At What Point Does Obesity Become Life-Threatening?

Obesity is typically measured in terms of a person's body mass index (BMI) which is found by taking your weight in kilograms and dividing this by the square of your height in meters. An individual with a BMI in excess of 30 is considered to be obese and a person with a BMI of more than 40 is said to be severely or morbidly obese. In other words, a 1.6 meter tall man weighing 115 kilograms would have a BMI of 45 and would be morbidly, or life-threateningly, obese.

This however is a somewhat simplistic view of morbid obesity as it is possible for an individual to be suffering from life-threatening obesity with a BMI below, and in some cases well below, 40. So we need to find a better definition.

Obesity can be considered life-threatening when your weight causes health problems which are a direct result of your being overweight and where such health problems are likely to lead to a marked deterioration in your general health, shorten your life expectancy and severely affect your lifestyle. Such health conditions are referred to as co-morbidities and are many and varied. Some of the more commonly seen co-morbidities include:

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