RESUMEN

Obesity is one of the urgent problems of modern health care. In the 21st century, obesity, one of the most common chronic diseases, takes on the character of a global epidemic, covering almost all countries and peoples of the world. WHO experts suggest that the number of people with obesity by 2005 compared with 2000 will increase by almost 2 times and amount to more than 300 million people. Every year, the situation is getting worse, obesity is getting younger, it becomes a problem not only for adults, but for children and adolescents. Currently, in developed countries, up to 20% of adolescents are overweight, and 15% are obese. In the Russian Federation, 5.5% of children living in rural areas and 8.5% of children in urban areas are obese. Obesity is a social problem, as it leads to early disability and reduces the average life expectancy. Finally, obesity accompanies diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, as well as insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia.