A healthcare professional can easily determine whether you are obese, overweight or healthy simply by measuring your body mass index, or BMI for short. It effectively determines your weight in relation to your height, and the further it falls outside of the standard range, the greater your chances of developing a variety of critical health problems from obesity and overweight.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is something that cannot be achieved overnight and could prove to be a challenging task for obese and overweight individuals over the long term. Ensuring a healthy weight by taking appropriate measures, or at least preventing further weight gain, can help obese people reduce their chances of developing certain medical conditions.
Obesity threatens to become a national epidemic in the US and is linked to several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The serious condition is responsible for a staggering 18% mortality rate in the 40- to 85-year-old age group in the American population, according to a 2013 health research study that challenges the ingrained, dominant notion of the medical and scientific community, that only 5 out of 100 deaths in the country are related to obesity. The new finding essentially suggests that it is just as deadly as cigarette smoking when it comes to discussing health hazards, since the particular mode of nicotine use can be linked to 20 out of 100 deaths in the US and is recognized as the most serious preventable cause of death in the country.
Nearly 2 in 5 adult Americans were diagnosed with obesity in 2015-16, a significant increase from 34% in 2007-08, and its impact has been seen with a steep increase from 5.7% to 7.7% even more profound at this time. While not a single state reported an obesity rate above 15% in 1985, five of them recorded rates above 35% in 2016.
Obesity and being overweight are often associated with emotional health issues such as depression. People who are either obese or overweight can also experience weight distortions and face stigma from healthcare providers and others, which in turn can lead to feelings of guilt, rejection, or shame, further aggravating prevailing problems of mental well-being.
The main diseases and health complications caused by obesity and overweight are briefly outlined below.
I. TYPE 2 DIABETES
When the blood glucose concentration becomes abnormally high for a long time, it is called type 2 diabetes. About 4 out of 5 people with this form of diabetes are either obese or overweight. High blood sugar levels can manifest a large number of medical conditions, such as stroke, heart disease, eye problems, neuropathic damage, eye problems, and other health problems.
If you allow yourself regular physical activity and lose 5% to 7% of your weight, the onset of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed if you are at risk for the disease in question.
II. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
When the blood flows through the blood vessels in your body with significantly more force, the condition in question is known as high blood pressure, or more commonly, high blood pressure. It can cause alarming damage to your blood vessels, put a strain on your heart, and help increase the chances of stroke, kidney disease, heart attacks, and even death.
III. HEART DISEASE
The umbrella term heart disease is routinely used to refer to a wide and diverse range of conditions that can affect the overall well-being of the organ. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, you are at increased risk of heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina, heart attack, or a heart rhythm that is not considered normal. Elevated levels of fat in your bloodstream, high blood sugar levels, and high blood pressure can all increase your chances of heart disease. Blood lipids or blood lipids necessarily refer to triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol. Reducing 5% to 10% of your body mass will likely help you reduce your risk of heart disease and may help improve your circulation, cholesterol and blood pressure.
IV. PETTING
When blood vessels in your neck or brain become blocked or ruptured, it causes the blood supply to your brain to be suddenly cut off, and the particular condition is known as a stroke. A stroke can cause irreversible or irreversible damage to your brain, resulting in partial or complete paralysis, making you unable to speak or initiate body movements. To suffice, hypertension is recognized as the vital cause of strokes.
V. SLEEP APNEA
Sleep apnea is a medical condition in which a person does not breathe frequently and is fairly common in a large number of people around the world. You can also stop breathing completely for small intervals. If the said sleep disorder continues to go undiagnosed and untreated, it can increase the likelihood of other critical health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Thanks to Monika Agarwal
