Health Dangers & Complications of
Clinical Obesity or Severe Overweight
Health Risks of Obesity
Overweight and Obesity - Health Consequences
The primary concern of overweight and obesity
is one of health and not appearance. Obesity is a serious disease with
serious health risks.
Obesity Health Risks - Premature Death
- An estimated 300,000 deaths per year
may be attributable to obesity.
- The risk of death rises with increasing
weight.
- Even moderate weight excess (10 to 20
pounds for a person of average height) increases the risk of death,
particularly among adults aged 30 to 64 years.
- Individuals who are obese (BMI >
30) have a 50 to 100% increased risk of premature death from all causes,
compared to individuals with a healthy weight.
Obesity Health Risks - Heart Disease
- The incidence of heart disease (heart
attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or chest
pain, and abnormal heart rhythm) is increased in persons who are overweight
or obese (BMI > 25).
- High blood pressure is twice as common
in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight.
- Obesity is associated with elevated
triglycerides (blood fat) and decreased HDL cholesterol ("good
cholesterol").
Obesity Health Risks - Diabetes
- A weight gain of 11 to 18 pounds increases
a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes to twice that of individuals
who have not gained weight.
- Over 80% of people with diabetes are
overweight or obese.
Obesity Health Risks - Cancer
- Overweight and obesity are associated
with an increased risk for some types of cancer including endometrial
(cancer of the lining of the uterus), colon, gall bladder, prostate,
kidney, and postmenopausal breast cancer.
- Women gaining more than 20 pounds from
age 18 to midlife double their risk of postmenopausal breast cancer,
compared to women whose weight remains stable.
Obesity Health Risks - Breathing Problems
- Sleep apnea (interrupted breathing while
sleeping) is more common in obese persons.
- Obesity is associated with a higher
prevalence of asthma.
Obesity Health Risks - Arthritis
- For every 2-pound increase in weight,
the risk of arthritis increases by 9 to 13%.
- Symptoms of arthritis can improve with
weight loss.
Obesity Health Risks - Reproductive Complications
& Complications of Pregnancy
- Obesity during pregnancy is associated
with increased risk of death in both the baby and the mother and increases
the risk of maternal high blood pressure by 10 times.
- In addition to many other complications,
women who are obese during pregnancy are more likely to have gestational
diabetes and problems with labor and delivery.
- Infants born to women who are obese
during pregnancy are more likely to be high birthweight and, therefore,
may face a higher rate of Cesarean section delivery and low blood sugar
(which can be associated with brain damage and seizures).
- Obesity during pregnancy is associated
with an increased risk of birth defects, particularly neural tube defects,
such as spina bifida.
- Obesity in premenopausal women is associated
with irregular menstrual cycles and infertility.
Obesity Health Risks - Additional Health
Consequences
- Overweight and obesity are associated
with increased risks of gall bladder disease, incontinence, increased
surgical risk, and depression.
- Obesity can affect the quality of life
through limited mobility and decreased physical endurance as well as
through social, academic, and job discrimination.
Obesity Health Risks - Children &
Adolescents
- Risk factors for heart disease, such
as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, occur with increased frequency
in overweight children and adolescents compared to those with a healthy
weight.
- Type 2 diabetes, previously considered
an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents.
Overweight and obesity are closely linked to type 2 diabetes.
- Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance
of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one
or more parent is overweight or obese.
- The most immediate consequence of overweight,
as perceived by children themselves, is social discrimination.
Source: US Surgeon General (2002) |
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