The Impact of Obesity on Cardiovascular Functions and Biochemical Changes

The word 'obese' originated from the Latin language "obesus" meaning "to grow fat

by eating" which is derived from the past participle of the verb 'obedere' (ob-away

edere-to eat) " to eat away". Obesity, a body-weight disorder was generally defined as

an accumulation of fat beyond that considered normal, for a person's age, weight, sex

and body type. Over the years the definition of obesity has undergone several

changes. Initially, obesity was considered to be present when a subject was 30% or

more above his ideal weight (Silverstone, 1968) and later Wenar (1994) defined it

simplistically as excess body weight or more specifically as body weight greater than

20% of normal weight for height.1,2 Obesity as a pathologic condition, characterized

by an accumulation of fat much in excess of that is necessary for optimal body

functions.