Obesity Complications

There are many health risks commonly associated with obesity. These might include the following:

High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease

One of the most common complications that arise from being obese is high blood pressure. As excess weight is put on, you also gain mostly fatty tissue. Relying on oxygen and other nutrients in the blood, the amount of blood in your body increases. Also, insulin levels typically increase the heavier you are, so this also demands an increase in blood. This places more pressure on your artery walls, thereby increasing heart rate and reducing the capacity of your blood vessels to carry blood.

Strain on the heart, leading to high blood pressure, can also cause strokes as well as heart and kidney damage.

Diabetes

Another risk that comes with being obese is that of diabetes. Obesity is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes. As mentioned before, excess fat makes your body resistant to insulin. Insulin maintains a good amount of sugar in your blood, so if your body becomes resistant to insulin, your blood sugar can increase, leading to negative health effects.

Gastroesophageal Reflux or Heartburn

Leaking acid from the stomach into the esophagus can cause gastroesophageal reflux to occur. This produces heartburn and acid indigestion, but it can also lead to cancers that are located in the esophagus.

Cancer

Most types of cancer are linked with being overweight, and particularly in being obese. Since excess weight puts a strain on many areas of your body, it can lead to such cancers as colon, rectum, esophagus, kidney, breast and prostate.

Sleep Apnea and Respiratory Problems

Due to the fact that many obese individuals have a large neck and restricted airways in which to breathe, sleep apnea and other respiratory problems are common.

Fertility, Pregnancy Problems and Menstrual Irregularities

Are all potential problems for obese people. Sometimes it is just a matter of eating unhealthy foods and can be quickly treated by starting to eat balanced meals and exercising moderately.

Depression and Social Anxiety

Not only is obesity linked with depression, but often scientists don't know if depression or weight gain came first. This is why it is so common that individuals who are overweight experience depression and social anxiety. Often unsatisfied with their condition and the symptoms they experience, individuals who are obese tend not to see the world out of the same rose-colored glasses as their thinner friends. Also, they are often discriminated against and treated unfairly in social situations, thereby promoting social anxiety in obese individuals.

steoarthritis

Excess weight puts more stress on joints, gradually wearing away the cartilage that protects them. Joint pain and stiffness occurs, especially on the knees, hips, and lower back.

Incontinence

Increased pressure is exerted on the abdomen in heavier people. This can lead to a weakening of the valve on the urinary bladder, causing leakage to occur, especially when coughing, sneezing, or laughing.

Physical Discomfort

Physical discomfort can occur when a person is severely obese. Excess fat around the abdomen and breathing areas can make it difficult to sit up and do many normal, every-day activities.

Gallbladder Disease

Heavier people tend to produce more cholesterol in their body. Cholesterol can be deposited in the gallbladder, thereby increasing your risks of gallstones.

Fatty Liver Disease

Fats can also build up in the liver, sometimes leading to the scarring and inflammation commonly associated with this disease.

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