Obesity

Obesity is associated with the development of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, back, and knees. Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer in men and women. It is strongly associated with cancer of the esophagus. Obese women have three to four times the risk of endometrial cancer than women with lower BMI. Obesity increases cardiovascular disease risk because of its effect on blood lipid levels. Obesity is a major risk factor for heart attack. Gallstones are common in overweight and obese persons. Obesity decreases the body’s resistance to harmful organisms. These are just some examples of how obesity negatively affects the health of a person.

1 American Obesity Association (www.obesity.org) shares possible treatments for obesity that they emphasize should not take the place of medical advice from a health professional. Obesity has a far-ranging negative effect on health. Each year obesity-related conditions cost over 100 billion dollars and cause an estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the US. The health effects associated with obesity include, but are not limited to, the following: high blood pressure - Additional fat tissue in the body needs oxygen and nutrients in order to live, which requires the blood vessels to circulate more blood to the fat tissue. This increases the workload of the heart because it must pump more blood through additional blood vessels. More circulating blood also means more pressure on the artery walls. Higher pressure on the artery walls increases the blood pressure. In addition, extra weight can raise the heart rate and reduce the body's ability to transport blood through the vessels. diabetes - Obesity is the major cause of type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes begins in adulthood. Obesity can cause resistance to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. When obesity causes insulin resistance, the blood sugar becomes elevated. Even moderate...