Dangers of Being Overweight
Being overweight can be hazardous to a person’s health. Carrying extra fat can lead to serious health conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and even some cancers. These diseases and conditions can lead to disability and even an early death.
While these conditions can cause long-term health issues and costly medical bills, the silver lining is that being overweight is largely preventable. The key to maintaining a healthy weight is to achieve an energy balance between calories consumed and calories burned.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least one in three of the world’s adult population is overweight, and nearly one in 10 is obese. Furthermore, there are more than 40 million children under age five who are overweight.
Dangers and health risks associated with being overweight include:
Difficulty breathing
If you are overweight, your body can prevent your lungs from fully expanding, making breathing not function properly so you can’t breathe enough air in. Inflammation associated with belly fat can also have a negative effect on your lungs. Being overweight may make you get winded from mowing the lawn or going up one flight of stairs quickly, for instance. Extra weight can also exasperate asthma symptoms.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Being overweight makes you more likely to have hypertension (high blood pressure) and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol). Both of these conditions make you more prone to having a heart attack or stroke.
Cancer
Cancers of the colon, breast kidney, and esophagus have all been linked to being overweight. Additionally, some research has shown a link between obesity and cancers of the gallbladder, pancreas, and ovaries.
Fatty liver disease
When fat accumulates in the liver, it may create scar tissue that can lead to the liver completely shutting down. While providers aren’t sure exactly what causes fatty liver disease, it’s a known fact that you are more likely to have fatty liver disease when you are overweight.
Osteoarthritis
Being overweight places more strain on your joints, causing stiffness and pain. It can also trigger inflammation. In fact, losing just 5% of your body weight will take the pressure off of your hips, knees, and lower back.
High cholesterol
What you eat typically plays a major role in your cholesterol levels. Eating foods like burgers, fries, and fried chicken can increase the amount of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your system. On the other hand, foods with soluble fiber, such as whole grains, beans, grapes, strawberries, and okra, will help reduce your cholesterol.
As you can see, being overweight can cause a host of health problems. On the other hand, maintaining a healthy weight can bring about many health benefits, such as:
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
- Reduce the risk of stroke
- Reduce the risks of developing cancer
- Lower the risk of diabetes\
- Relieve joint tension
- Reduce back pain
- Strengthen the immune system
- Better, more restful sleep
- Help prevent osteoarthritis
- Reduce infertility risks
- Reduce the risk of anemia
- Boost self-esteem and self-confidence
- Increase energy
As this list indicates, the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight are numerous. Quite simply, maintaining a healthy weight can help you live longer. For this reason alone, it’s one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being.
No matter if you have been in good physical shape for most of your life or if you have largely neglected your health and weight, finding your healthy weight is extremely important to your overall health. Being overweight or obese can have devastating effects. If you haven’t ever paid attention to your weight over the years, now is the time to starting do so.
How do I lose weight?
To achieve a healthier weight, it’s important to watch what you eat. We recommend you consider these tips:
- Eat healthy
- Get two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables each day
- Eat sugary, fatty, and salty foods sparingly
- Drink water instead of sugary sodas
- Make time for regular healthy meals and don’t skip breakfast
- Don’t eat too fast quickly
- Stop eating when you’re full
- Sit less and move more
Every change you make in your diet and lifestyle can make a big difference. By eating well and staying active, you will be on your way to losing weight and living a healthy, enjoyable life.
Contact Natural Bio Health
If you’re looking for a safe and effective weight-loss solution, contact the experts at Natural Bio Health today. We’ve helped thousands of people lose the weight and keep it off since 1999, and we’ll be ready to discuss how our programs could work for you. Contact us by phone or online today.