Obesity Risks

Many people think of obesity and being overweight as just a cosmetic problem—something to be embarrassed about because the overweight person doesn’t look as good as the thinner person down the street. But being overweight or obese is actually a health hazard and causes the death of millions of people worldwide. The incidence of obesity is rising as is the incidence of its related health complications.

Perhaps the most common obesity risks is Type II diabetes, also called “adult onset diabetes”. The state of being obese or overweight leads one to a situation of insulin resistance, a situation where the body no longer responds to insulin that is released into the blood stream following a rises in blood sugar. In this case, insulin resistance results in perpetually high blood sugar levels that not only results in the developement of Type 2 Diabetes but also rapidly increases body weight, which only exasperates the underlying condition.

Type 2 Diabetes itself causes changes in blood lipids and can lead to secondary heart disease. High “bad” cholesterol and low “good” cholesterol are a bad combination that can lead to plaques in the arteries, particularly those involving the heart, the arteries in the neck that go to the brain and the arteries in the legs. The plaques become clogged, leading to strokes, heart attacks and blood clots to the legs. Buy Phentermine

Diabetes also affects the nerves of the body and men can develop impotence as well as peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy involves experiencing numbness and tingling in the arms and legs. It affects the ability to walk and to use one’s hands and ultimately can lead to ulcerations of the toes and feet. If left untreated, gangrene can result from a combination of a loss of nerves and circulation in the extremities and overweight and obese diabetics run the risk of having to surgically remove parts of their feet, hands and legs.

Overweight and obese individuals often have a great deal of problems with their joints. The excess weight on the back and on the knees and ankles typically results in arthritis of these joints. Sometimes the overweight individual develops “bone on bone” arthritis and needs to have a joint replacement due to the severe arthritic condition.

Obesity risks can also can lead to repiratory problems. The person must work harder to breathe in the first place and this can be made even worse with any type of physical exertion. Respiratory problems get exponentially worse at night, leading to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which the excess fatty tissue blocks the airway during the night when the individual is sleeping and normal regulation of breathing is interrupted or stopped all together. When this occurs, a person will suffocate for several seconds until they wake enough to open up their airway. This results in poor sleep as well as increased risk of migraines and strokes. Some overweight individuals need to wear a sleep apnea device in order to keep positive pressure in the airway and to prevent airway collapse.

Obesity risks cause serious health problems that can result in illness and death. Following a healthy diet with reasonable exercise can result in a drastic reduction in obesity risks.

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