Obesity and Top 10 Health Risks Associated with it

Here is a list of the top 10 health risks of obesity and ways to prevent them.

1. Type 2 diabetes

One of the main effects of obesity is type II diabetes. This relationship is worse because diabetes is also a complex health condition. It can, in turn, lead to various other health conditions like hypertension, stroke, and heart problems. The more obese you are, the more difficult it will be to handle your blood sugar levels.

Prevention of obesity is the primary way to prevent type II diabetes. Choose low carbohydrate and low sugar foods and load your plate with proteins and good fats.

2. Heart disease

Another of the health risks of obesity is developing different types of heart diseases. Excess fat in the body may prevent you from staying active, and this weakens the heart, constrict the heart muscles, lead to hypertension, and as a result, causes heart conditions.

Start by regularly monitoring your vitals like blood pressure and blood sugar and normalizing your BMI levels to keep away the risks of heart diseases.

3. Stroke

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of strokes, and if you are overweight, the excess fat deposits push the blood vessels, restricting normal blood flow. This may lead to high blood pressure levels with time. Obesity also puts excess pressure on the heart muscles, which adds pressure on the blood vessels.

Stroke is one of the more severe health risks of obesity, and you can prevent the risk by regularly monitoring your blood pressure levels and losing weight to protect the blood vessels.

4. Sleep apnoea

Sleep apnoea is a condition that causes your breathing to stop and resume multiple times when you are asleep. Though not one of the fatal health risks of obesity, this certainly disturbs sleep and leads to irritation and fogginess in the morning. Chronic lack of sleep can, in turn, lead to other side effects. You can bring down the risk of sleep apnoea by losing weight, changing your sleeping posture, and adequate physical activity.

5. High blood pressure

Prevention of obesity is vital if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Obesity not only causes high blood pressure but can worsen it too. Mindfulness activities can bring down stress and help handle high blood pressure. Losing weight can make a considerable difference too.

6. Liver disease

You wouldn’t believe it, but excess fat in the body can also lead to liver diseases. Specifically called Fatty Liver Disease (FLD), FLD is a condition where excess fat deposits accumulate on the liver, causing malfunctioning of that part of the body. Losing body fat and burning extra calories with physical activity can both prevent the condition from worsening.

7. Gallbladder disease

Conditions like gallbladder stones and inflammation of the gallbladder are common side effects of excessive weight gain. The condition worsens when your cholesterol levels are high. Therefore, apart from the prevention of obesity, you should also consider bringing down your LDL cholesterol levels.

8. Certain cancers

Being overweight increases the risk of developing inflammation in the body and this, in turn, increases the risk of developing different types of cancers. If you are diagnosed with cancer, being overweight can worsen the prognosis.

9. Pregnancy complications

Pregnancy is a very special part of a woman’s life and being overweight and obese can add to unwanted stress during the three trimesters. Obese women, during pregnancy, can develop gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and other pregnancy complications.

If you are planning to get pregnant, prevention of obesity is essential to improve your chances of a healthier pregnancy.

10. Depression

People who are obese may have mental health issues like depression because of how they look or because of existing health conditions. Apart from getting the right treatment for depression, losing weight can make a difference in how they feel.