Impact of Obesity on Your Body and Health

Diabetes Most type 2 diabetes patients are obese. Type 2 diabetes influences how human body metabolizes sugar by either counterattacking or failing to produce adequate insulin.

Weight loss, healthy diet, and exercise can help prevent and treat the health condition.

Hypertension and Heart Disease The occurrence of different types of heart ailments such as heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythm, chest pains and heart failure is common among overweight persons.

Typically blood fat, coronary artery illness, and cholesterol levels are higher in obese persons. Additionally, hypertension is twice common in overweight persons.

Increased high blood pressure can also lead to:

• Blood in urine • Kidney failure/damage • Fatigue • Excessive sweating • Breath shortness • Confusion • Impaired vision Respiratory Disorders

Heart disease kills about 20,000 people every year in the Australia. The National Heart Foundation of Australia considers obesity a major risk factor for heart disease. Large studies show that the risk for heart disease increases with obesity(5). People with severe obesity are at a higher risk for coronary artery disease. This means they have a higher risk of a heart attack.

Obesity increases your risk of heart failure. Severe obesity is associated with irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias). These arrhythmias can triple the risk of cardiac arrest. However, some excess weight can protect against dying from heart failure after the diagnosis is made(6).

People with obesity have reduced lung capacity. These people are at higher risk for respiratory infections. They are more likely to have asthma and other respiratory disorders. Asthma has been shown to be three to four times more common among people with obesity(7).

More than half of those affected by obesity (around 50-60 percent) have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) In cases of severe obesity, this figure is around 90 percent(8). OSA is a very serious breathing disorder. OSA occurs when excess fat in the neck, throat, and tongue block air passageways during sleep. This blockage causes apnea, which means a person stops breathing for a time. A person with OSA may have hundreds of apnea episodes each night. Apnea episodes reduce the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood.

OSA may lead to high blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure. OSA can cause sudden cardiac death and stroke. Because apnea episodes interrupt the normal sleep cycle, you may not reach restful sleep. This can lead to fatigue and drowsiness. If untreated, this drowsiness may raise your risk of motor vehicle accidents.

In 2017, it is estimated that 134,174 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia. Obesity is believed to cause a significant number of cancer deaths per year. As body mass index (BMI) increases, so does your risk of cancer and death from cancer. These cancers include:

• Endometrial cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Postmenopausal breast cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Oesophageal cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Gallbladder cancer
• Liver cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Leukaemia

For people with severe obesity, the death rate increases for all types of cancer. The death rate is 52 percent higher for men and 62 percent higher for women(9).

Obesity puts a strain on your whole circulatory system. This strain increases your risk for stroke. Obesity can lead to other stroke risk factors. Stroke risk factors include heart dis-ease, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea(10).

Increased health risk of Cerebrovascular Disease and stroke Obesity is a fatal secondary risk factor for the entire circulation system.

Overweight people have a 75% increased risk of dying of a stroke. Atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries that cause arterial blood clots) is the most common cause of stroke. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) Obesity can be associated with increased risk of Gastroesophageal Reflux

A disease that leads to intestinal secretions and stomach acids leaking into an esophagus. Heartburn, hoarseness, belching and throwing up food are some of the common symptoms of GORD. Bone/joint damage and accidents Overweight persons experience a higher risk for osteoarthritis (cartilage and bone within a joint breakdown) and other similar musculoskeletal health conditions such as gout, back pain, spinal ailments and disc herniation.

Obesity, in particular severe obesity, contributes to a number of bone and joint issues. These issues can increase the risk for accidents and personal injury. Bone and joint issues can include:

• Joint diseases (osteoarthritis, gout)
• Disc herniation
• Spinal disorders
• Back pain

Pseudotumor cerebri, a condition associated with disorientation, headache, and visual impairment.

Other life-threatening conditions include:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Kidney Disease
• Gallbladder
• Low quality of life
• Septicemia
• Liver disease Emotional Effects Apart from the physical impacts of obesity, emotional/mental effects should also be addressed.

In most cases, emotional effects are more difficult to deal with compared to the physical impacts.

Individuals with obese have low self-esteem, are shy and have few friends. This affects both their personal and social life. In some cases, this can cause psychological issues and suicide when the patient fails to receive proper support system.

Health Improvements after weight loss.

The good news is that losing as little as ten to twenty pounds can reduce chances of developing chronic ailments associated with obesity such as stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

This is because reducing weight enhances the functions of the heart, blood cholesterol level, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

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