Dear Editor,
The terms overweight and obesity often are used interchangeably, but in fact the conditions are not the same. The true standard of measure is the proportion of weight-that is composed of fat, as compared to that representing lean muscle, bone and body fluids.

Ideally, a man’s body fat should be 10 to 15% of his total weight-and a woman’s 15 to 20%, because women store fat around the hips, abdomen and breasts in preparation for child-bearing. The average Guyanese male however, carries about 20% fat, the average female 30%. A man is often called obese if he carries 25% or more fat and a woman is obese if her proportion exceeds 30%. Obesity is closely linked to the most serious chronic diseases of contemporary society. They are heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems and digestive difficulties. Many obese people blame their genes for their pudgy midriffs, and to some degree they may be right. There appears to be no single explanation why some people are fat and others are not. Obesity definitely tends to run in families. Age and sex play parts as well. More women are obese than men and the older we get the more likely we are to store fat as the basal metabolic rate slows down.

Still, none of these fully explains the obesity epidemic. All matters of genes, sex, age and race aside, obese people are known to eat more and exercise less than thinner people. Obesity is over fat. It is not simply a matter of being overweight according to height-weight charts. Anyone who has ever watched a professional football game in the U.S.A knows that a human being can carry a prodigious number of pounds and scarcely be called obese and if the height-weight charts were taken literally a 6 foot 280 pounds defensive tackle is about 60 pounds overweight but is neither unhealthy nor obese. My Guyanese Brothers, Sisters and Children please take note.

Yours faithfully,
George L. Munroe
Executive Member
Canadian College of Health
Service Executives