Weights and measures The defining problem

There is no doubt that more people than ever before are living with excess body fat, and there is no doubt about the dangers of doing so. Obesity has the ability to harm every single organ in the body, and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and mental illness.

- Andrew Gregory

But the idea of obesity as a disease itself has been at the centre of one of the most polarising debates in modern medicine, rooted in the fact that while some people may tick the box of being obese, determined as having a body mass index (BMI) over 30, they show no signs of ill health and their organs are in perfect working order.

Others currently not classified as obese - because their BMI is below 30 - may in fact have serious undiagnosed health problems as a direct result of excess body fat.