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5 Diseases Caused by Obesity

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It’s easy to know which foods are bad and which are good, but it doesn’t make it any easier to make good decisions when you’re feeling peckish.

More than mere appearance, obesity is seriously bad for your health.

According to medical sciences, you are considered obese if your weight is twenty percent more than the weight considered as standard for your height, calculated by your BMI. While BMI isn’t perfect (some people are muscular and therefore weigh more while others are extremely tall), the correlation between obesity and serious diseases is extremely high.

Here are 5 diseases that are caused by obesity:

Stroke and Heart Disease

If you have extra weight, you will be more prone to high cholesterol as well as high blood pressure. These conditions are some of the leading factors that can cause stroke or heart disease, but all are not doomed. Medical experts suggest that if you lose some proportion of your weight then you can also decrease the likelihood of stroke or heart disease. Just five to ten percent of weight shedding should be enough for you to lower your chances of contracting the diseases.

Diabetes (Type 2)

It is commonly observed that individuals that have type 2 diabetes are either obese or overweight. So, if you want to cut down your chances of having diabetes, you can do so by shedding weight. You must practice consuming a balanced and healthy diet, exercising, and getting the right amount of sleep. Even if you have diabetes, you should attempt to lose weight and to be physically more active since this will allow you to better manage your body’s blood sugar proportions. Moreover, if you are active, your body might demand lesser levels of diabetes medication.

Cancer

Several types of cancer such as of the kidney, esophagus, and colon are associated with obesity. Recent studies have also found out that obesity is associated with cancer of the pancreas and gallbladder. The treatment of cancer is a very lengthy and costly process that is often very painful for the patient, not to mention that cancer can have grave consequences. So wouldn’t it be better if you try to avoid the disease altogether?

Gallstones

Gallstones as well as gallbladder disease are more likely to afflict an overweight person rather than a normal or underweight individual. But beware, as medical science tells us that weight loss (especially rapid loss of large proportions of weight) can also lead to the acquisition of gallstones.

So, if you are obese, it is important that you shed fat in a slow and timely manner. For instance, lose just one pound in seven or eight days at most. This will surely allow you to avoid having gallstones.

Osteoarthritis

This is a joint condition that frequently affects the back, hip or knee area of the body. If you are obese, your body will naturally carry extra weight which will put pressure upon the aforementioned joints. This negatively affects the cartilage that usually safeguards them.

By losing weight, you will put less stress on your lower back, hips and knees, thereby reducing your chances of attaining osteoarthritis.

Losing Weight Is Hard

There’s no doubt about that, but small steps taken each day can lead to results. It’s important to remember that the benefits of losing weight go far beyond appearance. Immediately after eating healthier meals, the following will happen:

  1. you’ll feel more energetic
  2. you’ll sleep better
  3. you’ll have better cognitive function
  4. you’ll start to recall facts and items that you previously couldn’t remember
  5. your mood will improve
  6. you’ll become more productive
  7. your appetite will decrease

Just remember that every positive action taken towards a healthy diet is a victory. You can’t expect it all to happen at once. You will build the habits you need in time once your brain recognizes the association between the healthy action and the positive effect.

Be well and #thrive!

Obesity – Understanding the Risks

Diabetes, Health Tips, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

obesity

Obesity is a common problem that involves accumulation of undue amount of fat in your body. If you are extremely obese, it means that you are at risk of health complications. You should take proactive measures to steer clear of obesity to avoid these potential health problems.

Here are the risks associated with being obese:

Heart Diseases

Obesity leads to increase in your body mass index (BMI), which in turn makes you more susceptible to coronary heart disease. The condition involves the buildup of plaque – a waxy material- in your coronary arteries that can make the arteries thin or completely block them, and decrease the flow of blood to your heart. The outcome can be chest pain or a heart attack. When the condition becomes serious, it can even cause a heart failure.

Hypertension

Obesity can result in hypertension- a condition whereby the force applied by the blood against the walls of your arteries increases. If your blood pressure increases and remains constantly high, it can cause damages to your body. The more obese you are, the more the chance for hypertension.

Stroke

If you are overweight or obese, you are at risk of stroke because obesity generates plaque in your arteries, and there are chances that a portion of the plaque can break up, growing a blood clot in one of your arteries. And, if the clot is created somewhere near your brain, it has the potential to shut down blood and oxygen supply to your brain. When blood and oxygen supply to the brain stops, the risk of experiencing a stock increase.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a health condition that involves increase in your blood sugar level. Under normal circumstances, the human body converts foods into glucose and then transports them to the cells, which use insulin to convert the glucose into energy. However, when you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, your body cells can malfunction when it comes to using insulin. Obese people are more at risk of type 2 diabetes, which is among the major causes of deaths, kidney diseases, strokes, heart diseases and blindness.

Osteoarthritis

Being obese and overweight can also increase your risk for Osteoarthritis, which is a common condition that involves wear and tear of your joints, including hip joints, knee joints and your lower back. Rise in weight increases the pressure on the tissues that protects your joints, leading to wear and tear of the joints. This condition can cause unbearable pain.

It is important to stay healthy and lose weight. The best way is to have a healthy diet and workout regularly. However, obesity is not merely being overweight, it is classified as a disease and hence medical intervention may be necessary. If you’re overweight or feel you need to lose weight, get in touch with us today and let us suggest you the best tools to stay fit.