“Overweight and obesity deserve without any doubt their bad reputation of the 21st century disease. Obesity results from a disturbed balance between the amount of calories we absorb and the quantity of it that we consume. By 2030, 50% of the Belgian population will suffer of overweight, 20% of whom will be obese. BMI (Body Mass Index, body weight in kilograms divided by the body height in square meters) is used as a measure to indicate overweight.

A BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m² indicates a normal weight, overweight occurs between 25 and 30 kg/m² and morbid obesity with a BMI of 35kg/m² and more. Overweight and obesity can be very harmful to our health and can cause divers additional problems (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, …) and should therefore be treated. If conservative treatment (diet and increased exercise) fails, bariatric surgery (gastric ring, gastric bypass, bypass surgery, mini bypass, …) may help to solve, under certain circumstances, the problem.”