<
> Facilities > Obesity
Posted: 2006-07-19
Obesity is more than a cosmetic problem. Many serious medical conditions have been linked to obesity, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Obesity is also linked to higher rates of certain types of cancer. Men who are obese are more likely to develop cancer of the colon, rectum, or prostate than non-obese men. Women who are obese are more likely to develop cancer of the gallbladder, uterus, cervix, or ovaries than non-obese women. Esophageal cancer has also been associated with obesity.
-
Other diseases and health problems linked to obesity include:
-
Type 2 Diabetes
-
High blood pressure/Heart disease
-
Dyslipidemia/High Cholesterol
-
Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints
-
Depression
-
Sleep apnea/Respiratory problems
-
Gastro esophageal reflux/Heartburn
-
Infertility
-
Urinary stress incontinence
-
Menstrual irregularities
-
Lymph edema
Health care providers generally agree that the more obese a person is, he or she has a higher risk to develop health problems.
-
Psychological and Social Effects
Emotional suffering may be one of the most painful parts of obesity. American society emphasizes physical appearance and often equates attractiveness with slimness, especially for women. Those kind of messages make overweight people feel unattractive.Many people think that individuals with obesity are gluttonous, lazy, or both. This is not true. As a result, people who are obese often face prejudice or discrimination in the job market, at school, and in social situations. Feelings of rejection, shame, or depression may occur.
-
Who should lose weight?
Health care providers generally agree that people who have a BMI of 30 or greater can improve their health through weight loss. This is especially true for people with a BMI of 40 or greater, who are considered extremely obese.
Preventing additional weight gain is recommended if you have a BMI between 25 and 29.9, unless you have other risk factors for obesity-related diseases. Obesity experts recommend you try to lose weight if you have two or more of the following:
-
Family history of certain chronic diseases. If you have close relatives who have had heart disease or diabetes, you are more likely to develop these problems if you are obese.
-
Preexisting medical conditions.High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol levels, low HDL cholesterol levels, high triglycerides, and high blood glucose are all warning signs of some obesity-associated diseases.
-
Large waist circumference. Men who have waist circumferences greater than 40 inches, and women who have waist circumferences greater than 35 inches, are at higher risk of diabetes, dyslipidemia (abnormal amounts of fat in the blood), high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Fortunately, a weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your initial body weight can do much to improve health by lowering blood pressure and other risk factors for obesity-related diseases. In addition, research shows that a 5- to 7-percent weight loss brought about by moderate diet and exercise can delay or possibly prevent type 2 diabetes in people at high risk for the disease.In a recent study, participants who were overweight and had pre-diabetes—a condition in which a person’s blood glucose level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes—were able to delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes by adopting a low-fat, low-calorie diet and exercising for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
