Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. The more body weight one puts on, the more number of diseases he is bound to attract in his life. Diseases with a lot of serious complications such as blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain, stroke, etc. Let us see here the complications that can be caused due to obesity:
High blood pressure
With the increase in body weight, fatty tissues begin to build up. Similar to other parts of the body, these too require supply of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood. When the demand for oxygen and nutrients increase, the amount of blood circulating in the system also increase. The more blood circulates through the arteries, the greater the pressure on the arterial walls gets. If body weight increases, blood insulin levels get higher (in serious cases of this, type 2 diabetes appears). The increase in insulin levels thickens the walls of veins (especially the arterial walls), which results in high blood pressure.
Cancer
Several cancer types are connected with obesity, including bowel, anal, esophageal, kidney, breast and prostate cancers. Fortunately, the risk is not so significant, but it is there.
Diabetes
Obesity stands as one of the leading causes for type 2 diabetes today. Large amounts of fatty tissues make one’s system desensitized against insulin, making sugar unable to enter cells, so it stays in the blood making the blood sugar level to spike. Elevated blood sugar levels lead to several negative consequences, which deteriorate the person’s condition even further.
Abnormal distribution of the blood fat levels
‘Apple-shaped’ obesity (sooner or later) leads to elevated blood fat and cholesterol levels, even when one consumes healthy foods (but more than one need). Your diet should not contain much of saturated fats and sodium. Most foods contain fat in the form of triglycerides, the same stands for our system. In time, unfavorable distribution of blood fats (dyslipidemia) leads to atherosclerosis. Among complications of atherosclerosis, there can be coronary artery disease or stroke.
Coronary artery disease
It is caused by fatty plaques (fat deposits) in the walls of the arteries (coronary arteries). These arteries are responsible for carrying the blood to the heart. In time, these plaques narrow the coronary arteries, so less blood is supplied to the oxygen-hungry heart muscle. Decreased blood supply of the heart causes chest pain, which is called angina. If there is a blood clot in a narrow artery (thrombus) or a blood clot coming from another part of the body gets stuck (thromboembolism) inside of the artery, then the heart muscle does not get sufficient amounts of oxygen and nutrients, which leads to myocardial infarction (death of heart muscle cells due to bad circulation).
Stroke
Obesity-related atherosclerosis can affect brain arteries as well. If there is a narrowing in one of the arteries and that certain part of the brain does not get sufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients, a stroke happens. Obese people are at much higher risks for stroke, than people with normal weight. High blood pressure is a main contribution factor.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis stands for inflammation of bones and joints at the same time. It is a musculoskeletal disease that often affects the knees, hips and spine. More body weight puts more pressure on inflamed joints, damaging the surface of articular cartilage, thereby increasing joint pain and rigidity.
Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition, where one ceases to breathe for short periods during their sleep. It is also characterized by loud snoring sounds between intervals. During sleep, upper airways (on the level of the pharynx) close; in serious cases, this leads to frequent waking up at night and tiredness during the day. Most people, who have this condition, are also obese.
Fatty liver
In obese people, fat gets deposited in the liver as well. In case of extreme obesity, this can interrupt normal liver function and (during a course of decades) can lead to liver cirrhosis - shrinking of healthy liver tissue and appearance of connective tissue in its place -, even with moderate alcohol consumption.
Problems related to conception and pregnancy
Fatty tissues reduce the levels of sexual hormones (compared to other kinds of tissues, with the exception of liver tissue), therefore they reduce the ability to conceive in both the sexes. Obesity can lead to gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes and other complications over the course of pregnancy and it can even increases birth defects.
As you can see, managing your weight carefully is of utmost importance and should not be taken lightly. With proper nutrition and a healthy amount of exercise, you can be free of all of the diseases mentioned above.
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