Recent years have seen obesity rates skyrocket worldwide and finding obesity cures seems to be a topic growing in popularity.
Without getting too technical, the medical term for obesity is defined as a state of being more than twenty percent above "normal" weight, or having a body-fat percentage greater than thirty percent for women and twenty-five percent for men.
Another measurement of obesity is having a body mass index greater than 30.
Like many conditions however, obesity is treatable and in most cases, curable.
Obesity and being overweight poses a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease as well as certain forms of cancer.
The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life.
Of special concern is the increasing prevalence of child obesity and the non-fatal, but debilitating health problems associated with obesity.
These include: respiratory difficulties, chronic musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility.
So what has caused obesity to get our of hand? Simply put, Increased food consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, have led to obesity rates that have risen three-fold or more since 1980 in some areas of the world.
Other causes of obesity include, genetic, psychological and hereditary (family influence) The truth is, although the issues differ slightly where men, women and children are concerned, in a nut-shell, the main problem boils down to too much of the wrong foods and too little physical activity.
Like many things in life, there is no easy way out.
You cannot simply take a pill and expect to wake up thin the next morning.
In order to cure obesity a number of factors need to be taken into consideration and for an individual to be effectively treated, the root cause would first need to be determined.
When looking for obesity cures, the main objective would obviously be to lose weight and keep it off.
This, of course, is easier said than done.
With so many conflicting information sources out there and with so many companies producing "miracle" obesity cures, it's easy to loose the plot.
Dietitians the world over will agree however, that: fad diets, starvation diets, diets that exclude whole good groups such as the Atkins Diet (which restrict carbohydrates to practically zero), as well as diet pills and products, just don't work and these are not miracle obesity cures.
The reality of the matter is that the only real obesity cures consist of good old fashion exercise and healthy eating.
Eating the right foods such as fruits and veg and nuts and cutting out the bad fatty stuff will mean that half the battle is won.
Being active and getting your blood pumping is the other component of a successful weight loss program.
For the more severely affected and morbidly obese, there are other more surgical methods available such as gastric bypass surgery.
A doctor would be able to recommend this surgery if the individuals weight posed more of threat than the threat of actually surgery itself.