Obesity has become a major risk for millions of people all over the world. Even though it is not a disease in itself, it provides a favorable condition for many diseases to attack the body. Due to changing lifestyle, more and more people are becoming obese. The surprising thing that can be noticed in the last decade is that, Obesity has started affecting more and more children. Obesity can severely affect the health of an individual in the long run. Not only that, in many people, it can create a lack of confidence and lead to depression and other issues. You will be shocked to know that Obesity affects nearly a third of the adult population in US which is nearly 80 million Americans and they spend more than 100 billion dollars every year to treat this problem.
It is scientifically proved that many obese people have low self esteem and this can affect their performance in their education and career. Due to increased health risks, Obesity can also affect the family life of individuals. Obesity also invites a host of other diseases like increased blood pressure, heart disease, respiratory disorders, stroke, diabetes, cancer and many more ailments. Let us see some of the most common dangers related to obesity and understand in detail about preventing them.
What is Obesity?
To begin with, let us understand what is Obesity? In common layman terms, being fat or having excess weight is generally called being obese. In actual medical terms, it is defined as having excess adipose tissue. But how do you actually determine how much excess adipose tissue you have? There are several methods to do this and the most common one is by way of calculating the Body Mass Index (BMI). Obesity leads to an increased level of circulation of fatty acids and also causes inflammation which leads to a host of other health issues.
What Causes Obesity?
One of the simple reasons for gaining more weight is eating more calories than the person is able to burn. The excess energy will be stored as fat in the body and over a period of time, it leads to Obesity. Other than over eating, factors like Genetics also play an important role when it comes to the causes of Obesity. Also leading a sedentary lifestyle will increase your chances of gaining weight. In some cases, medications taken for other diseases can lead to weight gain. Other than that, issues with hormones like underactive thyroid can also lead to obesity.
Dangers Related to Obesity in Children:
An increasing number of children are becoming obese in recent years and this is alarming. When you child is obese, it can lead to serious life threatening illness when they grow old. Obesity in children can lead to higher rate of heart diseases and the life expectancy of the child is reduced by around four to five years. Remember that obesity can affect the vital organs and it is more dangerous for kids when compared to adults. When children have additional fat in their liver, it can lead to liver diseases in later years. Obese children also tend to have a higher rate of diabetes when they grow up. They also suffer from sleep apnea which leads to disturbed sleep. In this way, they are not able to feel energetic during the day and will suffer from fatigue. Obesity in children can also lead to problems with vision as it adds more pressure on the brain. Kids also suffer from acid reflux due to obesity and this can affect their digestive system. Apart from these medical problems, obese kids also have to face a lot of psychological issues in their growing years. Often they become the butt of jokes in their friends group and this will impact their confidence in a negative way.
Dangers Related to Obesity in Adults:
There are many dangers of obesity and it can severely affect the health of a person. Obese people suffer from high blood pressure and it can in turn lead to many other problems. Excess fat in the body results in resistance to insulin which is known to cause Type 2 Diabetes. You will be surprised to know that nearly 80 percent of obese people are likely to contract diabetes. This resistance to insulin can lead to kidney diseases and strokes along with coronary heart diseases. The risk increases with growing age and is significantly higher in people aged more than 45. With increased levels of cholesterol in the body, the risk of heart attack also increases. One of the biggest dangers of obesity is that it can lead to cancer. Especially obese women are prone to contract breast cancer and other forms of deadly cancers.
How to Measure Obesity?
One of the easiest way to measure Obesity is by way of calculating the Body Mass Index which involves a mathematical calculation of height and weight of the person. If the BMI of the person is above 30, it is considered Obese and if it is above 40 it is considered extremely Obese. Yet another simple way to measure Obesity is to check the waist measurement of the person. For men, if the waist measurement exceeds 40 inches, they are considered at risk of being Obese and for women it is more than 35 inches. Other than these simple methods, there are many other methods that require proper medical examination and your doctor can help you in this regard.
Dangers Related to Morbid Obesity:
Morbid Obesity is a very complex condition and usually genetics plays an important role in this kind of obesity. This condition makes it very difficult for the person to be involved in an active lifestyle and it will also restrict the movement in a huge way. Apart from the psychological effects, it will also lead to a host of health issues. Even though Morbid Obesity does not appear to cause any harm in day to day activities, the health of such a person can get affected all of a sudden and lead to various complications. This category of people are under risk of a sudden heart attack or a stroke. Morbid Obesity is known to cause too much stress to the body cells and in this way, it affects every major organ of the body.
With so many dangers related to Obesity, people should pay attention to what they eat and follow an active lifestyle. Otherwise, it can lead to many diseases and also result in premature death in many cases. Obese people also have problems when it comes to having a comfortable seating in public transport and this can lead to severe back problems. In this manner, it makes sense to follow a healthy diet and take adequate precaution with regards to weight gain. Obese people should focus on losing weight at a gradual pace so that they can maintain the new shape forever. Even a weight loss of 10 kg will have a huge impact on your body and you will lower the chances of getting many diseases. Also losing weight and getting fit will give you lot of confidence and boost your self esteem. If not for cosmetic reasons, at least try to lose excess weight for the sake of your health.
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