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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Prevalence of Obesity Among Women

Obesity is quickly becoming a widespread global epidemic that is infiltrating all levels of society regardless of culture, income level or gender. Because of the health risks associated with obesity, this magnitude of epidemic puts tremendous stress on public health resources.

The American Obesity Association (AOA) states that ?More than half of adult U.S. women are overweight, and more than one-third are obese.? The National Center for Health Statistics determined that over a 10 year period from 1990 to 2000, the prevalence of obesity among women in the U.S. increased by as much as 10 percent.

Factors Related to Obesity in WomenThe National Center for Health Statistics has outlined some factors that appear to be related to obesity in women. These factors are: age and socioeconomic status.

Obesity and Age ? Statistics show that women are more likely to become overweight as they become older and middle-age women are at the highest risk of becoming obese. Factors contributing to weight gain in ageing women include a natural decrease in metabolic rate, less physical activity, and menopause.Obesity and Socioeconomic Status ? A researcher at the University of Washington named Adam Drewnowski tried to explain why people with low incomes were at a higher risk of obesity. What he determined was that much of the foods that are low in cost are processed foods that are high in sugar and fats. Other socioeconomic factors contributing to obesity low-income neighborhood barriers to physical activity, such as limited opportunities for daily walking or physical activity and reduced access to stores that sell healthy foods, especially large supermarkets.Health Effects Associated with Obesity in Women

There is a number of health effects associated with obesity in women. These adverse health effects include arthritis, birth defects, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease, gallbladder disease, infertility, incontinence, and diabetes.

How to Reduce the Prevalence Obesity in Women

There are a number of things that could be done to reduce the prevalence of obesity in women. The most important would be to make education about weight loss, weight management, nutrition and exercise available to all women regardless of socioeconomic status. Furthering this would be to provide free health and wellness programs for women who are struggling with obesity or being overweight.

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Obesity Increasing Globally

Obesity is on the rise globally, and is not just limited to North America and Australia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than one billion overweight adults in the world, and at least 300 million of them are considered obese. The countries with the highest obesity rates include the United States, Nauru, Tonga, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Seychelles, United Kingdom and Australia.

The increase in obesity globally is not only limited to adults, but is also being observed in children. It is estimated that 22 million children under five are overweight worldwide and this number is increasing rapidly, particularly in children living in cities.

There are a number of reasons why obesity is increasing globally, and the majority can be related to changes in society and worldwide nutrition. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization and globalization of food markets may indicate increasing wealth of a country, but they are also common among all populations with a high percentage of their population either overweight or obese. This is because as wealth and income rises and populations become more urban, diets start to contain higher proportions of fats, sugars and carbohydrates. At the same time, the population moves towards a trend of less physical activity, which only magnifies the problem and further increases the number of overweight and obese people.

Obesity is now considered a global epidemic. With so many serious diet-related chronic diseases associated with being overweight and obese, such as Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, strokes, heart attacks and infirtility, this global obesity epidemic threatens to reduce the overall quality of life of people everywhere. Governments and health organizations have yet to really begin to address the growing rate of obesity, but this issue can not be ignored for too much longer. As the incidence of diet-related chronic diseases and deaths continue to build, many countries will be forced to address the obesity issue, or run the risk of having their budgets for health care exhausted.

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