Obesity and related Illnesses

Overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. More than 61 percent of Americans aged 20 years and older are overweight and one-fourth of American adults are obese - an estimated 97 million, which puts them at risk for poor health. Yet obesity continues to increase alarmingly in men, women and children. With children ages six to seventeen years old, there is an obesity crisis. Since 1980, the number of overweight children has doubled, and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled. In addition to being a major health risk, obesity is associated with approximately 300,000 deaths a year in this country and obesity causes a myriad of health complications.

Many Americans tend to look at it as a physically unattractive, cosmetic problem without considering the many related illnesses that go along with it. But the health ramifications are far more serious even though the psychology of weight image does come into play physically due to how you feel about yourself. Overweight and obese adults are at risk for premature death and disability as a consequence of being overweight and obese, the health risks increase even more when a person's obesity increases.

Obesity-related illness results in hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths each year in the United States and billions of dollars in health care costs.

Being obese causes an increased risk for developing a number of serious and potentially fatal health problems, including:

High Blood pressure, hypertension - One-third of all cases of high blood pressure are associated with obesity High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight.
High blood cholesterol - 50% more likely to have elevated blood cholesterol levels.
Diabetes Type 2 - non-insulin dependent accounts for nearly 90% of all cases of diabetes. Researchers estimate that 88 to 97% of type 2 diabetes cases diagnosed in overweight people are a direct result of obesity
Congestive heart failure - obesity increases the risk of congestive heart failure, a potentially fatal condition in which the heart muscle weakens, progressively losing the ability to pump blood.
Heart disease - heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or chest pain, and abnormal heart rhythm is increased in persons who are overweight or obese.
Stroke - There is a link between obesity and stroke; this is particularly the case for people whose fat is situated predominantly in the abdominal region. Overweight people are more likely to have high blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, but these associations are not the only explanations for the greater stroke rate.
Gallstones and gallbladder disorders.
Gout - the condition may develop in people with obesity incidents are remarkably higher, Gout is strongly associated with obesity.
Osteoarthritis - Obesity may be a major factor in the development of osteoarthritis, particularly of the knee and especially in women.
Some types of cancer -such as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon
Complications of pregnancy.
Poor female reproductive health - examples would be menstrual irregularities, infertility, irregular ovulation.
Bladder control problems - such as stress incontinence.
Psychological disorders -such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self- esteem.

As always the best advice is found by asking your Doctor, you may want to ask him or her about your weight and the effect it's having on your health. Your Doctor can help you find out about your BMI to determine what health risks you are prone to with your particular weight. BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a number that shows body weight adjusted for height. BMI can be calculated with simple math using inches and pound, for adult's aged 20 years or older, BMI falls into one of these categories: underweight, normal, overweight, or obese.

With all these health risks in mind, the question is not "Why lose weight?" it should be "What better reason can there be not to lose weight?" If the cosmetic benefit of a healthy weight isn't a priority for you, that's understandable but it isn't the real issue. If you think about it how many of us would prefer to eat what we want everyday rather than try to eat a healthy diet, and lead a longer and healthier life.

Source: http://www.free-online-health.com/obesity-illness.htm