Normal Weight Obesity: a new epidemic of the society   

New Delhi, Sunday 18th October 2009 : Men and women who are considered to be normal weight based on their body mass index (BMI) could still be at risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) if their body fat levels are too high, stated Dr. KK Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India.   

It is a new epidemic of the society, confirmed in the recent findings at the recently concluded MTNL Perfect Health Mela. Called normal weight obese (NWO) and is defined as women with a normal weight as measured by BMI but with body fat >30% of their total body weight and in men body fat >25%.   

People with NWO syndrome are not overweight but are at high risk of heart disease because of their elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the development of CVD, atherosclerotic processes, and insulin resistance. This early inflammatory state could be a significant indicator of their future risk for obesity, CVD, and the metabolic syndrome.   

One of the ways to calculate normal weight obesity is to know weight gain after 18 or 20 years of age. Even very modest weight gain (> 5 kg) after age 18 years in women and after age 20 years in men increases the risk of CHD and type 2 diabetes at all levels of initial BMI. More than 67% people with normal BMI who reported for the check ups at the mela had gained more than 10 kg body weight after the age of twenty.