obesity is dangerous for your health

Obesity is one of society’s prevailing problems. The World Health Organization projected in that in 2005 at least 400 million adults in the world were obese. Obesity is a medical condition where fat has excessively accumulated in the body. To determine obesity, a measurement called Body Mass Index (BMI) is used. BMI compares how much a person weighs in relation to height. Those with a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 are considered obese while those with BMI between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2 are considered slightly obese or commonly referred as overweight. Those who are significantly obese were estimated to number 1.6 billion worldwide in 2005.

photo courtesy of www.clinicasanjuandedios.org

Obesity leads to unfavorable effects in health such as coronary heart disease which originated from the accumulated fat in the body that strained the heart and surrounding organs and body systems necessary for body support. The fats hindered the proper flow of blood and resulted to inadequate blood circulation. The occurrence of coronary heart disease in a person together with high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure greatly increases the chance of having a stroke. Stroke is a hemorrhagic condition due to an obstructed blood vessel in the brain or leading to the brain. Stroke can either cause paralysis or death. Estimates reveal that cardiovascular diseases claim an annual number of 18 million lives worldwide.

There are complications that arise in the reproductive and endocrine systems of the body because of obesity. Some of these include diabetes, menstrual disorders, pregnancy difficulties, birth defects and infertility. Being obese also results in poor mobility, back pains, and osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the consequence of the heavy pressure on joints that wore away its protective cartilages. Physical discomfort is common to obese individuals because the accumulated fat crowded the spaces occupied by body organs and resulted to difficulty in sitting, walking or even breathing.

Probably one of the serious illnesses due to obesity, aside from heart diseases, is cancer. Some forms of cancer observed in people who are obese include breast, ovarian, colon, endometrial, pancreatic, liver and gallbladder. It is estimated that around 7.6 million people across the globe die annually because of cancer.

Obesity causes emotional pain and suffering to an individual. They are often ridiculed or being laughed at whether in their presence or behind their back. Others face discrimination in the access to important life opportunities like getting a job since obese individuals are usually viewed as lazy and unproductive people. Due to these emotional challenges they face every day, they often succumb to depression and feel sorry for themselves, their look, and plunge into self-doubt and isolation. There are many other complications due to obesity that point out its negative effects to the individual and make it clear that there is nothing good that can be derived from being obese.

image courtesy of www.b4tea.com

Even with many problems due to obesity, it is not without a cure. Because obesity is gaining in weight and accumulating fats, the obvious remedy is to lose weight. There are a number of ways to lose weight – proper exercise, diet and healthy lifestyle. Appropriate physical workout sheds stored fats and helps restore it to its normal beneficial state of providing thermal isolation to the body and protection of internal organs. Right diet and a healthy lifestyle help the individual limit the intake of food that hastens weight gain and excessive accumulation of fats.

However, losing weight is easier said than done. An individual must develop commitment and discipline to diligently and consistently undergo through the necessary process to lose weight. The only obstacle to losing weight is the individual’s resolve to lose weight but, when an obese person is determined, he can successfully lose weight.