Obesity and Its Effects on Your Health

What is obesity?

Obesity is the state of being gravely overweight – to a point that affects your health.

Obesity in childhood is linked to many health difficulties and tends to indicate that the child will be obese as an adult. It is very worrying as childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. The number of overweight children worldwide is increasing so fast the National Health Service has been pushed to its limits to cope with the added strain.

Obesity causes:

Obesity and overweight are caused by two simple factors – an unwholesome diet (characteristically too rich in sugar and fats and without an adequate amount of fibre and carbohydrate) and not doing enough exercise to burn off the calories consumed. This allows body fat as well as belly fat to accumulate.

Occasionally there are other factors. For example, in an uncommon genetic condition called Prader -Willi Syndrome there maybe problems with controlling hunger.

The effects of obesity include trouble with the joints and bones (such as slipped femoral epiphysis and bow legs), a state called benign intracranial hypertension that produces headaches and affects vision, hypo-ventilation (leading to drowsiness during the day, snoring and even heart failure), gall bladder disease, poly cystic ovary syndrome, high blood pressure, and high levels of blood fats.

Obesity increases the danger of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This is usually a disease seen in later life in adults but there is an increasing trend for children in their teens to present with this disease as a result of being obese. There are also marked psychological effects, leading to low self-esteem.

In the UK, around 27 per cent of children are now overweight, and research suggests the main problem is the continual decline in the amount of exercise children take. Many overweight children have overweight parents – it’s often a matter of family lifestyles.

A child’s body mass index (BMI) is calculated using the same process as for adults – weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Avoid using adult BMI to determine whether a child is overweight or obese. Specific age-adjusted charts are essential.

A lifestyle that involves little physical exercise and excessive inactivity, particularly television viewing, will cause childhood obesity. There are two things going against kids. One is that they have a plentiful supply of food which often tends to be high in calories and full of fat and sugar; two, a lack of physical exercise.

Children have also experienced an explosion in visual media that provides the stimulation that earlier generations found from physical exercise such as football, athletics or just playing outdoors with other kids.

One major factor in childhood obesity is that many schools have phased out mandatory physical education. This means kids never get told of the importance of physical activities.

Parents must take a more active role by encouraging their children to remain active and telling them why it is so important for health reasons. Activity does not need to be structured, as in sports, but can be something that keeps you exercising and burning calories such as bike riding, walking, swimming or gardening.

Picture in your mind a grave, and standing by that grave is a set of parents mourning the passing of their son or daughter due to obesity. Very sad, and yet it is becoming more common every day. The menace of obesity is striking worldwide. Don’t let it affect you.

As people gain weight at a fast rate, they are actually crossing the threshold between being overweight and being obese. This increases the risk of many diseases. Even though we are generally aware of the health dangers of obesity, we still try to ignore them thinking that weight loss is only about looking good. But for the people who are severely overweight making the commitment to lose weight can become a matter of choosing between life and death.

Obesity is not only a leading health problem, but a serious health hazard that needs to be tackled immediately before it starts creating more serious problems in your life. The increase in weight brings an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and shorter life expectancy. The risks of obesity are immense. Making people aware of these dangers helps prevent obesity by controlling the basic factors that lead to it. By adopting the required preventive measures, obese people can retain their health and live a long enjoyable life.

Here is an overview of the main dangers of obesity:

*Heart disease and strokes are the main causes of disability among people and can even turn life threatening at times. Obese people are at higher risk of heart failure, heart attack and stroke.

*Obesity can also lead to diabetes. This illness reduces the ability of the body to control the sugar levels in the blood. Diabetes is dangerous as it can damage organs and cause death. Thus, eating foods that help keep the blood sugar levels normal is essential. Otherwise you may end up suffering from diabetes and fail to live a healthy life, as diabetic people have low immunity and develop health problems quickly.

*Obese women are at higher risk of gall bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Obese men are more likely to develop colorectal and prostate cancer than those males with normal weight. These are the possible dangers that overweight women and men face. Researchers suggest that the presence of more fat in the body results in hormonal imbalances that may lead to cancer. The important thing is that by losing weight, you can reduce your risk of cancer.

*Overweight people exert additional pressure on their knees and lower back joints. This results in the thinning of the cartilage. In turn, these people are at higher risk of suffering from osteoarthritis.

*Obesity may also cause breathing problems. These end up affecting the sleeping pattern of the individual. Overweight people are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. They might snore heavily and stop breathing for short periods during the night.

*Arteriosclerosis is another danger of obesity. It is a result from the increase in the cholesterol levels in the arterial blood vessels. As the cholesterol builds up, plaque is formed inside the arteries. They become narrower and harder. In this way, the blood flow gets disrupted and forces your heart to pump harder increasing your blood pressure. The heart muscle is affected as well. In turn, you are more likely to suffer from heart failure and a heart attack.

*The problems associated with obesity get worse with time because as you age, your metabolism slows down. You also start to lose one pound of lean muscle each year due to inactivity. The possible dangers of obesity leading from heart diseases to cancer become more serious with time. So, it is better for you to take control over the situation and try to adopt good eating habits and adopt an active lifestyle to stay fit and healthy and cut down your body fat.

*Obesity leads to silent diseases, such as high blood pressure, which may go undiagnosed for a long time. So, it’s always better to stay healthy and fit to enjoy a prosperous, healthy and long life.