How common is obesity? How is body fat measured? What about weight-for-height tables? What is the body mass guide (BMI)? Does it matter where protest plump is located? What about herbal fen phen? What about meal substitutes, imitation sweeteners, and OTC products?

The delimitation of obesity varies depending on what one reads, but in general, it is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount body fat. A certain amount of body fat is vital representing storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions. Normally women have 25-30% of body fat expressed as percentage of body fat) and men - 18-23%. All that is more is abnormal and is considered as obesity.

In the United States obesity has reached epidemic proportions. According to statistics one in three Americans is obese. It is also common for other countries all over the world.

Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration; it is a real dilemma directly harmful to one's health. In the United States, roughly 300,000 deaths per year are directly related to obesity, and more than 80% of these deaths are in patients with a BMI (body mass index) over 30. Moreover obesity increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including: Insulin Resistance.

Insulin resistance (IR) is the condition whereby the effectiveness of insulin in transporting glucose (sugar) into cells is diminished. Fat cells are more insulin resistant than muscle cells; consequently, one important cause of IR is obesity. While the pancreas can produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance, the levels of blood glucose remain normal. This IR state (characterized by normal blood glucose levels and high insulin levels) can last long enough, sometimes for years. When the pancreas can no longer keep up with producing high levels of insulin, blood glucose levels begin to rise. This results in type 2 diabetes, thus IR is a pre-diabetes condition.Actually scientists now believe that the atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) associated with diabetes likely develops during this IR period. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases with the degree and duration of obesity.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is common among obese people. A Norwegian study showed that weight gain tended to increase blood pressure in women more significantly than in men. Moreover the risk of developing coronary artery disease increased 3 to 4 times in women who had a BMI greater than 29. A Finnish recite showed that every one kilogram (2.2 pounds) increase in body weight, means the risk of death from coronary artery disease increased by one percent.

While not conclusively proven, some observational studies have linked obesity to cancer of the colon in men and women, cancer of the rectum and prostate in men, and cancer of the gallbladder and uterus in women. Obesity may also be associated with breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women.

So obesity can actually ruin the health of a person, causing a great number of different diseases. One should take much care about his or her weight and be conscious about what they eat.

Women with painful fibroids can get long-term relief without surgery, a study of 1,278 women said. All of them underwent uterine fibroid embolization (UFE, also known as uterine artery embolization or UAE). Three years after the minimally invasive procedure, fewer than 15% of women needed surgery or a repeat UFE.

The study was led by UFE pioneer Scott C. Goodwin, MD, who chairs the department of radiological sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Goodwin, who prefers the more precise term UAE, says the procedure offers "very good" long-term outcomes. The quality of living after UFE is good. And you have quicker period of recovery and fewer complications than with the surgical alternatives," he informed WebMD.

Which is more, Goodwin pointed out that the women in the study were treated at different medical centers, not just those tremendously skilled at performing UFE. He mentioned that it was especially important. You can conclude that UFE done by someone with the correct credentials will have the same effect wherever it is done.

While 86% of the women who chose UFE said they'd recommend it to their friend or family member, not all of them get ride of all the symptoms. Three years after the procedure, approximately 13% of the women underwent surgery for fibroid symptoms and another 2% underwent another UFE. That rate is comparable to the standard seen in patients who undergo myomectomy, surgical removal of fibroids. Each year after myomectomy, about 5% of patients see their fibroids return.

Throughout the world, some 25,000 women undergo UFE each year. Goodwin introduced it to the U.S. in 1996. Nevertheless the procedure is all the more considered "developmental" by many gynecologists, including Bryan Cowan, MD, chair of the University of Mississippi Medical Centre department of gynecology and a spokesman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In his opinion the three-year follow-up is short. He often says to his patients that he can take their fibroids out but he cannot change them. After myomectomy, one-fourth of them will see fibroids come back -- but that is five or six years later. So, according to Bryan Cowan, these people in the Goodwin read have not entered that time threshold.

I’d like to mention here that fibroids are benign tumors -- not cancers -- that arise inside the uterus; doctors ring them uterine myomas or leiomyomata. As a rule, they normally don't cause symptoms. But when they do, women may suffer excessive or painful bleeding during menstruation, bleeding between menstrual periods, abdominal pressure, frequent urination, pain during sex, and or low back pain. Removal of the uterus -- hysterectomy -- is the only sure way to stop fibroids and to make sure they never come back. Yet, hysterectomy results in sterility. It is a fact that fibroids are the actuation for up to 40% of the 150,000 to 200,000 hysterectomies performed each year in the U.S.

Caring much about raising of the birth rate and about healthy living of children and mothers in my country and all over the world, I’m going to pay much attention to the question of the women’s health. This article will be first. I hope it will be really useful for you as it is based on the results of very important researches.

It is important for women, especially those aged 18-24, to consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily through supplements, fortified foods, or both in addition to a folate-rich diet. It will help to prevent serious birth defects called neural tube defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord. That recommendation goes for any lady of childbearing age, even whether she's not trying to conceive, for many pregnancies aren't planned. Among American women only 40% accept a daily supplement containing folic acid. That part is even smaller - 30% - among women aged 18-24, who according to researches represent almost a third of all U.S. births. Among all age groups, young women are the least aware about the importance of folic acid consumption.

Folic acid can be found in many vitamin and mineral supplements. It has also been added to most enriched breads, flours, and other grain products for the last 10 years. Folate, a B-vitamin that's the natural form of folic acid, is also found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens, as well as in black-eyed peas and beef liver.

One thing I want to recommend you strongly, especially if you are planning to become a Mother – take care about your health. That is truly important both for you and for your child. And even if you are to think about that – take care of such things in advance.