Negative Effects Of Obesity

Why Obesity Should Matter More

Obesity might be a common weight problem in the United States but this is not an excuse to be complacent about it. One-third of adults in the U.S. are obese while two-thirds of the populations are overweight. Obesity shortens life span due to the high risk of developing health conditions like heart diseases. People who are obese and overweight should start being more concerned about their weight problems. What are the negative effects of obesity?

• High Blood Pressure - One of the common negative effects of obesity is an increase in high blood pressure. Since the body has more fat tissues, the heart is forced to pump more blood to these tissues. The heart is pressured which can put the person at risk for heart attacks.

• Diabetes 2 - Obese people are at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. When a person is obese, he or she will develop a resistance to insulin and insulin is a hormone that regulates sugar in blood. Due to insulin resistance, the blood sugar level increases.

• Osteoarthritis - Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that causes joint pain. Since the body is heavy, there is more pressure placed on the knee, neck, hips, hands and lower back joints. Unfortunately, there is no cure for osteoarthritis. The only way to reduce the negative effects is to start losing weight to relieve joint pressure.

• Heart Disease - The heart of an obese person works very hard to pump blood to that fat tissue. This activity strains the heart and can lead to high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and high cholesterol.

• Cancer - Men and women who are either obese or overweight are at an increased risk of having cancer. Women are at risk of gallbladder cancer, uterus cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer. Men are at risk of prostate cancer and colon cancer.

• Sleep Apnea - Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder where a person will stop breathing during sleep. This is a very serious sleeping disorder as the breathing pattern starts and stops in the middle of the night. Sleep Apnea can lead to heart problems as well.

• Atherosclerosis - Astherosclerosis happens when the cholesterol in the body turns into hardened plaques. These plaques adhere to the artery walls which can lead to heart problems.

Why should obesity matter more? Because there are so many negative effects of obesity that are life-threatening. Obesity is proven to shorten the life span of a person. People should start being more concerned about their weight problems and more importantly, do something about it. The only way to reduce the risk of all these negative effects is to start exercising and dieting to lose weight. It should be followed by a weight management program.