Obesity

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commonly used in health clubs and in commercial weight-
loss programs, but results should be viewed skeptically.

Because measuring a person's body fat is tricky, doctors often rely on
other means to diagnose obesity. Two widely used measurements are weight-
for-height tables and body mass index. While both measurements have their
limitations, they are reliable indicators that someone may have a weight
problem. They are easy to calculate and require no special equipment.

One problem with using weight-for-height tables is that doctors disagree
over which is the best table to use. Many versions are available, all with
different weight ranges. Some tables take a person's frame size, age, and
sex into account; others do not. A limitation of all weight-for-height
tables is that they do not distinguish excess fat from muscle. A very
muscular person may appear obese, according to the tables, when he or she
is not. Still, weight-for-height tables can be used as general guidelines.

Doctors ...

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researchers found that the
subjects' adult weights were closer to their biological parents' weights
than their adoptive parents'. The environment provided by the adoptive
family apparently had less influence on the development of obesity than the
person's genetic makeup.

Environmental Factors

Although genes are an important factor in many cases of obesity, a person's
environment also plays a significant part. Environment includes lifestyle
behaviors such as what a person eats and how active he or she is. Americans
tend to have high-fat diets, often putting taste and convenience ahead of
nutritional content when choosing meals. Most Americans also don't get
enough exercise.

People ...

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