiovascular disease. Arterioscler. 1990; 10:497-511.
3. Campfield LA, Smith FJ, Burn P. Strategies and potential molecular targets for obesity treatment. Science. 1998;280: 1383-7.
4. Hubert HB, Feinleib M, McNamara PM, Castelli WP. Obesity as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease: a 26-year follow-up of participants in the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 1983;67:968 -77.
5. Killeen J, Vanderburg D, Harlan WR. Application of weightheight ratios and body indices to juvenile populations-the National Health Examination Survey Data. J Chronic Dis. 1978;31:529 -37.
6. Rashid, S., Jacques G. Effect of obesity on high-density lipoprotein metabolism. Obesity. 2007;15: 2875-2888.
