Health Problems Associated with Overweight
Being overweight and obesity may be the two words that keep circling the news and other media sources in the past decade. It has become such a huge problem to the point that it is now classified as an epidemic in the USA It can significantly increase your risk of contracting all kinds of health problems; most of which can be life-threatening.
Studies already show that there is a solid link between being overweight and many health conditions. There is no shortcut to this problem other than reaching and maintaining your normal weight. Check out this list of some of the most common health issues related to being overweight.
Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder where your body cannot produce enough insulin to regulate your blood glucose levels. It can also occur when the insulin that the body produces doesn’t work effectively. Your blood glucose level will then be too high which can lead to a succession of other health problems like kidney disease, eye problems, stroke, heart disease, etc. Studies reveal that the risk of contracting Type 2 diabetes is a lot higher if you are overweight.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when the normal blood supply to your brain suddenly stops. It can occur when there is a blocked or burst blood vessel that supplies blood to your brain. Strokes can be especially dangerous as they can damage your brain tissue and sometimes even paralyze some parts of your body. In some cases, it may even render you unable to speak. As of now, high blood pressure is the number one cause of strokes.
Heart Disease
The term heart disease is used to describe many different problems that affect your heart. But the most common heart problem occurs when blood vessels carrying blood to your heart become narrow or hard. Thus, preventing your heart from getting a sufficient amount of blood it needs to function normally. Being overweight can also cause other heart diseases like heart failure, heart attack, angina, and abnormal heart rhythm. Weight loss can tip the balance here as well and reduce your chances of suffering these heart diseases.
Cancer
Some types of cancers can also occur in certain cells in your body when the cells start growing abnormally. Being overweight increases your risk of developing cancer Breast, rectum, colon, gallbladder, uterus, and kidney cancer are some of the most common in overweight people.
Sleep Apnea
This is a common disorder among overweight people where there are sudden, brief pauses in breathing while sleeping. Sleep apnea can cause restless sleep throughout the night coupled with heavy snoring. It mainly occurs when you have more fat around your neck which makes your airways smaller thus making breathing difficult. Overweight also ranks as one of the leading causes of sleep apnea.
High Blood Pressure
A survey done by the CDC found that about 1 in 3 American adults suffer from high blood pressure. Your heart works round the clock to deliver blood and other nutrients to the rest of your body. The blood and other supplements travel through arteries and veins in your body every time your heart beats. Therefore, any deviation from the normal blood pressure can affect your normal heart functions which can lead to other risk factors like heart disease. The only remedy, in this case, is losing some weight.
Being overweight carries with it a lot of health issues. It can significantly damage your health if left unchecked and greatly impact your lifestyle as well. Losing weight is the only remedy to this epidemic. So, start working out how to shed off some of those fats.