Changes

'''Obesity''' is a medical classification regarding an extreme and unhealthy level of excessive body weight. It is a more serious classification on the [[Body Mass Index]] (BMI) scale than ''overweight''. Some consequences of obesity include Type 2 [[diabetes]], strain on joints, and an increased risk of [[stroke]] and [[heart attack]]. Obesity has become more common in the [[United States]] and is increasing in many developed countries.

'''Obesity''' is a medical classification regarding an extreme and unhealthy level of excessive body weight. It is a more serious classification on the [[Body Mass Index]] (BMI) scale than ''overweight''. In addition, the term obese can be used in a more general way to simply mean the "excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body".<ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obesity?show=0&t=1293887890</ref> Some consequences of medical obesity include Type 2 [[diabetes]], strain on joints, and an increased risk of [[stroke]] and [[heart attack]]. Obesity has become more common in the [[United States]] and is increasing in many developed countries.

Obesity has many causes, including some that are choice and controllable such as sinful overeating ([[gluttony]]) and/or lack of exercise.  It can also be caused by improper hormone production or other malfunctions of various brain structures, including in particular the [[hypothalamus]] (site of the reward pathways, [this action=release of serotonin=feeling of pleasure]) and [[thyroid]] gland.

Obesity has many causes, including some that are choice and controllable such as sinful overeating ([[gluttony]]) and/or lack of exercise.  It can also be caused by improper hormone production or other malfunctions of various brain structures, including in particular the [[hypothalamus]] (site of the reward pathways, [this action=release of serotonin=feeling of pleasure]) and [[thyroid]] gland.