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Mar 1, 2024 · Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health. Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).
Jan 4, 2024 · Key points. Overweight or obesity are associated with an increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions. Body mass index (BMI) can be used to screen for weight status. Facts.
- Overview
- 1. Type 2 diabetes
- 2. Heart disease
- 3. Stroke
- 4. Sleep apnea
- 5. High blood pressure
- 6. Liver disease
- 7. Gallbladder disease
- 8. Certain cancers
- 9. Pregnancy complications
Overview
Obesity is a condition in which a person has a harmful amount of body fat or an unhealthy distribution of body fat. It raises the risk for several serious health complications. Excess body fat puts strain on the bones and organs. It also causes complex changes in hormones and metabolism and increases inflammation in the body.
People with obesity have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. You can calculate your BMI using an online calculator. You only need to know your height and weight.
Having a risk factor like obesity doesn’t mean that you’ll develop the following health problems. But it does increase your chances of developing one or more of them. Here are 10 health risks of obesity and what you can do to prevent or manage them.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when your blood sugar is higher than normal. Over time, this can lead to other health issues, like heart disease, nerve damage, stroke, kidney disease, and vision problems.
If you have obesity, losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight and getting regular, moderate exercise may prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Heart disease is more prevalent in people with obesity. Over time, fatty deposits may accumulate in the arteries that supply the heart with blood. People with obesity have higher than normal blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar, all of which contribute to heart disease.
Arteries that become narrow can lead to a heart attack. Blood clots in narrow arteries can result in a stroke.
Stroke and heart disease share many of the same risk factors. Strokes occur when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. A stroke can cause damage to brain tissue and result in a range of disabilities, including speech and language impairment, weakened muscles, and changes to thinking and reasoning skills.
A 2010 review of 25 studies with almost 2.3 million participants found that obesity increased the risk of stroke by 64 percent.
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which someone may momentarily stop breathing during sleep.
People who are overweight and living with obesity are at a higher risk of having sleep apnea. This is because they tend to have more fat stored around the neck, making the airway shrink. A smaller airway can cause snoring and difficulty breathing at night.
Extra fat tissue in the body requires more oxygen and nutrients. Your blood vessels will need to circulate more blood to the extra fat tissue. This means your heart must work even harder to pump blood around the body.
The increase in the amount of blood circulating puts extra pressure on the walls of your arteries. This added pressure is called high blood pressure, or hypertension. Over time, high blood pressure can damage your heart and arteries.
People with obesity can develop a liver disease known as fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This happens when excess fat builds up in the liver. The excess fat can damage the liver or cause scar tissue to grow, known as cirrhosis.
Fatty liver disease usually has no symptoms, but it can eventually lead to liver failure. The only way to reverse or manage the disease is to lose weight, exercise, and avoid drinking alcohol.
The gallbladder is responsible for storing a substance known as bile and passing it to the small intestine during digestion. Bile helps you digest fats.
Obesity increases your risk of developing gallstones. Gallstones occur when bile builds up and hardens in the gallbladder. People with obesity may have higher levels of cholesterol in their bile, or have large gallbladders that don’t work well, which can lead to gallstones. Gallstones can be painful and require surgery.
Because cancer isn’t a single disease, the association between obesity and cancer isn’t as clear as other diseases like heart disease and stroke. Still, obesity can increase your risk for certain cancers, including breast, colon, gallbladder, pancreatic, kidney, and prostate cancer, as well as cancer of the uterus, cervix, endometrium, and ovaries.
One population-based study estimated that about 28,000 new cases of cancer in men and 72,000 in women in 2012 were associated with being overweight or having obesity in the United States.
Pregnant women who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to develop insulin resistance, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. This can increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and delivery, including:
•gestational diabetes
•preeclampsia
•needing a cesarean delivery (C-section)
•blood clots
•heavier bleeding than normal after delivery
Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight can reduce your risk of developing these health issues. Talk with your doctor about losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Jul 15, 2022 · People who have obesity, compared to those with a healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions. In addition, obesity and its associated health problems have a significant economic impact on the US health care system. Obesity also affects military readiness.
Jul 22, 2023 · There are many reasons why some people have trouble losing weight. Often, obesity results from inherited, physiological and environmental factors, combined with diet, physical activity and exercise choices.
Excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
