Weight gain

Being above a healthy weight (body mass index or BMI > 25 kg/m2) is an increasingly common condition in Western countries. It is estimated that in Australia, 30 per cent of women are above (BMI > 25 kg/m2) and 22 per cent are significantly above their ideal bodyweight (BMI > 30 kg/m2). The proportion of adults who are above or significantly above a healthy weight is additionally increasing and has approximately doubled in the past 20 years, both in Australia and the majority of other Western countries.

Being above a healthy weight is associated with an increased prevalence of a number of conditions including insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome, impaired psychosocial health, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea and breast and uterine cancer. Reproductive processes are also influenced by body weight and reproductive dysfunction will occur with both positive and negative extremes of body weight. The location of adipose tissue (peripheral or abdominal) also adversely affects health. The abdominal adipose tissue consists of visceral (the mesentetric and the greater and lesser omental depots contained within the body cavity surrounding the internal organs) and subcutaneous tissue (under the skin). Abdominal visceral fat is more strongly associated with insulin resistance and metabolic and reproductive abnormalities fitness than subcutaneous fat^1,2.

Content updated August 18, 2008