Know These 9 Issues that can Arise Due to Excessive Weight

Obesity is a term used to define a medical condition of a person. An obese person usually has a harmful amount of body fat or uneven distribution of fats in the body. Such individuals are at a higher risk of suffering from various health conditions. This is because excess fats can end up putting strain over the bones and organs. Plus, it can also cause unusual changes in metabolism and hormones.

But, you must keep in mind that it isn’t necessary that the following health problems will develop due to Obesity. However, being obese certainly increases an individual’s chances of acquiring one or more health problems.

Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at a few health risks related to Obesity. And don’t worry; we will also talk about ways to deal with it.

Type-2 diabetes:

This type of diabetes occurs when a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than it should be. If left unchecked, it can lead to various other health risks like stroke, kidney disease, vision issue and much more.

If you are obese, then invest time in regular exercise to reduce around 5 to 7 per cent of your body weight. This way, you can delay the outset of type-2 diabetes.

Heart disease:

Heart disease is the most common health issue among obese people. This is because the fatty deposits start accumulating within the arteries that are in charge of supplying blood to the heart.

Obese people have a higher blood pressure than normal, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein and blood sugar. All of these conditions result in heart problem.

In fact, a 2010 review done on 25 studies conducted on over 2.3 million participants stated that Obesity increases the chances of heart attack or stroke by 64 per cent.

Sleep apnea:

Sleep apnea is a condition where an individual may briefly stop breathing while sleeping.

People who weigh more than normal are at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea. The reason for this is that the more fat an individual has around the neck, the smaller the airway gets. And this can lead to snoring or even difficulty breathing.

Losing a few pounds can reduce the weight around the neck, lowering the risk of sleep apnea.

High blood pressure:

An obese person has a lot of extra fat tissue in his/her body. And that means these tissues will require extra nutrients and oxygen too. In order to meet the needs, your blood vessels will need to work harder and circulate more blood, meaning your heart will work even harder to pump the blood evenly.

The increased circulation of blood can put extra pressure on the arteries’ walls. And this extra pressure is nothing but hypertension or high blood pressure. Constant hypertension can result in damaging both the arteries and the heart.

Liver disease:

Obese people are at higher chances of developing a liver condition known as (NASH) Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis or fatty liver disease. This problem happens due to the excessive buildup of fat in the liver. The fat damages the liver and leads in the growth of scar tissue, known as cirrhosis.

It may be hard to determine if a person is suffering from NASH because there are no visible symptoms. But, it can lead to liver failure.

The best way to manage or reverse NASH is by losing weight, exercising and avoiding alcohol.

Gallbladder disease:

The gallbladder is an organ that is in charge of collecting bile and then passing it to the small intestine. Bile aids the human body in digesting the fats.

When a person is obese, his/her cholesterol contains higher levels of bile. The extra bile ends up building and hardening in the gallbladder, resulting in a condition known as gallstones. Gallstones can cause excoriating pain and can only be removed with surgery.

Change your diet with something that has high fibre and healthy fats to prevent gallstones.

Risk of certain cancer types:

Cancer has a very open profile, meaning there are various types of it. So, it is hard to exactly associate excess weight with cancer.

But, Obesity can increase the risk of certain types of cancer like gallbladder, colon, kidney, pancreatic, breast, cervix, ovaries, endometrium and prostate cancer.

Complication in pregnancy:

A pregnant woman who is also overweight has the chances of developing high blood pressure, high blood sugar and insulin resistance. These problems can lead to various complications during the pregnancy and the delivery, like:

• Gestational diabetes

• Premature birth

• Miscarriage

• Stillbirth

• Heavy bleeding after delivery

• Brain and spinal cord defects

• Preeclampsia, etc.

One of the studies done on various women with a BMI of 40 or more concluded that, when these women got pregnant, they suffered from either one or more complications.

So, if you are obese and are planning to have a baby, then opt for a weight management plan or talk to your doctor for options so you can prevent any complications.

Depression:

People who are obese have a hard time to cope with stress, leading to depression. In fact, studies have strongly claimed that Obesity and depression has a major correlation between them.

We all know that obese people often face discrimination based on their size. Over time, such events can lead to a lack of self-worth or feeling of sadness.

But thankfully, there are many advocacy groups that are working harder to reduce discrimination based on body size.

If you have Obesity and are dealing with depression or anxiety, then contact your doctor. He/she will have a referral to a mental health counsellor.

Over to you

By reducing a minimum of 5 per cent of total body weight, you can easily decrease your risk of several health conditions mentioned above. So, start by practising a combination of healthy diet and exercise. We aren’t telling you to make drastic changes, just being consistent while making healthy lifestyle choice is enough.

And if you are worried about the excessive skin, then there is always an option of surgeries like Abdominoplasty. Skilled surgeons and physicians in countries like India and Turkey can help you get a tummy tuck if exercise and diet restrictions prove futile.